Legendary Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi believes both the Rossoneri and Juventus need to ‘wake up’ following their disappointing Champions League defeats. Writing in his column for Gazzetta dello Sport, Sacchi emphasised that Italian football is progressing, but there is still improvement needed:
“Italian football is progressing: it has finally acquired knowledge and courage. The Nerazzurri are experienced and talented, while Atalanta has become a reality at the European level. Rossoneri and Bianconeri have made basic mistakes.
Only one team among the top eight: Inter. Three in the playoffs: Milan, Atalanta, Juventus. And one eliminated: Bologna. Objectively, more could have been expected from the Italian teams, especially from Milan and Juventus. The Rossoneri lost in Zagreb against technically inferior opponents, while the Bianconeri were booed by their own fans after the home defeat against Benfica. It’s true that both still have the chance to advance by winning the playoffs, but to succeed, they need to wake up and stop making the glaring and basic errors seen in the last round.
Our domestic football is progressing, I have no doubt about this because it’s enough to watch the matches of our Serie A to realize it: it has finally acquired knowledge and courage. We are no longer the nation of catenaccio and counterattack: we have ideas to propose, we have the desire to show our qualities, to put on a show, to entertain people. However, even the big teams, like Milan and Juve, must quickly adapt to this growth.
What the Champions League has shown so far:
1. Inter can fight to win it. This is demonstrated by the clear victory against Monaco, with a hat-trick from Lautaro Martinez, and by the entire European journey of the Nerazzurri. A complete team, experienced, rich in talent (and what a great striker Lautaro is!) and with a great spirit of sacrifice.
2. Milan has disappointed me once again. A performance to forget. But here the problem is that mistakes have been made since the beginning of the season, and now it becomes difficult to remedy them. In my opinion, it is necessary for the managers to reflect on what has been done because Milan’s history deserves much more than what we are observing. And please, let’s not blame Sergio Conceiçao who has just arrived…
3. Juve is in a phase of dangerous involution. They fail to embark on the path that would lead them towards a total cultural revolution. Thiago Motta is good, he showed it in Bologna last season, I believe that in the long run he will succeed in imposing himself, but I understand the anger of the people who would like to see a more competitive team.
4. Atalanta is now a reality at the European level, and for this, we must build a monument to the club, to the coach who is an authentic master, and to the players who follow him. The draw in Barcelona is there to demonstrate this feeling. The Bergamo team plays openly against everyone, they are not afraid, they fight, they commit, and in the end, they receive applause. Rightly so, I might add.
5. The European giants have suffered a lot. I’m thinking of Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Paris Saint Germain. Who would have said, at the beginning of the competition, that these three would remain out of the top eight? Now they will be forced to fight in the playoffs, and therefore they will have to waste more physical and psychological energy to earn their ticket to the round of 16.
6. The team that impressed me the most was undoubtedly Liverpool. They go at a thousand miles an hour. Stopping the Reds when they accelerate is practically impossible, and this is also demonstrated by their dominance in the Premier League. After the Klopp era, the new coach Slot has managed, with great humility, to maintain certain tactical principles of his predecessor and add only a few small details to give enthusiasm back to the environment.
I have also observed with interest the evolution of Arteta’s Arsenal: an English team led with Spanish flair. And this fusion, which means combining Anglo-Saxon physicality and Latin technique, is producing results and entertainment.”
