Catenaccio is dead, but the spirits of Italian football are starting to sing – and it is brilliant, breathless Inter leads his revival.
Simone Inzaghi's Champions League finalists do not park the bus, they drive it through the middle of your defense. Just ask Barcelona, who was caught seven times under the wheels over two legs of their chaotic semi -final.
Was there a better stadium in the world to house such a drama? The San Siro – La Scala del Calcio – provided a theatrical background and a soundtrack of unbridled madness. If you were not crazy, you were on the end of Tuesday's punch-up.
And this on the day that the UEFA president, Aleksander Ceferin, the infrastructure of Italian football as 'terrible' and the 'worst' of Europe's best competitions. He too had a big lip full -time.
Uefa, see you, Wil tunnel clubs. They want tourists to drink Heineken. They want a press box as large three times as the penalty box. I was among the fans of Inter because the media facilities were not large enough. My WiFi was just as broken as the defense, but I waved with my blue foil out of respect and covered my laptop when Moretti actually put down – four times. It was great. It was football on his most fantastic. Ceferin may think that this place is a relic, but you can't sponsor romance.
He of course has a more practical point. Italy has addressed the Italia 90 for a long time and bankrupt while giving the world some of the richest, football memories. Many of his stadiums, including the San Siro, remain immediately recognizable from a world cup that is 35 years old. Investment and improvements are needed, but not at the expense of charm and allure.
It helps that they now have a team and a competition that kicks the broader lack of respect of Europe in contact, in the same way as Lautaro Martinez does balls in nets. La Gazzetta Dello Sport yesterday called it the 'abuse' of their football. For Italian clubs, six European finals have reached the past three seasons, and that could be eight out of four if Fiorentina is making the conference competition final this week. Atalanta won the Europa League last season, don't forget.
But it is undoubtedly Inter that the torch wears, a flame that could still burn in the final of Munich this month. From brutality, sometimes, of wing -back federico dimarco – Lamine Yamal left here with bruises for souvenirs – to the beauty of midfielder Nicola Barella, Inzaghi's team Blend Flair, cruelty and functionality. They deserved to beat Barcelona.
That Inter does not lead Series A to the renewed power of the competition. They compete for the title with Napoli, led by 11-target Scott McTominay, the Gladiator of the San Paolo. On the proof of his form and happiness it was he who turned Manchester United, not the other way around.
But there are others here who are routinely tagged as Premier League adjustments. Breaher Lookman, once from Everton, scored a hat trick last year in Atalanta's Europa League Final victory over Bayer Leverkusen. He is the third top scorer of Series A. One place for him is Fiorentina's Moise Kean, another who found it tough in Everton. Perhaps they welcome because it is not so sunny in the dark corners of the Premier League. And Goodison Park has been in the shade for quite some time. Even Inter have Henrik Mkhitaryan, formerly from no confidence in Manchester United and Arsenal. He took responsibility in midfield against Barcelona.
There is a temptation to look at Serie A as a refuge through this lens, but perhaps these players were not so broken in the first place. Mkhitaryan plays in his third European final since he left the Premier League five years ago.
The balloon d'Or winner will undoubtedly come from Spain. But the ultimate team price can live well in Italy. It would also not be a victory for the underdog. The longer they squeeze as such, the more their rivals are bitten. This also applies to Ceferin.
UEFA chef must acknowledge that not all jewelry in the crown of his federation are shiny. Italy is a bureaucratic love. They have the euros that will come in 2032, together with Turkey, and that should focus the spirits at home and abroad on flattening and improving some of the rough edges.
But do not complain this country from Baggio, Pavarotti and the Fiat 500. Let's embrace the opera of their stadiums, cigarette smoke and so. Because when we look through the haze of nicotine and torches, what is underneath is hotter than since the glory days of the 80s and 90s. The Catenaccio that defined that ERA has gone – thank goodness – real – and the chess pieces have made way for action men such as Martinez, Dimarco and Denzel Dumfries.
Because while the traditions and character remain, this is not a museum – the new silver in the cabinet could quickly prove so much.
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