Matić on Italian football: “It’s stuck in the 90s. The first issue concerns the youth academies. I’ve seen it with my son: youth programs in England and France are far ahead. They teach you how to dribble, develop your technique, and encourage you to have fun while finding the right solutions.”

He’s right

It has evolved, but in the wrong direction. In the ’90s, there was a “number ten,” while now you have trouble defining it in a specific role. The only thing they’ve retained is the tactical exaggeration and the “jobs” each player must do. We wanted to copy others, and we’ve lost our DNA. Italy is Italy, not Spain, England, or other nations. The youth academies have been abandoned in the hands of coaches who want to win, which at that level means nothing and isn’t useful to the kids, or worse, in the hands of agents who shouldn’t exist in those contexts. Sometimes I read interviews with people who have played football at high levels, and they talk more or less about these things.