Calcio Isn’t ‘Back’, But It’s Getting There

A penny for Romelu Lukaku’s thoughts this morning.

The Belgian will likely relive that moment, that header – one minute from the end of the game and the goal gaping – for the rest of his life. All Lukaku had to do was plant the header anywhere other than where he directed it. Inter would’ve taken the game into extra time, with the momentum on their side.

Lukaku’s header encapsulated not just his career, but Inter’s history: great in moments, but failing to capitalise when it mattered most. Yet missed chances aside, Inter can leave the Turkish capital with their head held high and chest out, they pushed Man City to the limit, something not many teams can claim this season.

Most believed that the 2023 Champions League final was going to be a procession, that Inter were merely turning up to be slaughtered by the relentless City machine. Of course, in terms of wealth and the quality of the two squads, that line of thinking wasn’t particularly wrong. On paper, City should’ve blown Inter away. Jack Grealish cost only £13m ($16m) less than Inter’s entire starting XI in Istanbul.

Yet anyone who’d paid close attention to Inter this season knew it wasn’t going to be anything close to a walkover. Uninspiring in the league but brilliant in one-off games, Simone Inzaghi has moulded inter in the perfect cup team. A team full of experienced, but ageing, players who could show up on the big occasion but couldn’t do it twice a week, meaning that while they lost to teams like Monza, Bologna and Empoli, they beat Barcelona, Porto and Benfica.

Inter will fly back to Milan with bitter regrets, as they were the better of the two teams by the end. They produced the more clear cut chances (which wasn’t many from either side, in fairness), and held City at arms’ length for the duration of the contest. Francesco Acerbi nullified Erling Haaland to such an extent you forgot the Norwegian cyborg was even on the pitch.

In the end, there was little more Inzaghi could do. He devised the perfect game plan; made substitutions at the right time, but the chances weren’t taken.

It’s been a bitter 10 days for Italian teams in Europe: three finals and three defeats. All three finals were tightly contested, with both Inter and Fiorentina competing against English teams with far larger revenues. The less said about the Roma-Sevilla Europa League final, the better.

While the ‘calcio is back’ promo video Lega Serie A produced in April was eye rolling and very premature, this has been unquestionably a brilliant season for Italian football in Europe, and in general.

Italy achieved it’s highest ever UEFA
EFA
coefficient rating in 2022/23, surpassing Germany and into third by the start of next season with La Liga also in sight. Napoli winning their first league title since the days of Diego Maradona was the feel good story across Europe this season, with thousands of tourists descending on the city in the weeks leading up to the final game of the season to sample the Neapolitan electricity. Napoli are the fourth different winners of Serie A in the last three years, and the unpredictability of the league should make it more appetising to media broadcasters, with the next cycle of domestic and foreign TV rights up for negotiation.

Of course, the challenge is now to keep the momentum of this season going and, given Serie A’s propensity to shoot itself in the foot time and again, that’s easier said than done.

Napoli, should they hire the right coach and keep their star players, could forge a deep run in the competition next season; how well the Milan two could do will depend on summer signings. Inter’s run to the final brought in close to €150m ($161m) between UEFA prize money and match day revenue from six home games. This will reduce the club’s eye-watering levels of club debt, but even the most fanatical of supporters wouldn’t be likely to suggest reaching another final next season. Milan need to get their summer signings right, especially in light of the sacking of Paolo Maldini by the new ownership and the increased scrutiny his replacement will face. Making it out of the group would represent a good run for Lazio due to their limited resources.

Most importantly, the Italian game has shown that it can go toe-to-toe with teams possessing a much bigger budget and without financial restrictions this season. The onus now is on Lega Serie A and the Italian government to help its teams prosper, rather than hinder, in the coming months and years.

Calcio isn’t fully back, but it’s getting there.