FR tho Paolo Vanoli deserves proper appreciation for the job he did in Florence... It was a tough year to be a fan and through him alone we stayed up. Statues should be built for people who save clubs as much as those who win trophies.
🏟 Fiorentina’s Stadio Artemio Franchi - a pioneering use of concrete to create a semi-cantilevered roof (1931)
It was at the cutting edge
So much so, legend has it many of the workers failed to show up the day the scaffolding was due to come down, fearing it would collapse
It’s simply not good enough for no Italian club to be in a European SF.
But Serie A is not completely broken now, just like it wasn’t perfect when three teams made finals in 2023.
Stadium infrastructure MUST improve, no more delays - more young players have to play in Serie A - Italy places too much stock in experience.
BUT Italy is second only to England in the coefficient over the last 5 years and there have been 7 Italian finalists in that period.
Como an emerging force, traditionally provincial clubs like Bologna and Atalanta are well run and now competing for Europe each season.
There’s so much potential, but there must be modernisation too