For ten seasons, Italian football told itself a story about evolution. The old defensive habits, the stories went, had to go. Possession, pressing, positional play — these were the new orthodoxy.

Inter's back three this season suggests a different conclusion. The principles haven't changed; they've been updated. Bastoni doesn't just defend the half-space, he uses it to spring attacks. The line is high. The traps are coordinated. The intent is unmistakable.

Across the league, the trend is clear. Serie A has the lowest goals-per-game average of the Big Five for the third year running, but the football is anything but boring. It is precise. It is patient. It is, in a word, Italian — but not the Italian of old.