Welcome to Calcio Square, an email newsletter dedicated to Serie A and Italian football. Every Monday, I cover the biggest talking points from the weekend of action. Today's issues focuses on Fiorentina's Edoardo Bove, who collapsed in the first half of Sunday's match against Inter. He's awake and alert as of Monday afternoon.

The players understood the gravity of the situation the moment Edoardo Bove hit the ground. Inter defender Denzel Dumfries was the first to notice and immediately called for attention. Fiorentina midfielder Danilo Cataldi rolled Bove into the recovery position. All of them huddled around Bove as he received medical attention on the pitch, protecting his dignity from prying cameras. Bove was rushed to hospital, where he was later sedated, and emerged awake and alert less than 24 hours later. He is alive because everyone around him — the players, coaches, first responders, and doctors — did exactly what they needed to do at exactly the right moment.

It's not yet clear what caused Bove to go into cardiac arrest. Previous medical examinations showed no cardiovascular abnormalities. Doctors didn't discover any chest contusions. His potassium levels were low, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, but there's no obvious diagnosis to make right now. It never is with the heart.

There's no evidence to suggest the COVID-19 vaccine is responsible for the on-pitch emergency — or, for that matter, any of the others we've witnessed in recent years. There's conjecture and hearsay and a belief that they've caused an uptick in cases, and given the coincidence, it's a tempting, if reckless correlation to make. But it ignores the long history of players who went into cardiac arrest before the pandemic. Sadly, it's not a new phenomenon, even if every episode is no less terrifying.

As much as Italy gets wrong as a country, its protocols in this space are some of the strictest in the world, and it's for this reason that sudden deaths are lower there than in other countries. Italy prohibits any athlete from participating in official competition with a pacemaker and orders athletes to undergo annual scans for cardiovascular diseases. Christian Eriksen couldn't continue his career with Inter because he had an implantable device in his chest. These are commendable precautions to take.

All of this is to say that there's a certain level of comfort knowing Serie A players are in good hands. Bove has a chance to continue living his life because of the support system in place. We'll know later whether he can compete again. But at least that's a question we're fortunate enough to ask.

Key observations 👀

Other storylines that deserve your attention.

• The world is noticing Tijjani Reijnders. The Dutchman has come of age this season after spending much of last term figuring out where he fit best in Milan's lineup. Though his goals have made headlines, Reijnders' overall play has had a much bigger impact on the team. He's one of Serie A's most progressive midfielders, ranking third in carries into the final third, and makes Milan a more dangerous proposition in key midfield areas, ensuring his team doesn't keep the ball just for the sake of it. While his influence is obvious to see, he's not quite a complete midfielder yet. He leaves a lot of the defensive work to teammate Youssouf Fofana and lacks sting out of possession. But that's OK. He's making a difference while adding to his game.
• Atalanta can really win the league. Monday's 2-0 win over Roma was Atalanta's eighth in a row in Serie A. No one seems to be a match for them. Mateo Retegui, Ademola Lookman, and Charles De Ketelaere played as badly together against Roma as they have at any point this season, and it made no difference. Marten de Roon, who's played ever single minute this season, forced the opener following a heavy pressing sequence in Roma's end, and Nicolo Zaniolo got revenge off the bench against his former side. Crucially, Gian Piero Gasperini has the depth to go the distance, with the likes of Zaniolo, Lazar Samardzic, Juan Cuadrado, and Marco Brescianini available in relief.
• Scott McTominay is Antonio Conte's weapon of choice. After scoring his fourth goal for Napoli on Saturday, McTominay made his way to Antonio Conte, the coach who tapped the Scot to lead his midfield after signing him from Manchester United. McTominay has the rugged characteristics Conte loves in midfielders — defensive awareness, tactical flexibility, boundless energy — but also an attacking edge that the 55-year-old lacked himself as a player. The two can relate to each other in many ways.

Parting shot 💥

Final remarks about the current state of Serie A.

Let's talk about the FIGC's next presidential election. Incumbent Gabriele Gravina has held the position for two terms and is expected to stand for reelection next year. But the time has come to embrace a new direction. Gravina did good things earlier in his tenure, ushering in a culture change that helped Italy win Euro 2020 while successfully organizing tournament matches in Rome. Since then, he's taken little responsibility for Italy's failures and been at odds with Serie A teams over various proposals. He's also under investigation for embezzlement.

Enter Alessandro Del Piero. While he's yet to confirm his candidacy, he's the unifying force Italy needs. He played for Italy at the highest level, winning a World Cup, and is one of the few Italians of his generation to command universal admiration. The FIGC has been led by enough career politicians, lawyers, and administrators. It's time to give a proven winner a chance.

Thanks for reading. If there's something you'd like to see in the next issue, send an email with your suggestions to hello@calciosquare.com.