The Renaissance of Serie A
Just like Michelangelo and Da Vinci during Italy’s “rinascita” or the “rebirth”, Serie A has found it’s Renaissance. This is not the 14th Century A.D. Renaissance, but the 21st Century edition. Everybody has been finding ways to count out Serie A as a top league, because at one point Serie A was truly the envy of Europe where all the talent had to play. Sure, UEFA runs its five year coefficient ranking system and that saw the Bundesliga climb to the third ranked league. This resulted in Serie A’s 4th Champions League place being surrendered to Germany. This began back in 2012-2013 and frankly was always a bit controversial.
Let’s conduct a quick questionnaire to see where you stand before continuing to read this article.
- Do you believe the Bundesliga is a top three league in the world?
- Should Europa League wins and draws be equal to a Champions League wins and draw?
- Would a Borussia Monchengladbach (some can’t even pronounce it) ever have the funds to compete with Bayern Munich?
- Fair to give Borussia Monchengladbach a chance to win a Champions League crown?
- Which league has the best chance of seeing a parity of winners: Bundesliga or Serie A?
*I do not mean to pick on Borussia Monchengladbach, but they are battling at the top and so they are relevant.*
More from Champions League
- PSV Eindhoven v Rangers: Can Gers make it through to group stage?
- Manchester City win their first Champions League
- Champions League Final: Manchester City meets Internazionale in Istanbul
- Manchester City standing on the cusp of a treble
- Barcelona Femeni win their second Champions League title
Yes, at the moment Juventus and Bayern Munich are both dominating Serie A and the Bundesliga respectively. But who has a more direct threat to see their seat at the top of the ‘Iron Throne’ threatened (couldn’t resist a Game of Thrones reference)? If you answered Juventus, then you are correct. This is not a knock on the all-time Serie A Champions and current three-time defending champions, but a compliment. Bayern Munich has found themselves in such a steady and stable financial situation that it is very unlikely they will ever need to relinquish their grip at the top. Juventus, although they have been steady financially, have also the threat of ambitious Serie A clubs making changes and drastic ones.
Serie A receives most of its criticism regarding the ancient infrastructure around the league. It is no wonder that Juventus have taken control of the league since financing their own stadium and training grounds. But just like the Renaissance saw Italy come out of the Dark Ages filled with riches of art, science, philosophy, literature, and culture so too does Serie A.
By the 2020 European Championships there will be new stadiums all throughout Italy. Teams such as: Roma, Milan, Fiorentina, Sampdoria, and Napoli will have new stadiums and training grounds. While Sassuolo already owns its Mapei Stadium. Udinese is almost done renovating their Stadio Friuli to give it a more modern feel. Cagliari has constructed a new stadium, but is waiting for the safety permits to be allowed access hopefully by next season. Inter Milan are also making it no secret they want a stadium project of their own to compete with their inner-city rivals on the quest to bridge the gap with Juventus.
Having all these stadiums will see Italy hosting more major tournaments. Stadiums will become safer for families and traveling fans to attend. Players will have English stadium atmospheres, which will translate into a better feel for the game and television product. All these privately funded stadiums will lead to increased revenues and spending for Serie A teams and when that occurs it won’t be long until all the top talent of the world chooses to go to a country with better weather than that of England or Germany. These players live certain lifestyles and most South American players have an easier time assimilating into countries that remind them of back home.
Let’s look at the past two weeks on the European stage. Serie A clubs clearly realized the penalties that follow when you don’t focus on the little sister tournament, the Europa League. In years past teams the likes Napoli, Fiorentina, Inter, Roma, and Torino would have brushed aside this tournament and continued their chase for the fourth spot, the coveted Champions League Qualifier. Just this year we saw Napoli fail against Bilbao to qualify for Champions League despite finishing third in Italy, but that was a blessing in disguise.
Next: Serie A Europa League Participation