Si Italian football had to see the last final of the League of Nations on television after losing to Spainthe same will happen to them with the last rounds of the European sub 21 and they will experience the same situation with football in the coming Paris Olympics. And it is that the lower categories of the ‘azure‘ lived in Romania the umpteenth disappointment of a football that does not raise its head. A victory against Norwaywho had not scored until then, was enough to have accessed the quarterfinals, a round that they have not surpassed in sub 21 since Poland 2017. But the defeat against the Nordics sends them home at the first opportunity, something that already happened to them in 2019 when they were the ones who organized the tournament and inexplicably lost to Poland.
And it is that leaving aside the balance of defeats they have suffered in the last ten years against Spainteam with which they lost the final of 2013 and the semifinals of 2017. They were also left out of a group that won the little red in 2019 and added a tie in Slovenia 2021 after a game that ended with nine, the truth is that in the tournaments of this category they have not lived up to the football they represent. In bolognaa generation of great soccer players like Barella, Chiesa or Pellegrini they were not able to win Poland at home and were eliminated. Two years later, Tonali and Scamacca were protagonists due to their expulsions and now, the brand new signing of newcastle he leaves the tournament leaving his football hidden.
But these disappointments do not stop here. To begin with, Italy does not win a European sub 21 since 2004, time in which in Spain we have added three titles to our showcases and we have played a final. In addition, in sub 19 they have not lifted the continental champion trophy since 2003. Twenty years have passed in which the Spanish Federation He has won the title in this category seven times. And going down a little more in age, in the transalpine country they have not managed to be champions of Europe under 17 since 1987, when it was still held at under 18 age. In all this time Spanish football has been seven times champion of the continent in under 17 age .
“We are not capable of developing quality footballers”
If we focus more on the present and keep comparing the base of Italian football with that of Spain. the truth is that there seems to be no color either. In the last sub 17 tournament the boys from Julen Guerrero they were semifinalists and Italy did not go beyond the first phase. Now the team Santi Denia is in the quarterfinals with the transalpine back home and the sub 19 of Jose Lana is preparing these days a European that will not dispute Italy.
In a country as football-loving as Italy, the truth is that concern is increasing. The disappointments of the absolute team of him, he won the last eurocup but add two World Cups without playing, they seem to have no end with what comes below. This is how the journalist highlights it alex frosiospecialized in the lower Italy at the Gazzetta dello Sport: “It is a great disappointment because one does not see a future. Our senior team has not been in the last two World Cups and we feel that there is a need to have new additions. Everyone expects the U21 boys to develop and strengthen the azurebut unfortunately we are not capable of developing quality players”.
