Is Italy’s European force weakening?

AC Milan, Inter Milan, Roma, Juventus and Lazio were season after season Champions League regulars who were always capable of winning the competition each year. The club sides from Italy were regarded as some of the strongest in Europe, but are the sides from Serie A getting weaker and less feared?

The force of the Italian team’s in the Champions League appears to be weaker and weaker each season. In the last five years there has, on only one occasion that a team from Italy has been in the Champions League winner, when in 2010 Mourinho’s Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich in the final.

At present the competition is dominated by Real Madrid, Barcelona and the English teams with Bayern Munich added in the mix. The Italian teams aren’t feared as much in the competition anymore. That was shown only in the week when Anderlecht travelled to Milan and came away with a point.

The teams you would expect to be representing Italy in the Champions League aren’t there anymore. Last season Inter Milan finished sixth in Serie A and after only two years of winning the title they are now in the reserve competition of European football. Lazio another European powerhouse from previous years are in the Europa League also. As for Roma a team that were once a Champions League powerhouse haven’t even made a European competition this year.

I feel that the reason Italy’s club teams are faltering year after year is that the best players in each team are pursuing a career elsewhere maybe in a bigger league such as the Premiership or La Liga. As the players gradually leave Italy the interest from big money owners aren’t drawn there and therefore the clubs don’t have the financial backing that ensure they can buy the players capable of making them a success.

This year could be the first year that an Italian team isn’t in the quarter final. Although Juventus played well at Chelsea in the week I feel that if I was the manager of Barcelona or Manchester United and my team was drawn against an Italian team in the knockout rounds I wouldn’t at all be worried.

Daniel Clark

@ClarkyD92

For more Football Blogs and opinion from football fans around the world