The 2020-21 season in Europe for Serie A clubs is one to forget. Lazio, Juventus FC, and Atalanta BC all fell in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16; meanwhile, Inter Milan never made it out of the group stage. In the UEFA Europa League, only AS Roma remains, so there’s plenty of discussion about whether this is a one-off occasion or trend that will worry those who love Italian football.
During his interview with Tuttomercatoweb (via La Lazio Siamo Noi), former Lazio defender Sebastiano Siviglia spoke about Italian football’s current state. The 47-year-old stated that he’d like to see more opportunities given to young Italian players. Siviglia adds that Serie A is too dependent on foreign players.
There are many foreigners in Italy, which does not facilitate the growth or gradual integration of a young Italian player. Undoubtedly, Italian clubs should invest more in youth from the country. Look at Uruguay for example. Despite only having a population of 3 million people, they constantly produce top talent. I remain convinced that Italy can do the same.
With international tournaments on the horizon for Italy and Serie A clubs looking to redeem themselves in European competitions, these talks about Italian football needing change will either stay in 2021 or spill over into 2022, depending on results.
