Italian football disappoints: Champions League becomes a burden for Serie A

06/11/2025 08:20:00 FieldFrenzy

Two disappointing draws at home, two uninspired and soulless performances. Napoli and Juventus both missed golden chances to enhance their position in the Champions League. Is competing in both tournaments becoming too much for Serie A’s giants?

Everyone knows these were must-win matches for Napoli and Juventus. With the Champions League’s new ranking system, making the most of home advantage is vital. Napoli, having lost both away games previously, understands this better than anyone. Yet, they were held 0-0 by Eintracht Frankfurt, a team that conceded 10 goals in their last two Champions League matches, right at the Maradona fortress. This is Napoli’s second consecutive 0-0 home draw within days (after a draw against Como in Serie A), raising serious concerns about their scoring ability.

Napoli dominated possession (71% in the first half), but their play was stuck, slow, and uninspired. The attack was ineffective as Rasmus Hojlund was tightly marked and failed to register a single notable shot until the 95th minute. Frank Anguissa and Scott McTominay, heroes in the win over Inter, were also unlucky with missed chances. This draw shows just how much Napoli misses Kevin De Bruyne.

Juventus was no better. Despite new coach Luciano Spalletti trying interesting tactical experiments (like moving Teun Koopmeiners to center-back), they were held to a 1-1 draw by Sporting Lisbon. Dusan Vlahovic continued his good form with a crucial equalizer, but he alone couldn’t carry the team. Juventus’ attack, despite 18 shots (9 on target), mostly lacked cutting edge and failed to beat goalkeeper Rui Silva. The blunt offense remains a tough problem for Spalletti to fix.

Juventus has yet to win any Champions League match this season.

With such weak performances, the chances for both Italian giants to advance are seriously at risk. Juventus has no wins and only 3 points from 4 matches. Napoli has just 4 points and a single win. Both sit dangerously close to the elimination zone in the overall standings. Calculations suggest teams need about 9-11 points to move past the group stage. This means Juve and Napoli must perform twice as well in the remaining 4 games to have a chance, but judging by their current form, that seems unlikely.

The challenge grows tougher as both face difficulties in Serie A, where the battle for the top spots is among the tightest in Europe. The top 4 are separated by only one point, and Juventus is currently outside this group. Both teams face their own challenges: Napoli struggles with injuries and unstable form, while Juventus is cautiously rebuilding under Spalletti. The pressure to succeed in both competitions seems to be an overwhelming burden.

Nonetheless, there are some positive signs: Vlahovic is gradually rediscovering his form under Spalletti, and Napoli is about to welcome back key striker Romelu Lukaku, who has returned to training after three months of injury recovery and might be ready to play in four weeks.

Comment (0)