The Italian national team (right) is gradually disappearing from the world football map - Photo: AFP
Few could have predicted that the four-time world champion would miss three consecutive World Cups.
I can only blame myself.
The harsh defeat for the Italian national team in Zenica on the morning of April 1st was not a sudden collapse. Bosnia and Herzegovina did not win through technical dominance or superior stature, but rather Italy lost due to self-inflicted mistakes and a lack of composure.
Before having to enter the do-or-die play-offs, the Italian team had a disappointing qualifying campaign, trailing group leaders Norway by 6 points. Having to take the risky "lucky draw" route was already a sign of instability.
In the play-off final, everything seemed to be within reach for Gennaro Gattuso's team when Moise Kean opened the scoring early. However, the composure of a "big team" that once knew how to finish off opponents had vanished. Alessandro Bastoni's disastrous red card at the end of the first half symbolized the impatience and lack of control of the Italian team at the time.
When the match went to a penalty shootout, the very place where they had been crowned champions at Euro 2020, confidence had vanished. Missed penalties from Pio Esposito and Bryan Cristante highlighted the failure of that generation. But could the poor pitch conditions in Zenica or the 97% humidity be blamed, as some might suggest? The answer is no. A team of Italy's caliber shouldn't let its fate be decided by the weather or the random draw of the UEFA Nations League.
This decline is a long-term process. After winning Euro 2020 – which is now being called "a brilliant illusion" – the Italian national team has not been itself. They have lost their way in defining their style, abandoning the traditional Catenaccio defensive approach but lacking the sharpness to implement an assertive attacking system.
The constant changes on the coaching bench – from Roberto Mancini to Luciano Spalletti and then Gattuso – left the Italian national team like a ship without a rudder. The Italians failed because they no longer knew where they stood on the world football map.
Where is Italian football headed?
This agonizing question is engulfing Italian football. "The Italian national team has become a laughingstock," exclaimed legend Alessandro Del Piero. A footballing nation that once produced figures like Maldini, Baggio, and Pirlo now struggles to find a world-class center forward or a spiritual leader capable of lifting his teammates through difficult times. The root of the crisis lies in the very structure of Italian football.
Serie A, once considered a "mini World Cup," is now lagging far behind the Premier League and La Liga in both finances and vision. Italian clubs, pressured by short-term results, have opted to buy cheap foreign players or rely on aging veterans. The failure to give opportunities to young talents from the academies has hindered the development of the next generation, leaving Italian domestic players lacking the practical experience needed in top-level competitions.
In addition, there is the economic disadvantage. The fact that clubs do not own their own stadiums limits revenue, leading to a lack of investment in youth development and infrastructure. When Italy's rare young talents like Barella or Bastoni have to shoulder the burden of an outdated system, they easily become exhausted or lose their way in the face of rapidly transforming football in Europe.
Where will the future of Italian football lead if they continue to cling to past glories? Unless the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) undertakes a radical revolution, starting with changes to the regulations regarding domestic players in Serie A and unifying coaching philosophies at all youth levels, the pain of missing out on the World Cup will not end.
Italian football needs a real resurgence, not just empty promises. They need to rediscover their identity: tenacity, discipline, and steely resolve in crucial moments.
Twelve years, and now sixteen years, being absent from the World Cup is a huge blow to the pride of Italian fans. When the Azzurri have faded to the point of almost being invisible on the world football map, it's time to accept the need to tear down and rebuild from scratch. Otherwise, they will forever remain just a beautiful memory in the old films of football history.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/sac-thien-thanh-nhat-nhoa-20260402003650062.htm
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