Tear Italian football down, cancel Serie A and start again

"The renaissance of Scott McTominay has been nothing short of wondrous. From being Jose Mourinho's hill to flog Paul Pogba to a PSR blue chip, the midfielder's Mediterranean glow-up was beyond anything we imagined: Ray-Bans and espresso in hand certainly suits him. We were all quick to question Manchester United: to pinpoint quite how toxic Carrington really is for McTominay to rise from white elephant to golden goose so effortlessly."

"Perhaps it was alarming that a bit-part player in a, frankly, dreadful United team could elevate a Scudetto-winning side quite so miraculously. Perhaps it was alarming for Juventus to drop into anonymity after such a defining dynasty. Perhaps it was alarming for a footballing nation the size of Italy to fail to qualify for two straight World Cups, a third far from assured under a man who has seemingly bombed upwards into the dugout."

"Italian football has enjoyed moments of glory since the Juventus monopoly ended. Euro 2020. Inter in two Champions League finals; a Derby della Madonnina in the semi-final of the first. Gian Piero Gasperini had his time in the sun, crashing Bayer Leverkusen's Invincible Treble parade in 2024. Fiorentina made two straight Conference League finals. Gianluigi Donnarumma is the best goalkeeper on Earth; Riccardo Calafiori, Sandro Tonali and Alessandro Bastoni are among the finest footballers on the planet."

Scott McTominay's remarkable improvement after joining Napoli raises questions about Italian football's current state. While his elevation from a struggling Manchester United player to a key contributor for a Scudetto-winning side seemed miraculous, it may indicate systemic problems within Italian football itself. Despite recent achievements like Euro 2020, Inter's Champions League finals, and emerging talents like Donnarumma and Calafiori, Italian clubs face concerning trends: Juventus's decline after their dynasty, Italy's World Cup qualification failures, Inter's Champions League final defeat, and the likely absence of Italian sides in the Champions League last-16. These issues suggest deeper structural challenges beyond individual player performances.

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