The Sports Buff ⚽️ ⚾️ 🏈

Italy are four-time World Champions, but after the World Cup play-off defeat to Bosnia, The Azzuri have failed to qualify for their last three World Cups. Gigi Donnarumma, arguably one of the best goalkeepers of his generation, has yet to play in a World Cup for his country.

The fall from grace has been alarming. If you’re like me, you would have grown up watching Italia ’90 on Channel Four. After that show ended, Italian football hasn’t had a permanent home.

What’s that got to do with the Italian national team? In my humble opinion, Serie A isn’t the force it once was, and for it to become one again, the League needs money. One of the most lucrative ways to do that is to get a good TV deal. The Premier League is a case in point.

With that money, which would need to be passed equally, my thinking is, is that this will help develop younger talent. Italy have prodused some amazing talent in the past. Totti, Del Piero, Cassano, Roberto Baggio and many more, but this team is a far cry from that.

Somebody like Carlo Ancelotti would have been perfect for the job. Don Carlo just knows how to get the best out of players. Just take Real Madrid, for example, in his first spell. Los Blancos were not able to win their 10th Champions League. They tried to do so with many different managers, but were only able to do so with The Don.

Simply put, the man makes the impossible possible. Italy needs something like that at this time. For football fans in general, seeing Italy in this position is what I can only describe as being in uncharted territory.