Ancelotti blames Serie A for not finding new star generation for Italy

Carlo Ancelotti, the head coach of

, has claimed that Italy is lagging behind in international football owing to a lack of new talent and a failing

structure.

Last July, Italy won the Euro 2020 title with a penalty shoot-out victory over England in the final, the

's first European trophy since 1968, but they failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar.

After losing in the play-offs against North Macedonia in March, Italy was eliminated from the global tournament for the second time, having previously failed to qualify for Russia 2018.

Roberto Mancini and the Italian football administration have come under fire for their unwillingness to use younger players, preferring instead to depend on the expertise of Giorgio Chiellini and Ciro Immobile.

There was also talk that the issues were more systemic in the Italian game, with a dearth of possibilities for indigenous players in Serie A who didn't have a clear path to the national squad.

Ancelotti, who played for Italy and now manages five Italian teams, echoed such thoughts while discussing the need for progress in his homeland.

"I believe that Italian football must seek an improvement in the spectacle it offers," Ancelotti said at a forum to discuss Italian football, as quoted by Tuttomercatoweb. "It is not attractive for several reasons.

"There is the technical aspect, in the sense that there is a lack of figures to look up to in a generation of footballers that has had difficulty producing great champions after the 2006 World Cup, where there were the likes of [Francesco] Totti, [Alessandro] Del Piero, [Andrea] Pirlo, [Gennaro] Gattuso.

"Italy struggled to find a generation of new talents. It is true that the unexpected success at the European Championships arrived, but the individual quality of Italian players at the moment is not that of 15 years ago."

In terms of how Italy might progress, Ancelotti emphasized the importance of Serie A's growth prospects.

"In my opinion, right now young people are struggling to find chances in Serie A," he added. "Especially with the new rules, which benefit foreign players and do not allow Italians the time they need.

"In 2019 there was a youth final between Italy and Portugal: the Portuguese players included the likes of [Rafael] Leao, now they play in the top Portuguese or English leagues.

"If you look at the squad, the Italian players are much less active."

Italy will try to get back on track when they meet South American champions Argentina at Wembley on June 1 in a fixture dubbed 'Finalissima.'

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