'Calcio' has not been played again in the Champions League.

For the second consecutive year, no Italian club will enter the quarter-finals of the European Champions League. The Juventus disaster, in which Villarreal was defeated by 3-0 at home on Wednesday, begins a debate in Italy, the champion country of the last European National Championship.

“A few days before the World Cup losers in Qatar, a massive failure: the Italian champion Europe has been reduced to almost zero internationally”, Corriere dello Sport was very upset by the fact that he had to “follow television” for the rest of the Champions League in 2021-2022.

Once again, Roberto Mancini's Nazionale will have to work to lift the spirit of 'Tiposhi', but for this he will have to get a World Cup ticket.He will have to beat North Macedonia first in the semi-final of the Resurrection of Losses next Thursday, and he will have to beat Portugal or Turkey on Tuesday 29 in the final.

Only one Azura player, Giorginho (Chelsea), can qualify for the Champions League quarterfinals. For the rest of the international players, disappointment with the club is a common note, as is the case with Gianluigi Donarumma and Marco Verati (PSG) or Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus) and Niccolo Varella (Inter Milan).

Inter was removed by Liverpool and planted a battle (a 1-0 victory on the second leg after falling 2-0 on the first leg). However, Juventus crashed against Villarreal in setbacks in Turin 3-0 after achieving 1-1 in the first match in Spain.

- Confirmation of decline -

Champions League expert Massimiliano Alegre (two finals with Juventus in 2015 and 2017) received a real lesson from Villarreal strategist Unai Emery. He did nothing better than Maurizio Sari and Andrea Pirlo, who were defeated by 'Vecchia Signora' in 16 rounds over the past two years.

The failure of the Italian club in this Champions League confirms the decline of a country that is increasingly distant from the 'golden age'.

Italy is still one of the countries that won the fourth place in the Champions League, but only two clubs have been sent to the quarterfinals in the last four years (Juventus in 2019 and Atalanta in 2020).

A much lower quarter-finalist percentage (12.5%) than other countries with the highest fourth place in the European tournament, including the United Kingdom 68%, Spain 41% and Germany 30%. The same is true behind France (25%), which has three places in the Champions League.

- Discussion on play styles -

Villarreal coach Unai Emery tried to reassure Italian journalists, saying that 'Calcio' maintained “high standards like Spanish, German and British football.”

However, the former director of AC Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi, champion of two European titles (1989, 1990), is that he lacks ambition.

“We Italians always believe that we are the saviors of our hometown, but it doesn't make sense to think that a single player can only win 11 opponents. The game makes a difference.” He highlighted this Thursday on the pages of La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The criticism is undoubtedly mainly about Juventus, who, like Cristiano Ronaldo in the past, relied too much on the talent of the Serbian attacker Doosan Blahovich.

Atalanta and AC Milan were more ambitious in the group stage, but were unlucky.

Italy will have to wait until the 2022-2023 season to regain the throne of the European club. Something that Inter Milan has not achieved since the release of “Orehona” in 2010.

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