Also the last of say hello. Sadly, moreover, with the three to zero that the Lazio di Pioli had herself delivered to her home by Sparta Prague before abandoning the round of 15 of the Europa League amidst the now customary boos of the Olimpico. It hasn't been so bad for the Italians for XNUMX years.
Pioli's eleven was the last survivor, the tenth little Indian, of a European campaign that had begun under the worst auspices, with another home humiliation, that of the brief Sampdoria by Zenga, slapped four times by the Bosnians of Vojvodina in Marassi in the Europa League preliminaries.
A dark omen which was followed by a few months of ups and downs, brief illusions such as the draw of the Roma with Barcelona, with Florenzi's Eurogol, or the double victory of Juve with Manchester City, or the record group of Napoli bis by Sarri, and ruinous falls like the humiliation of the Giallorossi at the Camp Nou or like Juventus who rediscover themselves capable of squandering the advantage accumulated in the double confrontation with Pellegrini's English, losing first place in the group and earning a ticket for theAllianz Arena (Football stadium of Bayern Munich).
And perhaps, also for this reason, we should start remembering that in the Champions League you need to win the groups, at least when you are the best team in your group, because the exception, if you pass as second, is more the Borussia down at heel last year that Guardiola's Bayern.
Italy is out of Europe, and spring hasn't even begun. The causes are the most diverse: an exhausting championship, whatever people say about it, which takes energy and attention away from minor Europe, and some teams, this year, in search of their own identity, such as Roma, which miraculously survived a group played very badly under the guidance of Garcia, before the belated saving advent of Spalletti.
The feeling is that by now everyone in Europe plays contentedly, without the urgency to win, without the pressure of the obligation that belongs to the best. And sometimes it's just this idea of yourself that leads you towards defeat. But if the causes are still to be investigated, and in many cases are simply unfathomable, the consequences of our European defeat are already known.
The famous and infamous UEFA rankings, in fact, speaks clearly and the possibility of overtaking the English that was glimpsed at the end of last season is destined to vanish, at least for this year. Before 2018/19 we will not have the fourth team back in the Champions League and many of our greats, or presumed greats, will once again be left empty-handed.
