For years all we’ve been hearing about is how great the English and Spanish clubs are, about how much better they are than our “aging” Italian clubs. Based on recent CL performances, that looks to be out the window.
First of all, I just want to knock on wood before I post this. I realize there are still 2 more games to go in the CL and no Italian team is qualified yet, but there’s still reason to celebrate.
Reason one: Fiorentina are just about to knock Liverpool out of the CL. Yes, you read that right. The Italian team which didn’t win a single game last year in this competition is on the verge of knocking out one of the competition’s biggest teams. One more win for the Viola and the Scousers will be enjoying the Europa Cup. Prandelli has been a masterclass this season and Jovetic in particular has stood out brightly- proving that Italy is not just the place for old stars.
Nope, that place is instead AC Milan. And that has been a pretty good thing for them so far. They beat Real Madrid away and tied them at home, results which surely have Perez already looking for a new manager. Say what you want about Milan’s age, but they’re again proving that the CL is their natural home.
Home for one half of Milan, maybe, but not quite yet for the other half. Inter top their group today but still have to play Barca away in a group that could well go to the death. Juve too look like a safe bet to progress but with a game against Bayern coming up, anything could happen.
But let’s not worry about that just yet. Let’s revel in the fact that for the first time a while, 4 Italian teams could progress to the knockout stages and only 3 English teams might. Our UEFA coefficient-and reputation- should be safe for a while longer.
