Serie A might not sweep the board in quite the same way as Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, but Susy Campanale says it shows that like the Oscar-winning independent movie, ideas and creativity still trump mindless spending.
It really is a rollercoaster being a fan of Italian football, because we seem to fly from abject failure to glory and back again, so forgive us if we relish every moment of this club revival in Europe.
This is a national team that managed to miss out on two consecutive World Cup tournaments, yet between those lift the European Championship trophy by beating England at Wembley Stadium.
Even during the highest points for the Nazionale, we were still always told that our clubs were financially weak, neurotic about tactics and with such poor intensity levels that we would be blown away by any minnow with a little determination.
After years of selling all our top stars to foreign sides, even seeing our title contenders out-bid on the transfer market by Premier League relegation fodder, we were told there was simply no way of competing with clubs on a portion of their budget. We were like those people who would say it was an honour just to be nominated and really mean it, because we knew full well we didn’t have a chance of winning and could just happily relax with a goody bag.
However, Manchester City really should’ve reminded us that money cannot buy success in the Champions League.
When cash becomes so plentiful that it is splashed around with little care or organisation, you end up with Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea or one of the worst blockbusters that are all style, special effects and explosions, no substance. The Premier League feels increasingly like Marvel, with its fans who consider everything else a ‘farmers league’ and can’t see beyond their own tiny corner of the multiverse. It has its place, by all means enjoy, but there is more to life, film and football.
It has been said many times that when the budget is tight, you make up for it with creativity, and Serie A has embraced that message with a combination of scouting new talent and finding those who were cast aside despite still having a lot more to give.
Are Olivier Giroud and Angel Di Maria the Calcio equivalents of Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan? Is Luciano Spalletti a one-man Daniels? Is this extended metaphor disappearing within itself like a bagel of doom before we pop some googly eyes on it? Possibly. But it’s been a long, hard few years for Serie A fans on the European stage, so let us enjoy every moment of it. You never know, it might even end with someone holding up a shiny trophy.