Nervy Italians face the pits if they fail to ignite
For Italy it is bolgia.
Bolgia in Naples, bolgia in Istanbul and possibly bolgia in Milan as well. The dictionary will tell you that bolgia means bedlam, but it has another meaning too. In Dante’s Inferno, at the very depths of hell is a place named Malebolge, a circle of 10 deep trenches, the pits of evil — and each of these bolgia is reserved for a different class of sinner.
This week all three Italian clubs are on the brink. Italian football has not been on such a knife-edge before. At least one Italian club has reached the knockout round every year since Uefa dropped the second group stage. Now Napoli, Juventus and Milan can all go through and they can all end up in the pits.
For Juventus the task against Galatasaray is less daunting than once it might have been. The ‘Welcome to Hell’ banners at the old Ali Sami Yen stadium reflected the atmosphere and some big teams wilted over the years, among them Milan, Real Madrid and Barcelona. The new Türk Telecom Arena is bigger but the crowd is a little less intimidating, even though they are closer to the pitch.
Juventus also only need a draw to go through, a scenario seemingly tailor-made for the Italian champions, and Gazzetta dello Sport predicts that Antonio Conte will field his most experienced team tonight as a barrier against “the bolgia of Istanbul”.
A battle of wills, but also an intriguing tactical confrontation between two Italian managers, Conte and Roberto Mancini, who have had their differences in the past. Add Carlos Tevez to the mix and there are obviously the ingredients for confrontation.
Galatasaray have been experimenting with playing three at the back with the aim of matching Juve’s preferred formation and they have three players who know all about Serie A, including Felipe Melo, who spent four years in Turin, although perhaps “endured” would be a more appropriate description.
The wild card is Uruguayan keeper Fernando Muslera, who returns from injury. At his best he is spectacularly good, at his worst he can ensure Juventus sail through to the next round.
Milan ought to sail through as well tomorrow night given they just need a draw at home against Ajax. Nothing is certain with them any more, however, even though their boardroom dramas have had little impact on the players. They were hardly convincing in their 2-2 draw at Livorno at the weekend and there are doubts about their centre-back pairing. The Ajax youngsters had a sobering experience in September when they lost 4-0 to Barcelona, and then again to PSV four days later, but they seem a lot tougher now and come into this match on the back of two consecutive 4-0 wins.
Napoli are the dark horse in this trio of Italian runners.
Rafa Benitez began his second Italian adventure with a bang. Five straight victories, including back- to-back wins against Borussia Dortmund and Milan, had the pundits talking of title chances — in Italy at least. Napoli then put together another good run but November was a disaster and their home form is no longer what it was. Above all they have been letting in goals.
Three against Juventus and three against Dortmund — both away from home — but also three in Saturday night’s draw against Udinese. The San Paolo stadium will be packed and if Napoli can get a goal in front it will definitely be bolgia time, especially with the uncertainties in the other group match. Vesuvius is loud, they tell you in Naples, the Curva B is louder.
However, this is a match full of apprehension for the home team. They obviously have to search for goals, but Benitez will be reluctant to select his preferred four attackers because of the wobbles in defence, where Pepe Reina’s absence may turn out to be crucial. His replacement, the Brazilian Rafael, cost Napoli a goal on Saturday. Bolgia can lift a team, but it can also drag them down.
