Serie A Exodus
By: Gianfranco | August 17th, 2007I wanted to take all this boredom and put it to good use, but alas laziness has taken its toll as well. I will be posting an AC Milan season preview in the coming days but right now I wanted to get everyone’s opinion on the flight of talent leaving Serie A to play abroad.
It all stated last season when captain Canna and wingback Zambrotta left newly relegated Juve to join teams in La Liga. Neither player had a sparkling campaign but it has opened the doors for other Serie A big names, and small, to leave the boot as well. This transfer period has seen Lucarelli, Bianchi, Toni, and Donati leave Italy and leave the door open for other exits. Donati, Toni, and Bianchi have contributed instantly with goals for their new teams and I asked myself if this was a good thing or bad?
In my opinion it is not all that bad, it is well known that there are top tier leagues such as EPL, Serie A, and La Liga, and even the Bundesliga to some extent, that get players from feeder leagues such as Brazil, France and Argentina. I would not consider Serie A a feeder league by any means, but this exit of young and veteran talent is good for Italy because it puts their players on a larger stage and also opens the door for younger talent to fill the holes left by the migrants. Also feeder leagues tend to have much more success internationally because their players are abroad plying their trade and honing their skills. Beckham is one of the only English NT players abroad and the team suffers because of that, if Italian teams export young talent and then reign them in again it may prove to beneficial for the Azzuri as a whole. Just a thought on my part, stay tuned for my AC Milan season preview and my take on the Italian Supercup. I hope Roma wastes Inter.
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Comments
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Good post! It’s indeed an odd coincidence that English and AFAIK Spanish players only play in their own domestic leagues, and in return their national teams continuously suck. Surely has other reasons as well, but the extra experience from playing in a different league, country, culture is definitely a nice extra for a player.
Posted from
Germany
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I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT GROSSO!!!
Posted from
United States -
I also agree to an extent. It’s never bad to verse yourself in a different style of play. But from a personal viewpoint I wish the true big boys stayed - guys like Toni, Zambro and Canna. The middle ground - Bianchi, De Sanctis, etc - can leave, but I think the top leagues should hold onto their top talent.
And the Azzurri being the only team in the WC with the entire squad being comprised of players plying their trade at home worked out alright. I think?
Posted from
United States -
Chris I agree, but I also think that the team had a bit of reason to play their hearts out with the scandal and all.
Posted from
United States -
Not only are these players leaving, but Serie A for a good while hasn’t been drawing big players. This league is in a decline, and something needs to change.
Posted from
United States -
I honestly think the exodus (it still hasn’t reached gigantic proportions though) was coming for sometime, ever since Serie A lost its appeal in attracting talent like it used to in the nineties when the best players plied their trade in Serie A. The lack of Serie A sides in the later stages of European competitions in the new millennium vouch for the current woeful state of Serie A. Except for Milan, and to an extent Juve and Inter, Italian clubs have very little to offer on the European stage. Its a far cry from the nineties when every Italian club that entered the competitions, be it UEFA, Cup Winners or European Cups, made a title run. We used to have all-Italian cup finals. If the current situation persists for a couple more seasons even giants like Milan, Juventus and Inter wont be able to attract talented players due to lack of quality and competition in Serie A. Italian football Federation has some serious work to do if it hopes to revive the lost appeal of Serie A. Transparency in book-keeping & trades, doing away with ultras to eradicate racism and violence within the stadiums (of course outside the stadium will help as well), getting rid of corrupt officials, and most importantly better marketing efforts to sell Serie A as a better product are some of the needs of the hour. Two reasons EPL has been able to establish a stranglehold on football-watching community across the world are its perceived clean image and excellent marketing. And its about time, and for their own good and the good of people who like Serie A, Italian federation got its act together and stepped up its efforts to put Serie A on par with La Liga and EPL.
After all, it hurts to see Serie A relegated from the dizzy heights of being the best to playing a support role (to EPL and La Liga).
Posted from
India -
Ganesh I agree with your take on UEFA, but when it comes to the Champions League Italian teams are cream of the crop. AC Milan has been in the last four in the past four years, and in 03 3 of the 4 semifinal teams were Italian. When the big four in Italy go into this cup they play well, it is the second level of Serie A teams that needs to pull itself back up.
Posted from
United States -
serie a is the least waistful league wit money. epl n la lega both have teams that spend crazy amounts to get their man. roma buy cheap. ac just dont buy much, they got a solid team n stuck with it for 4yrs with out too much change year to year. inter have been spending money but nothing like real, chelsea, man u, liver, barca. same with juve, conservative.
Posted from
United States -
hope serie a can return to a league that attracts top class talent to a greater extent. but as galliani said moneywise the italian top flight just can’t compete with england’s… unfortunately.
Posted from
Trinidad And Tobago -
oh yeah, and that little thing called calciopoli didn’t exactly help prevent this exodus either
Posted from
Trinidad And Tobago -
i think a lot of these players are leaving because they could not find a club in italy… bianchi said that he left because no one offered him anything decent.. zambrotta wanted to come to milan… donati would never be able to play champions league at the teams that offered him a spot and would never have seen the pitch if he stayed at milan.. its not like these guys are leaving because they want a better league..(they wont be going to bundesliga if they did, no offence to their fans) but its more like they are being forced out..
Posted from
United Arab Emirates -
Good point K, I just do not see how guys like Bianchi can not find team, I mean Napoli, Palermo, Samp, the list goes on and on. What chaps me about Donati is that Milan is more incline to give Gourcuff than Donati, it is disrespectful to Italians, as I have said in the past, and Jankulovski over Zambrotta is pure BS. Only time will tell if this makes the Azzuri stronger…
Posted from
United States -
well we didnt get zambrotta because juve did not want to sell him to us and he did not want to pull an ibra.. there is no way that anyone would have chosen janks over zambie, especially before last year when he had not performed and he is traditionally a midfielder so we would have found him some space in the squad..
and on donati.. he is more like an ambro so he wouldnt really be taking gourcuff’s place or anything.. and seeing as we need a defensinve midfielder and we are going to spend on emerson.. i would personally prefer donati, but really i think it was his choice to leave.. a team where he can play first team football & play in the champions league, i dont really blame him, he made the better choice..Posted from
United Arab Emirates
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