Italy has 3 teams in the 1/4 of the Champions League for the first time in 17 years

One of the main results of the 1/8 finals of the Champions League: three Italian clubs reached the quarterfinals at once – Milan, Inter and Napoli. Serie A will have the most representation at this stage of the tournament. England has two teams (Chelsea and Manchester City), Spain, Germany and Portugal have one each – Real, Bayern and Benfica. It is possible that the Italian team will also be in the semi-finals – there are no restrictions on the draw for the 1/4 finals, respectively, there is a high probability of seeing a purely Apennine confrontation.

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Is it really that cool?

Yes. It was in the 1990s that Serie A was the strongest league in the world. The place where all the stars flocked and the main tactical laboratory of the planet. In the 2000s, everything was also not bad, at least if we talk about the results in Europe – three victories in the Champions League (Milan – 2003 and 2007, Inter – 2010, one of them in a purely Italian final). In the 2010s, there was a decline – gaming, financial, mental. Yes, there were two Juventus outings in the Champions League final, but the club from Turin is a different story. An exception that lives its own life and by its own rules.

The early 2010s are still an echo of past luxury. The wreckage of champion Inter Jose Mourinho, Milan with Zlatan, Thiago Silva and Prime Robinho with Alexandre Pato. But then – quite sad. Since the 2012/13 season, almost all passes to the quarter-finals and beyond are Juventus. There are exactly two exceptions: Roma in the 2017/18 season, which climbed into the semi-finals and arranged a fun shootout with Liverpool (2:5, 4:2) and Atalanta in 2019/20, which barely knocked out PSG.

That is, three clubs in the Champions League quarter-finals is a real breakthrough for Italy. The last time this happened was 17 (!) years ago, in the 2005/06 season, when Milan, Inter and Juventus made it to the top eight. The following year, there were two Serie A clubs in the 1/4 finals – Milan and Roma, and then no more than one 11 years – until the 2017/18 draw.

What are the reasons for such success?

First, we should not forget that this season is unique because of the World Cup that divided it into two parts. The 2022 World Cup and its consequences cannot be ignored. Italy did not qualify for Qatar, so the best local players got a month and a half of rest and quiet preparation. Many legionnaire leaders – Kvaratskhelia, Osimkhen, Lobotka, Mkhitaryan, Shkrinyar, Chalkhanoglu, Dzeko, Menyan, Tomori, Benasser, Diaz – also did not go to the World Cup. It is possible that now it plays into the hands of Italian clubs.

Secondly, they were certainly lucky with the draw for the 1/8 finals. Napoli, which won its group, received not PSG or, say, Borussia, but Eintracht as rivals. Sweeter, perhaps, was only Brugge. Milan and Inter, who took second place, got not MS, Real or the same Bayern, but Tottenham and Porto – the same British were just in crisis, but the Spurs head coach Antonio Conte before the matches of the 1/8 finals underwent surgery on the gallbladder.

On the other hand, the same “Roma” a few years ago in the 1/8 finals flew out of “Porto”, as well as “Juventus” under Andrea Pirlo, and last year the Turintsy stumbled over “Villarreal”.

So is this the revival of Calcio?

So far, it’s too early to talk about it. One thing is for sure: Italian football is on a bright upswing right now. In the semi-final, there may be at least one Italian team.

However, in the Europa League, Juventus and Roma have a good chance of reaching the quarter-finals, as well as Fiorentina in the Conference League (Lazio are doing worse there). By the beginning of April, six representatives of the A series may well remain in Europe at once (ideally, seven). And this will be the best indicator among all European leagues: Spain and England can have a maximum of five, Germany – four, France has one “Nice” in the Conference League.

In the UEFA coefficients table, Italy is currently second this season, second only to England (16.642 points against 19.000), and in the total rating over the past five years has a good chance of closing the gap with Germany to a minimum. All fans can only enjoy such great football.

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