Capello identifies Serie A clubs issues in the Champions League: ‘It’s hard’

Former Italian coach Fabio Capello feels Serie A clubs are ‘not accustomed’ to playing at a high pace domestically, so they struggle in the Champions League: ‘It’s hard to be dangerous.’

Serie A table leaders Inter were knocked out of the Champions League play-off on Tuesday, losing 2-1 at home to Bodo/Glimt.

The Nerazzurri had already lost 3-1 in Norway last week.

Capello comments on the state of Serie A

Capello, a former Milan, Juventus and Roma coach and a 1993-94 Champions League winner with the Rossoneri, examined issues of Italian clubs in Europe during Sky Sport Italia’s post-match show on Tuesday.

“Italian teams play at a slow pace. When they find teams that play press-and-run, they don’t have the quality, aren’t accustomed to playing at a high pace, and make mistakes,” Capello said.

“This is the key. Right now, we are not accustomed to being aggressive. As soon as they increase the pace in Serie A, they are stopped because a challenge is too hard, a player’s ear is touched, and they go down. These are the results. We play at a slow pace, unfortunately, and when it happens, it’s hard to be dangerous.”

Napoli were eliminated in the Champions League group stage, while Juventus and Atalanta play today, but face tough tasks ahead.

The Bianconeri host Galatasaray at the Allianz Stadium in Turin after a 5-2 loss in Turkey last week, while Atalanta meet Borussia Dortmund in Bergamo following a 2-0 defeat in Germany.

Bologna and Roma are still involved in the Europa League, while Fiorentina are Serie A’s only representative in the Conference League.