Juventus – who last became European champions in 1996 – and manager Luciano Spalletti were deeply disappointed to finish sixth. (AFP)
Juventus and AC Milan, two of Serie A’s traditional titans, failed to qualify for the Champions League on Sunday, marking the first time in almost 35 years that neither will compete in Europe’s elite competition and provoking an identity crisis for a domestic game already under immense pressure.
In their place, Como, a club playing in the amateur tiers less than a decade ago, secured a historic berth in the tournament after just two seasons in the top flight. Since the European Cup was rebranded as the UEFA Champions League in 1992-93, at least one of Juventus or AC Milan had always been involved.
The absence marks a high point for Como, who finished fourth in the league, but a low point in a problematic season for the leading lights of Italian football, coming after the national team failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.
This season also marked the first time since the 1986-87 campaign that Italian clubs have been completely shut out of the European semi-finals across all three major continental competitions.
For seven-time European champions Milan, last winners in 2007, sweeping changes are ahead, leaving American-Italian owner Gerry Cardinale at a crossroads. Furious supporters hung banners outside his hotel and at San Siro stadium on Sunday with the message, “Go home: shame on you,” after the club missed out on elite European competition for a second consecutive year.
The fallout from the 2-1 home defeat by Cagliari that sealed their fate in fifth place triggered an immediate overhaul of the club’s leadership with head coach Massimiliano Allegri’s getting sacked , while futures of several first-team players are under spotlight.
Former Milan player and manager Fabio Capello said: “I saw a team, Allegri’s, without strength, without will, without ideas … A revolution? Yes, but only if there are ideas behind it, otherwise there’s no point. First, we need to figure out where to start, and it won’t be an easy job.”
While Juventus – who last became European champions in 1996 – and manager Luciano Spalletti were deeply disappointed to finish sixth, their focus has shifted to a comprehensive rebuild after a 2-2 draw at crosstown rivals Torino. Despite the domestic setback, Spalletti’s position appears secure, with the board backing him to lead a sporting transition designed to stabilize the squad under stricter financial parameters.
“We’ll have to be even better,” Spalletti said, acknowledging the difficulties caused by the lack of elite European revenue. “We’re all working together, even more so now that we won’t have the Champions League cash. We’ll have to be doubly good.”
Spalletti hinted that Juventus will look to be active in the upcoming transfer window to address the squad’s psychological shortcomings. “We need players who raise the level of personality. This is why sometimes we played some great games and other times we sank like a stone.”
In stark contrast to the institutional depression gripping Milan and Turin, Como are celebrating a historic sporting rise. Managed by former World Cup winner Cesc Fabregas, the club secured a Champions League berth, alongside Inter Milan, Napoli and Roma, to cap a remarkable ascent.
“When I arrived four years ago as a player we changed in a bar, today we’re in the Champions League,” Fabregas said. “It’s a masterpiece from the whole squad.”
In a reflection of broader domestic trends, the club achieved its miracle campaign utilizing a heavily foreign core. Italian defender Edoardo Goldaniga was among the fringe players left on the margins of the regular rotation, registering about 15 minutes of Serie A playing time all season, a telling detail in the country’s soccer season.
Argentine Nico Paz established himself as the undisputed standout performer for Como this league campaign, scoring 12 goals and providing seven assists amid rumors that Real Madrid want to trigger a buy-back clause for the 21-year-old midfielder.
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