SERIE A HITS ROCK BOTTOM?
For the first time in Champions League history, all four Serie A clubs lost on the same matchday. Nima Tavallaey and Sheridan Bird assess what the defeats suffered by Inter Milan, Napoli, Roma and Como reveal about the current state of Italian football.
They also select the best Italy XI made entirely from players Roberto Mancini left out of his previous Azzurri squad.
The discussion then turns to Inter Milan: why does Cristian Chivu continue to select Henrikh Mkhitaryan ahead of Aleksandar Stanković?
Plus, has Massimiliano Allegri changed his footballing identity and started playing entertaining football?
Nima and Sheridan also explore the remarkable career of Zdeněk Zeman—from helping launch Salvatore Schillaci and Francesco Totti to developing Lorenzo Insigne and Marco Verratti—before debating whether Daniel Maldini is overrated, underrated or rated fairly.
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⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Extended Q&A introduction
00:20 - Is Serie A at rock bottom?
10:08 - Best Italy XI not called up
14:11 - Mkhitaryan or Stanković?
16:00 - Has Allegri become entertaining?
22:56 - Serie A manager rapid fire
26:12 - The career of Zdeněk Zeman
35:35 - Is Daniel Maldini overrated?
💬 HAS SERIE A REACHED ROCK BOTTOM?
Was this Champions League matchday evidence of a wider crisis in Italian football—or simply one disastrous collection of results?
Let us know what you think on our social channels.
The Italian Football Podcast is the official podcast of Football Italia, covering Serie A, the Italy national team, European football, transfer news and Italian football through analysis, debate and reaction.
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