Fiorentina became the only Italian side to book its place in the knockout phases of the Champions League after beating Lyon 1-0. The fate of all the other Italian teams will now be decided only on the final matchday.Fiorentina's victory meant that Liverpool were sent crashing out of Champions League. The win yet again exemplified Viola's 'European' mentality, a mentality which the other Italian sides seem to lack.
Inter were thoroughly outplayed by Barcelona in a 2-0 defeat at Camp Nou. Mourinho's men had absolutely no answer to Barca's slick passing movement and were found wanting in all departments of the field.
The same could also be said about Juventus who themselves suffered a 2-0 defeat at Bordeaux. The French champions have put up a great display of football throughout the tournament and the victory guaranteed their topspot.
Milan too were extremely lucky to avoid defeat against Marseille. The second half saw the French side being denied a deserved victory as they hit the post twice.
The Italian Struggles In Europe
Last year Italian football was said to have hit a new low after none of the Italian sides made it past the last 16. Inter, Juventus and AS Roma were all dumped out by English sides.
Inter seem to always be suffering from a so-called European curse. The most dominant team in Italy looked completely out of sorts on Tuesday night.Roberto Mancini was fired because Moratti wanted European glory. But Mourinho's European record is even worse than his predecessor. The Portuguese has won just 3 of the 13 games where he has led the team.
Inter's problem has got to do with confidence levels. The team has not beaten a single European powerhouse in the last six years. They have failed to go beyond the First Knockout phase after 2005/06. Now they need a victory against Rubin Kazan to ensure their progress.
Juventus also seem to have been afflicted with this European disease. The team has only won twice and both were hard fought victories against Israeli Maccabi Haifa, a team they are expected to walk over.
Juventus have also seemed very nervous this year when playing in Europe. This was visibly evident in last night's game against Bordeaux.
Whilst watching them in action it almost feels as if the teams are gripped with fear. Passes are all over the place and there is a lack of organisation.
Fiorentina The Fearless
On the other hand we have a Fiorentina a team which is not doing that well in the SerieA but producing great results in the Champions League. Fiorentina's success can probably be attributed to their fearless style of play.
The team is not shy in coming forward. Quick passes, one touch football and shoot at sight are typical characteristics of their game. The type of characteristics which are necessary in Europe.
The other thing the team has which Inter and Juventus lack is speed. Jovetic, Mutu and Marchionni are very fast players and that allows the team to stretch the opposition.
The other feature of this Fiorentina side has been their strong midfield. Inter struggled terribly without Wesley Sneijder and there was no link-up between the midfielders and the attackers. The same is true for Juventus whenever Diego fails to find his footing.
There is also a healthy degree of young blood in the current Viola squad. Players like Jovetic, Marchionni are very keen to impress on the world stage and their desire goes a long way in contributing to the team's success.
Milan Still Italy's Best Bet
However Milan still remain Italy's best chance of European glory. Milan always seem to be able to conjure magical form in Europe.
We already witnessed that in the tie against Real Madrid. The team has what others in Italy lack the belief that they can succeed in the Champions League.
At the start of the season many called it 'The Worst Milan Side In The Past Few Decades'. However, the team's recent performances have revealed the true potential of the side.
Against Marseille the team may have been outplayed in the second half but there were enough chances for the Rossonerri to capitalize earlier.
One of the most important aspects of the Milan side is that they have a lot of individual talent which the others team lack. As witnessed in Madrid players like Pirlo who are able to single handedly turn a game around make a huge difference.
Similarly Ronaldinho is also finding his form again. Against Cagliari on Sunday, the player had one of his best performances in the Milan shirt.
Alexandre Pato is probably the most talented youngster at the moment in world football. His finishing, his pace, his vision are top quality and that is what provides Milan the thrust to do better than their domestic rivals.
With the final round of matches set to take place in two weeks time there is a strong prospect that four Italian teams will make it to the knockout phases. And this in itself is quite an achievement.
But if an Italian side wishes to win the competition a fair amount of work is still needed to develop the ability to consistently beat Europe's elite.
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