In the round of 16 of the European Championship, the defending champions Italy were eliminated by Switzerland 2-0. Today, Oriental Sports Daily published a column article stating that this situation didn’t happen overnight. The signs of Italy’s football decline have been evident for some time.
The media wrote, is there any better indication of the problem than not qualifying for the World Cup twice in a row? Winning the European Championship four years ago now seems like a mere flicker in the dying embers.
Furthermore, the media wrote, even more unbearable than the results are the process and the performance. Against Switzerland, the players were just standing in their positions, waiting for the ball to come to them. That wasn’t a battle, it was like a parade in front of a reviewing stand.
This article is from a user submission and does not represent the views of Soccer News Pick. If you repost it, please indicate the source: https://www.soccernewspick.com/uefa-european-championship/5376.html
