Great euphoria in Switzerland after the national team reached the quarter-finals of the European Championship. But Italy also becomes a topic in the "Home game with the Nati". blue Sport expert Marcel Reif finds clear words: "Absurdly bad!"
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- The Swiss national team receives a lot of praise after the 2:0 victory in the European Championship round of 16 against Italy. The Squadra Azzurra, on the other hand, were criticized.
- In the football talk show "Heimspiel bei der Nati", blue Sport expert Marcel Reif speaks of an "absurdly poor performance".
- Reif believes that the proud football nation of Italy needs a realignment, especially in Serie A.
Hopes of reaching the quarter-finals of the European Championships again were already high in Switzerland before the clash with the Italians. However, hardly anyone would have expected the national team to dominate the four-time world champions. Murat Yakin's team hardly gave the Azzurri a chance and deservedly won 2:0.
"That was a very un-Swiss, clear, serious, self-confident performance", praised blue Sport expert Marcel Reif in the football talk show "Heimspiel bei der Nati".
The coup cannot be compared to the victory over France at the 2021 European Championships, says blue Sport editor-in-chief Andreas Böni: "That was a sensation back then. This time it was completely serene, with a game idea and mentality, without nervousness. It was a much more mature performance than back then. That has completely changed."
As much as the national team can be praised for their strong performance, the performance of their opponents can also be viewed critically. Reif: "The Italians were weak. So weak that it makes your skin crawl. But you have to be good enough to show how bad your opponent is. And the Swiss did that superbly."
Reif says he was shocked at how weak Italy looked. "You can't go into a knockout game and not be there at all. From the very first minute they were despondent and without a plan." The Italians left far too much space for Nati playmaker Granit Xhaka and did not go into tackles.
Italy's football needs a new direction
"That was an absurdly poor Italian performance," said the blue Sport expert, who couldn't resist a side-swipe: "I don't know if it was the worst in recent years, because I didn't see them in Qatar. But they weren't qualified then either."
Such a debacle is not just bad for Italian football, however. "They will have to go over the books and realize who they are, who they used to be and where they want to go," said Reif. Serie A needs to move away from being a league for ageing stars and focus more on youth again so that the national team can also benefit from the top league in the long term.
With a 2-0 defeat in the round of 16, the Italians were even well served in the end, says the 74-year-old: "If they didn't still have one of the best goalkeepers of the tournament in Gianluigi Donnarumma, they'd get another spanking."
