Kak
a’s transfer may have raised a few eyebrows in Italian football about the ability to keep the world class players in the league. Inter Milan are also reportedly locked in a battle to keep a hold of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and there has been plenty of speculation in the media to suggest perhaps the Serie A is losing ground on La Liga and the Premier League.
This is one possible scenario but on the other hand there is the possibility that we’re about to experience a rejuvenation of Italian football. For a long time AC Milan have needed a bit of a remodel, Carlo Ancelotti did an amazing job but in the last few years I’ve been less than impressed with the Rossoneri and in truth things needed shaping up. Now they have lost Kaka but they have an extra £56million to spend and if that is invested in the squad and Leonardo makes the right choices we could have a new look AC Milan to challenge their city neighbours.
Jose Mourinho has pledged his future to Inter so the ‘special one’ will grace Serie A with his presence for another season. I’m a big fan of Mourinho and he should be able to bring in some big names to the Giuseppe Meazza over the summer. Their performance in the Champions League wasn’t the best but they were taken out by the eventual finalists and it wouldn’t surprise me if Jose took them quite far in the competition next season when he has had the summer to improve his side.
If the Nerazzurri do lose Ibrahimovic it will be a big blow but not the huge disaster it has been made out to be by some in the media. Granted he is one of the world’s top strikers but Inter are no one man team, they’ve got talent right through the side and the money from Ibra’s sale would go on another top forward to replace him.
Roma disappointed this season, they’re definitely a side in need of improvement and after missing out on Champions League qualification you would expect a few comings and goings at the Stadio Olimpico. It has been reported they’re preparing a move for David Trezeguet from Juventus. It could be a good move for both Roma and Trezeguet in truth, they could certainly do with a striker of his calibre and he needs to try and regain his form after a fairly indifferent season disrupted by injuries. Marseille and Lyon are also thought to be interested and at 31-years-old he might consider a move back to Ligue One but you would think he would want to continue in Serie A.
It would seem though that Roma are indeed in the market for a striker as they’re also being linked with Tottenham’s Roman Pavlyuchenko. Like Trezeguet the Russian is a big target man kind of striker and would also make a good foil for the more skilful of Roma’s players like Francesco Totti or Mirko Vucinic.
Kaka’s transfer may have made a few people think about hitting the panic button but in truth one player moving will not kill a whole league, especially not one as strong as the Serie A. It may suggest a slight decline but it is one the clubs themselves are very much in control of reversing if they bring in the right players and improve in the Champions League. When Zinedine Zidane switched from Juve to Real Madrid the league only lost a great player, the same will happen now Kaka has opted for Real.
loading…
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
With top players leaving the Serie A, it looks like it will be another Champions League season without an Italian team in the final game.
I think the idea of any league simply ceasing to be competitive, is unlikely in the extreme. I have been watching Serie A where and when possible since my youth and televisually would prefer to watch Juve or Cagliari than many premiership matches.
There are of course two points to examine firstly, the recently poor performances of the Azzurri under the guidance of the legendary Marcello Lippi, now, though I would never wish to criticize Lippi having won the World Cup that would be disrespectful, the side which lost to a buoyant Brazil was aging and in need of a major overhaul. These players are of course legends who again deserve a massive amount of respect; but the average age is thirty and there appears to be little attempt to install youth into the squad, of course with the exception of Rossi who is a fantastically talented young man, but where are those younger talented players who faced Northern Ireland in a friendly in Pisa? Foggia, Mascara, et cetera….. also Lippi’s continued refusal to consider the inclusion of Antonio Cassano is bordering on an obsessive hatred. Mr Cassano is clearly one of the most talented players present in Serie A, and perhaps the world, I have witnessed performances on a par with the likes of Baggio, Del Piero, and more recently the Russian youngster Archarvin, yet despite that fact, and Cassano’s prodigious talent he is still overlooked, due no doubt to his repeated skirmishes with referees and players! This though is an unprofessional reason to Obstinately refuse to include the man, one doesn’t sack one’s best salesman because he happens to be Bi-polar, especially if he repeatedly achieves immensely potent results and breaks records for his/her employer!
The second point is simply this, analysing the league itself, why don’t those with the money at the larger Italian clubs try spending some? Not simply on players but perhaps on the the “development”, and “improvement” of a youth system for both individual clubs and in convergence with the Azzurri; perhaps using the example of the French national sides training camp, which produced unbridled success. Another point is that Serie A is still one of the greatest leagues in the world, but it’s a league which is in need of a “renaissance”, and a rash of new money and new ideas, and perhaps a revamp. The likes of Moratti have hired Mourinho but now to refuse to back him with the relevant rash of signings which might affect the said renaissance, Moratti with all due respect needs to put up or shut, as do his co-directors at other major Italian clubs. Its worth remembering that though tradition is an important element in life as well as Football, traditions were formed by rebel’s and revolutionaries who broke barriers and affected unexpected and fractions changes to the old guard of the time! God bless the Pirate!
Serie A is somewhat boring to watch…most notably for its slow tempo and buildup.
However one Brazilian leaves and another arrives…Maybe it is time after all for another Diego to run the rule over Serie A…http://tinyurl.com/nfgnz7
Good post, I think you can add more pics.