The theme is increasingly felt, and becomes topical every time a break stops the championship to make room for national team matches: how much do the calls penalize the Serie A clubs? How much more, if we consider that the challenges for which the players – some of whom already start semi-injured – rarely face long trips, are really decisive?
If it is true that many of the international matches over the next few days will be friendlies or, as in the case of Italy, little more than formalities, it is also true that these are the rare moments in which the coaches can shape the groups which then every two years (on the occasion of the European and World Cup) every Italian fan expects to see at the top. But in the hectic everyday life of the championship this doesn't go down well.
In September, before his Napoli became "Sarrilandia", the coach of the Neapolitans Maurizio Sarri had hypothesized that the poor performance of a team still to be amalgamated was due to the first tranche of national matches, which as usual interrupts the championship in the bud , after 1 or 2 days. A month later, the controversy comes back hot and concerns three big names in Serie A and three of their key players: Juventus player Manduzkic, Inter player Jovetic and Roma player Dzeko they are regularly on training camps for Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia (all three of whom face decisive Euro 2016 qualifying matches) despite their official injured status.
It is precisely there that pays the highest price, even from a strictly numerical point of view Juventus: in the most difficult moment of the Allegri era (and, in the league, for five years now) the Italian champions, between senior and under 21 national teams, will have to do without well 15 players. They are Dybala and Pereyra (Argentina), Caceres (Uruguay), Mandzukic (Croatia), Evra and Pogba (France), Rugani (Italy Under 21), Morata (Spain), Cuadrado (Colombia), Buffon, Bonucci, Barzagli, Chiellini and Zaza (Italy), and Lemina (Gabon).
Juventus is also the one that supplies the most players to former coach Antonio Conte's national team: there are five of them, with Milan following with four (Montolivo, Bertolacci, Antonelli and De Sciglio). Furthermore, it cannot be said that the call-ups reflect the progress of this first phase of the championship, given that three of the most accredited teams at the moment – Rome, Naples and Fiorentina – they provide just one player each (Florenzi, Insigne and Astori).
Returning to the overall numbers, the second most penalized team after Juve is the revived Inter: just in the moment of the first small decline after a super start, Mancini will have to say goodbye for a few days well 13 players. In addition to the Jovetic case, Medel (Chile), Miranda (Brazil), Perisic and Brozovic (Croatia), Gnoukori (Ivory Coast), Handanovic (Slovenia), Nagatomo (Japan), Murillo and Guarin (Colombia), Ranocchia and Santon (Italy), and Ljajic (Serbia).
Follows the Rome with 12: Gervinho (Ivory Coast), Pjanic and Dzeko (Bosnia), Manolas and Torosidis (Greece), Ucan (Turkey Under 21), Nainggolan (Belgium), Szczesny (Poland), Gyomber (Slovakia). Then Fiorentina and Milan: opposite destinies in terms of performance, but both deliver 10 players to their respective national teams. Immediately on the wheel Lazio and Naples with 9: Sarri, however, can smile this time, given that Albiol could potentially also be called up (the whole central defense would have been out, after Chiriches and Koulibaly), Ghoulam, Reina, Gabbiadini (excluded by Conte), Callejon himself and above all Gonzalo Higuain, incredibly spared by Argentina coach Gerardo Martino, perhaps in the mood for experiments.
However, the globalization of football also involves small-medium teams: theUdinese, which is anything but shining, sends well 7 players around the world, followed by a poker of teams (Atalanta, Sampdoria, Turin and Chievo) who deliver five. Even Cinderellas Frosinone e Carpi they send three and one respectively: they are Gomis (Senegal), Tonev (Bulgaria) and Verde (Italy Under 20) for the Ciociari, and the Pole Wilczek for the Emilians.
