With Bayern Munich having dispatched Roma 7-1 and 2-0 in the Champions League this week, the French winger believes Serie A’s struggles are reflected in two of their fallen giants
Franck Ribery admits it is “sad” to see Inter and AC Milan so far away from challenging amongst the elite of Europe.
Milan claimed their seventh Champions League title in 2007, while the Inter of Jose Mourinho completed an historic treble in 2010 by defeating Bayern in the final of the tournament.
Both clubs have been in substantial decline in the past two seasons, however, and the 1-1 draw in the derby on Sunday left Milan 13 points of Serie A leaders Juventus, with the Nerazzurri a futher point behind.
Ribery, whose Bayern side destroyed Roma 7-1 in Italy before a comfortable 2-0 win at the Allianz Arena in this season’s group stage, believes the dimished power of the Milan giants leaves Italian football in a disappointing state.
“Once your league was the most attractive,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport‘s weekly ‘ExtraTime’ magazine. “Everyone used to look towards it.
“Now, historic clubs like Milan and Inter are in difficulty. The league is associated more with Juve and Roma, two very strong teams.
“It’s sad to see the Milanese in this kind of situation, so far down the table and outside of Europe. It’s sad for the fans, for the league and for the very history of the club.
“As for the matches between ourselves and Roma, I will say they are a good team, but we’re stronger, we have international players with a lot of Champions League experience.
“Plus, we must acknowledge that we managed to score from every chance we had, which won’t always happen.”