VIEW FROM ITALY: When you’ve got no money, you need good ideas… Serie A clubs punch above their weight in European competitions thanks to smart transfers and tactical intelligence on the pitch
- Italian sports journalist explains why Serie A clubs are successful in Europe
- Although they are not the wealthiest of sports teams, they have smart transfers and tactics
- Either Inter Milan or city rivals AC will advance to the Champions League final
The 20 Serie A clubs spend one billion euros between them every season.
There is no Italian club in the top 10 of the Deloitte list of the richest clubs in the world, and in terms of money generated, the Italian league is fourth in the table, behind the Premier League, the Bundesliga and the League.
“Once upon a time there was the Italian league where all the best players in the world wanted to be,” said Giuseppe Marotta, general manager of Inter Milan and president of the Association of Sporting Directors in Italy.
“Now this is a step in their journey to the top.”
The Serie A of Zico, Marco van Basten and Diego Maradona no longer exists. Neither the era of Brazilian striker Ronaldo, nor even that of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Inter Milan chief executive Giuseppe Marotta believes Italy’s role in football has changed
Inter or Crosstown rivals AC Milan are one game away from the Champions League final
Yet despite all this, one of the Milan clubs will reach the Champions League final. Roma and Juventus are in the semi-finals of the Europa League and Fiorentina are still battling in the Conference League. How is it possible?
“When you don’t have enough money, you need good ideas,” Marotta said.
This applies in the transfer market and on the pitch, and encompasses profits from player sales, smart free transfers and tactical intelligence.
Being the best league in the world – as Serie A was for a decade – has clearly left its mark, although today things are not what they used to be.
