Italy lost all three of its sides competing in the play-off phase of the UEFA Champions League this week as AC Milan, Atalanta and Juventus suffered elimination. Theo Hernandez’s red card and a public spat between Gian Piero Gasperini and Ademola Lookman over a missed penalty have caused plenty of discussion, but the results could also impact the Serie A race for European spots.
Reaching across a coffee-stained bar to grab a crumpled newspaper in Italy on Thursday morning, it was immediately apparent that things weren’t quite right in the world of calcio.
The headlines glaring back at any bleary-eyed reader left little doubt that this had not been a good week.
“EURO DISASTRO” (Euro Disaster) screamed off the front page of Gazzetta dello Sport, while La Stampa described a “tricolor fiasco.
It wasn’t a reaction just to the previous evening, but to a 48-hour spell in which Italy lost all three of its teams competing in the UEFA Champions League play-offs.
Only Inter, having already qualified directly for the last 16, remain to fly the green, white and red flag in Europe’s premier club competition.
But the events of this week threaten to have a far-reaching impact, with an identity crisis, public spats and a coefficient collapse leaving Italian football in a tricky spot.
Juve’s defeat to PSV marked another frustrating bump in the road in a season full of them for the inconsistent Bianconeri.
The timing was unfortunate, with coach Thiago Motta having seemingly finally got a tune from his squad with a run of four straight wins across all competitions inspired by the flying form of January signing Randal Kolo Muani.
But after four steps forwards, there was a giant leap backwards in Eindhoven, and one which former Juve coach Fabio Capello believes was a sign of a wider issue.
“It demonstrated that our Serie A teams suffer when up against the tempo of European sides. From that perspective it seems like our league has taken a backwards step” the former England boss told Gazzetta dello Sport.
The mood is no less sour in Milan, where a shock exit to Feyenoord on Tuesday ended another underwhelming campaign after last season’s group-stage elimination.
Sergio Conceicao’s efforts to put some fire in the belly of the Diavoli have so far been somewhat hit and miss, with the club still sitting seventh in Serie A.
But their European exit could well be remembered as the moment patience finally ran out with explosive but erratic full-back Theo Hernandez, who was sent off for diving while his side were in the lead at San Siro.
The pink-haired Frenchman’s expulsion, despite his subsequent apology, with ex-Milan star Zvonimir Boban calling the France international’s dive “indecent and unsporting” and accusing him of “doing this for years.”
Now, widespread reports claim that the club are ready to cash in on the Frenchman at the end of the season rather than offer him a new contract.
Lookman and Gasperini lock horns
The Theo case wasn’t the most controversial of the week, though, thanks to Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini.
Ademola Lookman’s penalty miss in a which sealed a 5-2 aggregate loss, led to some brutally honest analysis from Gasperini.
“He is one of the worst penalty-takers I’ve ever seen. He has a frankly terrible record. Even in training, he converts very few of them,” Gasperini said after the game.
The astonishing outburst only added fuel to the fire of a relationship that was already reportedly stretched following a summer where Lookman wanted to join Paris Saint-Germain but was forced to stay put when a move didn’t materialise.
Lookman responded on social media, writing: “Being singled out in the manner I have been not only hurts but feels deeply disrespectful.”
“During the match the designated penalty taker instructed me to take the penalty; and to support the team I took responsibility in the moment to do so.”
Lookman also wrote: “In truth, I have dealt with many difficult moments during my time here – the majority of which I have never spoken about because in my opinion the team must always be protected and must come first. This makes what happened last night even more hurtful.”
The ugly and very public spat raises the question of what happens now, with Atalanta surely needing a serious air-clearing session to get one of their star men at his best for the season run-in.
Coefficient collapse spells trouble for trio
Milan, Juventus and Atalanta joined Bologna in dropping out of the Champions League after Italy earned five places this season due to last year’s strong coefficient performance.
However, any chance of that happening again now looks very slim indeed, with England and Spain accelerating into the distance in the coefficient race following this week’s results.
According to Opta, Italy’s chances of earning a bonus fifth UCL spot dropped from 44% to 23.6% in the space of one evening on Tuesday, when Milan and Atalanta were eliminated.
Juve’s exit only deepened those woes, leaving just four Italian sides in European competitions: Inter, Lazio and Fiorentina are already into the last 16 of the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, respectively.
Roma will bid to join their city rivals when they face FC Porto at the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday, live on TNT Sports and discovery+, with the tie poised at 1-1.
Italy now has 17.812 points for 2024/25 and sits third in the coefficient rankings, behind Spain on 18.535 points and with six clubs still involved in European competitions.
England is almost guaranteed a fifth Champions League spot, sitting top of the ranking on 20.892 points.
That could come back to haunt all three of Italy’s sides to exit the Champions League this week, as Atalanta, Juventus and Milan are involved in a fierce scrap for top-four spots.
Atalanta are currently in the strongest position, sitting third with 51 points, but their recent form makes for concerning reading, with one win in their last seven games across all competitions and three defeats in the last five.
Juve snuck into fourth with a win over Inter on Sunday, but are only ahead of Lazio on goal difference. They both sit on 46 points, while Fiorentina (42), Milan (41) and Bologna (41) form a snarling chasing pack.
It promises to be a tight, even desperate, race for a top-four spot, with six clubs vying for two places of immense financial significance.
You can watch the next instalment of the story as it unfolds when a bruised Juventus travel to Cagliari on Sunday night, live on TNT Sports 1 and discovery.
