Former Italy striker Antonio Cassano has criticised the quality of Serie A, claiming that only the passion of the supporters is keeping the league alive while the level of football in Italy has stagnated. He believes there is a lack of rhythm and flow in the game, with excessive time-wasting making some matches a “chore” to watch. Cassano also feels that the drop in quality has been reflected in the poor performances of Italian clubs in Europe.

A poor week for Italian teams in Champions League

Italian teams underperformed in Europe once again, with Inter the only Serie A club to register a win in this week’s Champions League fixtures. They cruised to a 4-0 victory over Belgian side Union St. Gilloise on Tuesday, thanks to goals from Denzel Dumfries, Lautaro Martinez, Hakan Calhanoglu and Pio Esposito.

Antonio Conte’s Napoli, meanwhile, suffered a shock 6-2 defeat against Dutch side PSV, led by a standout performance from former Parma player Dennis Man. Scott McTominay gave Napoli an early lead, but things quickly unravelred after Lorenzo Lucca was sent off for dissent. A poor headed clearance from Alessandro Buongiorno resulted in an own goal, sparking a PSV onslaught. 

Juventus’ struggles continued with a 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid, extending their winless run to seven games with five draws and two losses and increasing the pressure on coach Igor Tudor. The match, described by former defender Danilo as one that could have turned Juventus’ season around, saw the Bianconeri put up a strong fight but fall short after Jude Bellingham scored from close range following Vinicius Jr’s shot that struck the post. Dusan Vlahovic squandered a golden chance to equalise, denied by an outstanding save from Thibaut Courtois.

Meanwhile, Ivan Juric’s Atalanta were held to a 0-0 draw by Czech side Slavia Praha, capping off a disappointing week for Italian clubs in Europe. Former Italy striker Cassano criticised the state of Serie A, blaming its lack of dynamism and structure for the poor performances on the continental stage.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportCassano's sharp words against slow Seire A

The struggles from Serie A teams has raised further concerns about the state of Italian football, as the debate over the quality of the domestic league and their hopes of consistently competing in Europe. Not only are results underwhelming, ex-Madrid, AC Milan and Italy star Cassano says the slow style of football, excessive time wasting, and the lack of reforms from league management have left the nation with a brutally boring game. 

"The Italian championship is pitiful, it offers no emotion," he said. "Only the passion of the supporters keeps it alive, but the quality is really low. It's an embarrassing situation, almost shameful. Watching some matches is a chore. There is no rhythm, no spectacle."

Cassano calls for Italy to emulate Premier League

The treble winning Inter side of 2010 were the last Italian team to lift the Champions League trophy. Since then, Italian clubs have largely underperformed in the competition, often getting eliminated in the knockout rounds or even during the group stage. Juventus reached the final twice, in 2015 and 2017, but were beaten 3-1 by Barcelona and 4-1 by Real Madrid respectively. Inter also made it to the finals in 2023 and 2025, losing 1-0 to Manchester City and 5-0 to Paris Saint Germain, the latter marking the heaviest defeat in Champions League final history. These isolated runs have only highlighted Italy’s overall struggles in Europe.

Cassano believes the lack of structure and dynamism, coupled with constant time wasting, has hurt Italian teams’ competitiveness. He specifically pointed to Inter’s game against Roma, in which 44 fouls were called, disrupting the flow of play and leaving teams ill prepared for European challenges. “We're surprised that Italian teams are suffering in Europe, but that's exactly what we are,” he said.

He compared the decline of Italian football to the evolution of the Premier League. “Football must evolve like England. We're going to play friendlies in Perth.”

AFPHope for reforms in Serie A

With widespread calls for change not just from Cassano but from several voices across Italy, it remains to be seen what reforms will be introduced by those in power. Serie A resumes on Friday, with league leaders AC Milan set to face Pisa, while Sunday will feature a heavyweight clash as Inter take on Napoli, with Conte looking to avoid a third consecutive defeat.