This season marks a pivotal moment for the future of the Italian game. The sides representing Italy in Europe’s premier competition this term are not only fighting for their respective club success, but also for the status of Serie A. If the German contingent of champions Wolfsburg, Bayern Munich and Stuttgart out-perform the Italian sides, Germany will climb to third place, replacing Italy, in the UEFA co-efficient standings. What does this mean? Simple. The Bundesliga will gain an extra Champions League qualifying spot for the side finishing in 4th position, at the expense of Serie A, which will be reduced to the top 3. Is Italian football slowly but surely dying?!

This is just the latest blow to the already crushed reputation of Italy’s finest. Having succumbed to defeat to powerhouse leagues around Europe such as the likes of the English Premier League and La Liga, this is just the latest embarrassment Lega Calcio faces. To be recognised as the fourth strongest league in Europe will be yet another damning verdict of the state the Italian game has reached. Despite clearly wishing Juventus to be Italy’s premier club on the European stage, it is a sorry situation that all Italians should feel despondent about. With all due respect to the German clubs that have performed well in the history of the Champions League, I am genuinely distressed by the scenario that we may be facing next summer.

If you are unfamiliar with the co-efficient system, here is a quick run-down of how it works. Each team that reaches the group stages receive three points, and an extra point for each round they reach. The Europa League sides attain a point for every round they reach. In addition, teams get two points for every win, and a point for a draw. This total, gives a club its co-efficient total for the season. For each individual league, the total points for all teams representing that country are added together, and then divided by the number of sides to come to an average. Thus giving us the league’s co-efficient points total for that season. UEFA then accumulate the previous five seasons totals and produce the current co-efficient points total, and the leagues are ranked accordingly.

It is only fitting that the German giants Bayern Munich, and the Bianconeri have been drawn in the same group
. After the 0-0 stalemate at the Allianz Arena last night, it is Bayern who sit top of Group A. With co-efficient points representing the progress of the sides, it is fundamental that Juve advance to the knockout stages, whether it is in first or second place. The same can be said of Fiorentina, Inter and AC Milan. With the Viola defeating Liverpool on Tuesday night, they have boosted their chances of making the last 16. However, the two sides from Milan cannot be so positive. With Inter snatching a point away at Rubin Kazan and Milan falling to FC Zurich at the San Siro, the two halves of Milan will need to buck up their ideas sooner rather than later.

With three out of the four Italian sides failing to occupy the top two places in their respective groups after two rounds, it is time for them to step up and push on for the sake of the Italian game. Fiorentina are the exception as they lie in second place in Group E at the expense of Liverpool on goal difference. Obviously my loyalties lie with Juve, however, with the Italian game on the line I am holding out the olive branch, and hoping our compatriots succeed to at least the knockout stages in the name of Italian football.