Italy, four World Cup titles that are of no use today: once again without a World Cup, the reason for its downfall
For years, Italy was synonymous with solidity, hierarchy, and competitiveness. Four World Cups support a history that seemed immune to the passage of time...
TL;DR
- Italy's absence from three consecutive World Cups is a historic break, not a simple sporting accident, but a result of deep structural crisis.
- Incompetent leadership within the Italian Football Federation, exemplified by figures like Gabriele Gravina, has failed to implement necessary changes.
- No Italian club has won the Champions League since 2010, indicating a decline in the elite European level, which affects the national team.
- The Calciopoli scandal in 2006, while coinciding with a World Cup win, prevented necessary systemic renewal, allowing structural issues to persist.
- The team has lost its historical tactical solidity, replaced by fragility and individual errors, exacerbated by a disconnect between local and international refereeing standards.
- Technical decisions, such as the appointment of managers like Gennaro Gattuso, have lacked a solid project, and top coaches prefer international roles.
- The Euro 2020 victory was a 'mirage' that masked deficiencies rather than fixing them, as it was decided by penalties.
- Player development is flawed, with rigid systems limiting creativity, and experts like Cesare Prandelli and Gianluigi Buffon emphasizing the need for reform from formative ages (7-13).
- The current crisis requires self-criticism, planning, and leadership, which Italy appears to lack.