In the Champions League, only Inter managed to win. Napoli and Roma are in crisis, Atalanta can’t stop drawing. Bologna and Fiorentina provide the few bright spots.
It was a rough three days in European competition for Italian clubs. In the Champions League, between Tuesday and Wednesday, only Inter came away with three points, while Napoli suffered a shocking collapse in the Netherlands and Atalanta settled for yet another draw in this early stretch of the season. Juventus also fell on the road against Real Madrid — a shame, because the Bianconeri held their own at the Santiago Bernabéu but lacked the ruthlessness to find the net. The team’s scoring drought is surprising, given that on paper Juve’s attack is one of the strongest in Europe. Unfortunately for Tudor’s side, games are played on grass, not on paper — and right now, Juventus’s forwards are scoring by the thinnest of margins.
Napoli’s 6–2 defeat away to PSV makes noise — one of those scorelines that sticks with you and can leave scars and controversy during a delicate moment of the season. Conte’s frustration has been obvious for some time, and De Bruyne’s technical chemistry with the coach’s tactical system has never truly clicked. Conte’s reaction to the loss was emotional; what happens next will depend on how the locker room responds, and that reaction could shape the rest of the season.
In a way, Conte may have needed a blow like this to (try to) rebuild unity in a group that’s no longer as solid as last year’s. Let’s not forget: on the opening matchday of last season, Napoli collapsed in Verona (0–3), and even then, Conte’s postgame remarks weren’t far from what we heard after Eindhoven. To get the best from his teams, Conte often relies on familiar football tropes — “us against the world” and “we need a miracle.” The Napoli environment — fans, executives, and probably the players too — may have felt a bit too comfortable early this season for the coach’s liking. Conte prefers an underdog narrative, and in that sense, those six goals conceded in Europe might turn out to be his best assist — if the team chooses to follow him.
A different story for Roma. De Rossi’s team is in crisis because it simply can’t score. It’s not that Roma stopped scoring and fell into crisis — they never really started. Even when they were top of the table, they struggled in front of goal but stayed afloat thanks to a defense that almost never conceded. That defensive perfection was the real anomaly, as the team established itself as one of Europe’s tightest backlines without truly being one. Today’s struggles are not the result of a drop in effort or quality, but rather a natural outcome of a team — especially its forwards — that can’t find the back of the net, which, after all, is the main point of the game.
Inter, once again, brought home the biggest smile of the week, winning — and dominating — on the road against Union Saint-Gilloise. It’s true that Chivu’s men have faced only mid-to-lower-tier opposition so far, more Europa League level than Champions League, but it’s equally true that they’ve handled every test convincingly. That’s never something to take for granted, and it has boosted the team’s confidence — which now looks stronger than ever.
In the Europa League, Bologna earned its first-ever historic win on the field of Red Star Belgrade. Credit to Vincenzo Italiano, and to director Sartori for continually building a squad capable of competing on every front. And hats off to Orsolini — even though he didn’t score this time, he remains the technical and emotional leader of the group, as well as one of the most underrated players in Italian soccer.
L’articolo Bitter European Nights for Italian Clubs proviene da Soccer Made In Italy.
