Inter Milan have dominated Italian football for the past few seasons. Yet one problem many Inter fans, Italian’s, and fans from all over the world, have with the four time consecutive Italian champions post Calciopoli is the lack of Italian players in the Inter squad. Under the reign of Roberto Mancini Inter were the first team in the history of Italian football the play a starting line up with no Italian players. In fact, when in charge of Juventus Fabio Capello famously said “Inter are a great team……….of Argentineans”.
There have been some Italian players in the Inter squad during the recent ‘glory years’, such as Materazzi and Toldo, and in the last couple of seasons Balotelli and Santon. However, these players have been more seen and used as squad players or prospects for the future rather than first team players, other than Materazzi who was a key component of the 2006/2007 scudetto winning team. In comparison to other Serie A rivals though, such as Milan, Juventus and Roma, Inter have been lacking far behind with regards to first team players who are Italian.
Therefore, why in recent years during Inter’s success has there been a lack of Italian players in the first team?
In 1908 Inter was founded with seemingly non-nationalist intentions, which many Inter fans are unaware of, with eight Swiss players in the squad. This went against the grain of the majority of Italian teams when they were first founded who made great efforts to be made up largely of Italian players. Nevertheless, this was not a reflection of Inter being founded on non-nationalist principals by favouring to sign foreign players over Italian players, it was more a reflection of signing the best players available to give Inter the best chance of success, and I feel Inter have stuck by these principals throughout the history of the club’s existence to this very day.
If the Inter management and directors, whoever they were at any given time in the club’s history, felt that signing certain Italian players would give Inter the best chance of success then they were signed. The Grande Inter team, during the presidential reign of Angelo Moratti and under the gifted management of Helenio Herrera, was largely Italian as these were the some of the best players around, such as Facchetti, Corso, Picchi, and Mazzola. A few decades later under the presidential reign of Angelo Moratti’s son Massimo, this tradition of signing top class Italian players to give Inter the best chance of success continued. During the 1990’s and 2000’s Inter signed a number of top class Italian players for large transfer fees, such as Toldo (£12 million), Vieri (£32 million, breaking the world transfer record at the time), Cannavaro (£14 million), Baggio, and Coco (in part exchange for the highly technical Seedorf). In fact, in the Italy squad for the 2002 Japan and South Korea World Cup there were more players from either Inter or Roma (both had five representatives each) than any other team, and Cannavaro and Coco signed for Inter a few weeks after the tournament.
The biggest reason I feel for why there have been hardly any Italian players in the Inter squad is recent years is simply because there have been very few attainable Italian players good enough to bring success to Inter. That is not to say that all Italian players are not good enough to play for Inter, just mainly the ones that are/were attainable. For example, the likes of Buffon, De Rossi, Del Piero, Totti, Zambrotta, Gattuso, Pirlo, Nesta, and Chiellini (the majority of which are an ageing generation) are all quality Italian players who at some point during the 2000’s could easily have played a significant role in the Inter starting line up, and if attainable I am sure Moratti and whoever our manager was at the time would have tried to sign some, if not most of them. A large number of them are World Cup winners after all, but they were/are not attainable.
It is the attainable Italian players in recent years who I feel have not been good enough for Inter to sign to start in the starting line up at least. Players such as Zaccardo, Barzagli, Montilivio, Gamberini, Rossi, Di Natale, Iaquinta, Maggio, Miccoli, Bonera, Palombo, Di Vaio, Esposito, Langella, Quagliarella, Dossena, P Cannavaro, D’Agostino, Pepe, Perrotta, De Silvestri, Marchionni, Lucarelli, Brighi, Bovo, and Aquilani. Being as objective as I can as an Inter fan I can honestly say the likes of Zaccardo or De Silvestri would no way have been as good a purchase as Maicon at right back, no way Barzagli or Bonera would have been as effective a centre back as Samuel or Lucio, no way Perrotta or Palombo would have been as a good a centre midfielder as Cambiasso or Stankovic, no way Montilivio or Aquilani would have been as good an attacking midfielder as Sneijder, and no way Rossi or Iaquinta would have got the goals or been as technical attuned as Ibrahimovic or Milito.
Yes, as an Italian team, especially as a big one, Inter has some responsibility to help the development of Italian players for the good of the national team, but not at the sacrifice of the club’s success, which is the primary importance. Sticking to the principals of Inter since the club’s foundations in 1908 Inter have signed foreign players over Italian players if it is in the best interests of the team’s success, and that is what has happened post Calciopoli, which is one the main reasons Inter have achieved so much success in recent years.
You only have to look at the Italian national team since the 2006 Germany World Cup success to realise that the majority of the current generation of Italian players are not good enough at the highest level. The core of the current Italian national team is still centred around the experienced and ageing generation of players who won the World Cup three and a half years ago. Buffon is still in goal, Zambrotta and Grosso are still the two wing backs, Pirlo, Gauttso and De Rossi are still in centre midfield, Camoranesi is still used on the wing and behind the strikers, and Lippi is almost certain to try and bring Totti and Nesta out of international retirement for the 2006 South Africa World Cup to provide some goal threat and a defensive partner for Cannavaro. A relatively minor part of the reason is because Lippi is stubbon and likes to stick to the ageing generation of players that have won him things previously, but the major part is because the current generation of Italian players are simply not good enough at the highest level. For example, Barzagli, in the prime of his career at the age of twenty eight is no where near on the same level as Cannavaro or Nesta were at that age. Same with Rossi, Gilardino and Pazzini compared to Del Piero, Totti and Vieri. I am by no means Lippi’s biggest fan, and in fact am one of his biggest critics, but he is a good manager, his not stupid, and he has won many important trophies during his career. He knows which players are good enough and which are not.
Having said that, there are a small number of attainable Italian players post Calciopoli that I feel have been/are good enough to play/played for Inter in the starting line up to bring success to the club. These were/are: Grosso, Toni, and Cassano.
Grosso was a quality left back who had a strong 2005/2006 season with Palermo and a stunning 2006 Germany World Cup. He played in a position Inter lacked any quality in, and unfortunately his only season with Inter was hampered by injuries, and for some reason which I still do not fully understand, Inter sold him after just one season.
Toni was a quality centre forward two to three years ago. He stayed in the penalty area, was strong, and was one of the most clinical strikers in the world with an eye for goal who was guaranteed to score with his equally dangerous head and feet. Admittedly, he is in the twilight of his career now, but in the summer of 2006 or 2007 he would have been an excellent signing for Inter and would have complemented Ibrahimovic perfectly. Fortunately for Inter fans a centre forward with very similar characteristics arrived in the summer of 2009 in the form of Milito, who has settled in perfectly with a very impressive goal scoring rate.
Cassano is not only one of the most technically gifted attacking Italian footballers today (who I would argue is on the same level as Totti, Del Piero, and Baggio in their prime), but also in the world. He has immense balance and dribbling ability allowing him to drift past the best defenders in the world with ease. He has the ability and genius to read the game, as well as the movements of team mates and opposing players ten passes in advance to change the tempo of the game in an instant and carve opponents open single handily with his accurately timed bursts of pace, or with his equally deadly vision and ability to provide the most perfect assist to a team mate from pretty much anyway in the opposition’s half. He is a opposition’s nightmare because he can be that dangerous. Watching Cassano on his day is witnessing attacking football at its finest.
However, there in lies one of the problems with Cassano, and why I feel Inter have not signed him; his inconsistent performances. When playing well Cassano is pretty much unplayable against. I do not think I am over praising him by saying he can be Maradona-esc, but he does not produce that form enough on a consistent basis (again, very Maradona-esc). I feel that is one of the major reasons why at the age of twenty seven, an age where a player should be in the prime of his career, is not starring for a major European club, such as Inter. The other obvious reason is because of his seemingly uncontrollable temperament, which his has lost control of at numerous different clubs (including two major European clubs in Roma and Real Madrid respectively) so many times that I have lost count. For those two reasons big European clubs feel signing him and building a team around him as their focal point is too much of a risk, and since his move to Real Madrid in 2003 no major European team has felt that such a risk is worth taking, despite his array of talents.
Therfore, where does this leave Inter and the future signings of Italian players, and the future of the Italian national team? I personally feel the future is not with the current generation of Italian players, who as I have said throughout the article are not good enough at the highest level for Inter to sign in their starting line up, or to play in the starting line up for the Italian national team, but with the new generation of Italian players. This maybe too cynical and I may be speaking too soon, but I do not believe that the majority of the current generation of Italian players are going to improve enough to be able to play in the starting line up for Inter or Italy. Both Inter and Italy need to turn to the next generation. Players such as Balotelli, Santon, Giovinco, Marchisio, Ariaudo, Marchetti, Cristico, Palladino, Bocchetti, Ranocchia, Okaka, Bonucci, and Santacroce. Obviously not all of these players will be attainable for Inter, and not all will develop into players who can perform at the highest level for club or country, but it is this generation of players that I feel Inter need to keep and eye on and possibly look towards as future signings, if attainable (fortunately Inter own Balotelli and Santon), and for Italy to turn to to replace the ageing generation that won the 2006 Germany World Cup.
Saturday 6 February 2010
Friday 5 February 2010
Phillipe Coutinho: What to expect
First of all, Hello to all of you. I guess it's better to start by introducing myself. I'm your correspondent from brazil! So if you're thinking of coming to brazil, send me a message. I can show you around.
But let's cut to the chase. Phillipe! The wonder kid from Saint Januário!
Coutinho could be seen since he was 16. He was a key player for every level of brazillian teams and it seems that he will be ready for 2014, when the world cup will come to brazil. But the question now is not if he's going to be ready in 2014 but in 2010/11.
Right now Vasco's manager is playing Coutinho as much as he can. Not because he doesn't have anyone better or more experienced but mainly because, as we say in brazil, he is "comendo a bola" (eating the ball, in a free translation). He is simply playing like the professional that he should become and not the one he should be. He's really the next best thing. He plays as decent and as professional as Ronaldinho and Pato in early years. He has the skills of Ronaldinho and his passing also. He carries the ball like few pro players can. Actually, when he runs with the ball he remembers Messi or Ronaldinho in his best years. He can pass through three defenders at once with two touches on the ball.
Now, I guess you'll be thinking that i'm just saying it! I'm biased! And let me tell you: I'M NOT!!
Technically, Coutinho has the skills to play forward or attacking midfield. He could easily fit in Pandev's role right now. He has excelent passing and quick thinking. He dribles like few players in the world. He's also more a box to box player and fit in with his teammates easily. His partner in attack just arrived in the team and they are already playing as if they had played for three seasons together. He also moves around a lot in the field, moving from left to right. But there's the catch. He does all this things and he's tactically excelent also. He's everywhere on the field but he's exactly where he is supposed to be. For a boy his age he developed quite fast. He knows what the coach wants and he follows the lead! He's playing forward constantly. Mainly because the manager plays Carlos Alberto as attacking midfield for obvious reason. Coutinho plays in a 4-4-2 formation that really looks like a 4-3-2-1 formation.
Of course you have to remember he's only 17 and he has much to learn. Under Mancini (yes, Vasco da Gama's manager is called Mancini) he can develop but not as much as other managers in brazil such as Muricy or Luxemburgo. Hopefully when he get to inter he'll be ready for Mourinho. He also has some work to be done. First of all his finishing. His shooting is good, but not excelent. I believe this is a problem every brazillian player has when he gets to europe, but it's also the skill they improve the most. So I'm expecting Coutinho to be completly ready by the end of the year. He doesn't finish like Pato. Far from that. Pato's main skill is his finishing, while Coutinho main skill are his dribles and crazy passes.
This year is really the year when Coutinho starts in the professional team. Last year he usually played for 20 - 25 minutes of a game. This year he starts the game. This year so far he has 2 goals and two assists. So he is responsable for 4 of the 17 goals that Vasco has this year so far. But while Vasco has played 6 games, Coutinho only started 3 of those games and came from the bench in 1 more. So actually he has good stats. Since Countinho began to start the games the scores were 4-0 and 3-0. The only game 1-0 for Vasco was today against a good defense and a bad pitch! He's always participating and helps defensively also.
The best thing about him is that he has no respect for defenders. He's just a kid! He needs more muscle. But it's not because of his lack of weight that he falls every time or loose the ball consistenly. Actually it's the opposite. He goes for it with no fear.
I can say he was an excelent buying. We may be looking at the next Ronaldinho. And I say that because unlike Balotelli or Pato or Ronaldinho himself he's very focused. He doesn't go to parties that much, you don't hear about him looking for women everywhere he goes. The first thing Pato did when he went to Milan was get some actress number to go out with. He ended up marrying the girl, but even so... He's a little bit shy also which may become a problem when going to Italy. But my guess is that he's going to handle it pretty well. His parents back him up and treat him like an adult letting him make decisions about his career.
To end this article on Coutinho I have to say: It really is good to watch him play. He has much to improve phisically and technically. He's only 17, of course he has much to learn. But I can also tell you that. By the beginning of the next season he will be ready to play for us. I hope Julio Cesar, Maicon and Lucio start talking to him put him under these guys wings. Protect him from the Italian media is the first thing to do. Let him play and keep him away from bad media. Pato started at milan like a rocket and then lost it. He's coming back now. Let's hope Coutinho won't have this down stage and keep on improving step by step.
But let's cut to the chase. Phillipe! The wonder kid from Saint Januário!
Coutinho could be seen since he was 16. He was a key player for every level of brazillian teams and it seems that he will be ready for 2014, when the world cup will come to brazil. But the question now is not if he's going to be ready in 2014 but in 2010/11.
Right now Vasco's manager is playing Coutinho as much as he can. Not because he doesn't have anyone better or more experienced but mainly because, as we say in brazil, he is "comendo a bola" (eating the ball, in a free translation). He is simply playing like the professional that he should become and not the one he should be. He's really the next best thing. He plays as decent and as professional as Ronaldinho and Pato in early years. He has the skills of Ronaldinho and his passing also. He carries the ball like few pro players can. Actually, when he runs with the ball he remembers Messi or Ronaldinho in his best years. He can pass through three defenders at once with two touches on the ball.
Now, I guess you'll be thinking that i'm just saying it! I'm biased! And let me tell you: I'M NOT!!
Technically, Coutinho has the skills to play forward or attacking midfield. He could easily fit in Pandev's role right now. He has excelent passing and quick thinking. He dribles like few players in the world. He's also more a box to box player and fit in with his teammates easily. His partner in attack just arrived in the team and they are already playing as if they had played for three seasons together. He also moves around a lot in the field, moving from left to right. But there's the catch. He does all this things and he's tactically excelent also. He's everywhere on the field but he's exactly where he is supposed to be. For a boy his age he developed quite fast. He knows what the coach wants and he follows the lead! He's playing forward constantly. Mainly because the manager plays Carlos Alberto as attacking midfield for obvious reason. Coutinho plays in a 4-4-2 formation that really looks like a 4-3-2-1 formation.
Of course you have to remember he's only 17 and he has much to learn. Under Mancini (yes, Vasco da Gama's manager is called Mancini) he can develop but not as much as other managers in brazil such as Muricy or Luxemburgo. Hopefully when he get to inter he'll be ready for Mourinho. He also has some work to be done. First of all his finishing. His shooting is good, but not excelent. I believe this is a problem every brazillian player has when he gets to europe, but it's also the skill they improve the most. So I'm expecting Coutinho to be completly ready by the end of the year. He doesn't finish like Pato. Far from that. Pato's main skill is his finishing, while Coutinho main skill are his dribles and crazy passes.
This year is really the year when Coutinho starts in the professional team. Last year he usually played for 20 - 25 minutes of a game. This year he starts the game. This year so far he has 2 goals and two assists. So he is responsable for 4 of the 17 goals that Vasco has this year so far. But while Vasco has played 6 games, Coutinho only started 3 of those games and came from the bench in 1 more. So actually he has good stats. Since Countinho began to start the games the scores were 4-0 and 3-0. The only game 1-0 for Vasco was today against a good defense and a bad pitch! He's always participating and helps defensively also.
The best thing about him is that he has no respect for defenders. He's just a kid! He needs more muscle. But it's not because of his lack of weight that he falls every time or loose the ball consistenly. Actually it's the opposite. He goes for it with no fear.
I can say he was an excelent buying. We may be looking at the next Ronaldinho. And I say that because unlike Balotelli or Pato or Ronaldinho himself he's very focused. He doesn't go to parties that much, you don't hear about him looking for women everywhere he goes. The first thing Pato did when he went to Milan was get some actress number to go out with. He ended up marrying the girl, but even so... He's a little bit shy also which may become a problem when going to Italy. But my guess is that he's going to handle it pretty well. His parents back him up and treat him like an adult letting him make decisions about his career.
To end this article on Coutinho I have to say: It really is good to watch him play. He has much to improve phisically and technically. He's only 17, of course he has much to learn. But I can also tell you that. By the beginning of the next season he will be ready to play for us. I hope Julio Cesar, Maicon and Lucio start talking to him put him under these guys wings. Protect him from the Italian media is the first thing to do. Let him play and keep him away from bad media. Pato started at milan like a rocket and then lost it. He's coming back now. Let's hope Coutinho won't have this down stage and keep on improving step by step.
Sunday 31 January 2010
Inter - Post Calciopoli
It is another World Cup year. During the last World Cup year, in the summer of 2006, Italy were on their way to their fourth World Cup victory in Germany, but back home Italian club football was being rocked by the biggest ever footballing scandal, now infamously known as Calciopoli.
In the summer of 2006, recordings from telephone conversations, witness interviews and other forms evidence highlighted significant and influential roles played by powerful figures and directors at certain football clubs, notably the notorious Juventus triad: Antonio Giraudo, Roberto Bettega, and of course Luciano Moggi. The uncovered evidence revealed a seeded, distasteful and unsporting campaign involving the triad, officials from clubs other than Juventus, referees and footballing officials which had influenced the outcome of football matches and the reputation and status of selected football clubs through bribery, media manipulation, psychological persuasion, and gentlemen agreements between power figures and decision makers, rocking the very foundations of Italian football.
The verdict and punishments for the clubs and individuals involved:
Bans (ranging from three months to life time bans of working in any footballing capacity), fines and resignations for the involved referees, club directors and officials.
Fiorentina = Removed from European competitions, and started the following Serie A campaign with -15 points.
Lazio = Started the following Serie A campaign with -3 points.
Milan = Striped of automatic Champions League qualification, put in Champions League qualifying round, and started the following Serie A campaign with -8 points.
Reggina = Started the following Serie A campaign with -11 points
Juventus = Striped of the 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 scudetti, relegated to Serie B, and started the following Serie B campaign with -9 points.
Since Calciopoli in 2006, there has been one Italian team that has stood out and achieved more success than any other: Inter Milan. In that time Inter have won four scudetti (including the 2005/2006 scudetto striped from Juventus), two Italian Super Cups, and twice been runners up in the Coppa Italia. Yet, many feel Inter, a team who before Calciopoli last won the scudetto in 1989, have only enjoyed success post Calciopoli because of the punishments served to their rivals (namely Juvenuts and Milan).
Did Calciopoli help Inter? Yes. Due to Juventus’ relegation Inter did not have to compete against one of the biggest rivals for the scudetto in the 2006/2007 season, and Juventus sold a number of their best players, so when Juventus returned to Serie A the following season they were a shadow of their former self. Inter benefited from this. They signed both Ibrahimovic and Vieira from the relegated Juventus, something that would definitely not have happened if Juventus remained in Serie A. However, Inter did not take too much advantage of Juventus’ position. They offered market value for both Ibrahimovic (£18 million) and Vieira (£8 million). Nevertheless, Inter were by no means handed 2006/2007 scudetto, which many people inside and outside of Italy believe to be the case, and remained so every since. Even though there was no Juventus, they still had to compete against a strong Roma side (who had no point deductions) and Milan.
Although Milan were found guilty in Calciopoli, they were not relegated to Serie B, and as a result they did not have to sell any players and remained a top class team, unlike Juventus. They had a number of World Cup winners, such as Nesta, Pirlo, and Gattuso, and had Kaka, a world class player whose performances during the 2006/2007 enabled him to win the 2007 Ballon d'Or. This was a Milan team who won the 2007 Champions League, not only demonstrating their quality, but also that the quality of Italian football had not been damaged by Calciopoli. Thus, with Inter competing in the 2006/2007 scudetto against the team that would become European champions at the end of the season, they by no means had an easy scudetto victory that season.
Many claimed Milan were out of the 2006/2007 scudetto race before it even began because of their point deduction. I would agree if Inter won that scudetto by less than 8 points, thus taking account of the 8 point deficit Milan began the season with. Yet, that was not the case. Inter finished 36 points ahead of Milan in the 2006/2007 season. People argued the point deficit had a psychological effect from the very beginning, but Milan were a team of mental strength so strong they went on to win the 2007 Champions League after being striped of their automatic place and forced to qualify. Furthermore, in the same season Reggina, a team lacking in a lot more quality than Milan, started the season with a larger 11 point deficit, yet incredibly managed to avoid relegation. If a far weaker team than Milan, being faced with the real danger of relegation, and having an even larger point deduction, who did not go on to become champions of Europe were not effected psychological by their punishment, then Milan were very unlikely to have been.
Milan’s biggest reason for the failure to challenge Inter in the first post Calciopoli scudetto was because of two transfers: the sale of Shevchenko and the purchase of Ricardo Oliveira. Shevchenko was Milan’s golden boy. A Ballon d'Or winner, he was one of the most clinical strikers in the world, scoring 127 goals in 208 games for Milan, and will go down in history as one the best strikers of his generation. Milan replaced him with Oliveira, a Brazilian striker who in his only season with Milan scored 3 goals in 26 games. It has to be acknowledged that Milan did want to replace Shevchenko with Ibrahimovic, but did not finalise the deal as they were awaiting their fate of the Calciopoli verdict, and as a result Inter signed him. At Milan Shevchenko was part of a system Ancelotti had successful designed, with Shevchenko as a key component, and as a result he was deadly in front of goal. If Milan had kept Shevchenko then there is no doubt that would have challenged, and possibly even won the 2006/2007 scudetto. In subsequent seasons to this very day Milan have failed to adequately replace Shevchenko.
Another reason Milan have failed to challenge Inter for the scudetto in every season since Calciopoli is because of Ancelotti. Unlike in the Premier League, managers in Italy tend to last a maximum of three to four seasons, if they are lucky. This is because presidents of football clubs do not like their managers to become stagnant, and this is what happened with Ancelotti. Ancelotti had been Milan manager since 2001, in which time he had won one scudetto, one Italian Cup, one Champions League, one European Super Cup, one Italian Super Cup, and one Club World Championship. However, by 2006, after a lot of success and Ancelotti having been Milan manager for five years, coupled with the loss of Shevckenko, Milan had lost fight and became complacent. One of Ancelotti’s best characteristics is his ability to gear his team up for big occasions, and as a result Milan went on to win the 2007 Champions League and the 2007 Club World Championship. Yet, after so long in the job his stagnant Milan team failed to perform and get results consistently week in week out. As a result, Milan started every post Calciopoli season badly and were very far behind in the title race before the Christmas break under Ancelotti’s leadership until his departure in the summer of 2009.
Despite Milan’s mistakes on the transfer market, and Ancelotti staying on as manager longer than he should have, Inter have deserved their success in recent years, and earned it one the pitch. In the first post Calciopoli scudetto race Inter won the 2006/2007 scudetto by 22 points, loosing only one game. Roma (a team with no point deductions) finished second, with a strong point total of 75 points. Inter have won every scudetto since.
What is the reason for Inter’s post Calciopoli success? As mentioned above, Juventus were relegated to Serie B for the 2006/2007 season and were weakened due to heavy player sales, whilst Milan sold one of their best players and were still managed by Ancelotti. Yet, more importantly Inter were a very strong team with good players and managed by a good young promising manager in Mancini. Unlike under previous managers good players were purchased under Mancini. Players such as Stankovic, Maicon and Julio Cesar. Under Mancini Inter played fluid football which had not been seen for a long time at Inter, at the highest level in all areas of the pitch. The team had goal scorers in all positions. For example, Materazzi (a centre back) scored 10 goals in the 2006/2007 season.
As mentioned previously Inter benefited from Calciopoli by purchasing Ibrahimovic and Vieria from Juventus. Ibrahimovic was a big reason for Inter’s success in recent years. He developed from a good player into a world class player with his technique, skills, ability, and goal scoring. It is important to note thought that although Juventus’ punishment allowed Inter to sign Vieira, he played less than 20 games in his debut season, and in total played 67 games in three and a half years. In that sense, did Inter benefit from Vieira’s signing?
Mourinho has since taken over from Mancini. Mourinho is a more competent, experienced, and technically gifted manager, who has better man management skills and tactical knowledge. Since he took over in the summer of 2008 Inter have gone up to another level, and it does not look like Inter’s success is going to stop any time soon. All Inter fans are hoping Mourinho can go one better than Mancini and win the Champions League.
Despite Juventus selling heavily in wake of Calciopoli, and their 11 point deficit in Serie B, they easily won promotion in 2006/2007. Since then, under new management with new directors, they have begun rebuilding in the hope of gaining success under a new regime. They have invested heavily since returning to Serie A in 2007, but have not necessarily spent wisely. There have been many questionable transfers in recent years, such as Melo (£22 million), Tiago (£9 million), Poulsen (£7 million), Almiron (£8 million), Amauri (£18 million), which looks as if Juventus fans maybe waiting a while longer before returning to the ‘glory days’.
Many feel Juventus were treated unfairly as a result of Calciopoli and feel sorry for them. What needs to be understood is the scale of what the triad did. For years they used their power and connections to influence the selection of referees and referee’s decisions during matches, controlled the media to the extent that they called the shots on which highlights of match incidents were shown on television programmes, subtly bribed officials, had gentlemen’s agreements with officials from different clubs and FIGC members, controlled the transfer market via GEA World, and made sure those people or clubs who stood up to them were ‘punished’. This was football corruption at the highest level.
Although Juvenuts and the triad were found guilty and punished for their acts between 2004 and 2006, nobody really knows how long the triad were engaged in their seeded affair of football control. It could explain why strong teams, like Inter in the 1990’s, did not win anything, and sheds light on controversial incidents in previous seasons, such as the not given penalty for the blatant foul on Ronaldo in the near end of the 1997/1998 season match between Juventus and Inter, resulting in Juvenuts then running up the other end and the referee awarding Juventus a penalty for a far less serious ‘foul’. For how the previous Juventus regime controlled Italian football for so many years, I for one feel Juventus’ Calciopoli punishment was just, and in some sense too lenient, and that the suffering Juvenuts are currently going through is just deserved for the suffering the triad had put Italian football through for years. Juventus can suffer watching their rivals gain success after success, but at least they and the rest of Italy can be rest assured that Inter have obtained it through fair play.
In the summer of 2006, recordings from telephone conversations, witness interviews and other forms evidence highlighted significant and influential roles played by powerful figures and directors at certain football clubs, notably the notorious Juventus triad: Antonio Giraudo, Roberto Bettega, and of course Luciano Moggi. The uncovered evidence revealed a seeded, distasteful and unsporting campaign involving the triad, officials from clubs other than Juventus, referees and footballing officials which had influenced the outcome of football matches and the reputation and status of selected football clubs through bribery, media manipulation, psychological persuasion, and gentlemen agreements between power figures and decision makers, rocking the very foundations of Italian football.
The verdict and punishments for the clubs and individuals involved:
Bans (ranging from three months to life time bans of working in any footballing capacity), fines and resignations for the involved referees, club directors and officials.
Fiorentina = Removed from European competitions, and started the following Serie A campaign with -15 points.
Lazio = Started the following Serie A campaign with -3 points.
Milan = Striped of automatic Champions League qualification, put in Champions League qualifying round, and started the following Serie A campaign with -8 points.
Reggina = Started the following Serie A campaign with -11 points
Juventus = Striped of the 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 scudetti, relegated to Serie B, and started the following Serie B campaign with -9 points.
Since Calciopoli in 2006, there has been one Italian team that has stood out and achieved more success than any other: Inter Milan. In that time Inter have won four scudetti (including the 2005/2006 scudetto striped from Juventus), two Italian Super Cups, and twice been runners up in the Coppa Italia. Yet, many feel Inter, a team who before Calciopoli last won the scudetto in 1989, have only enjoyed success post Calciopoli because of the punishments served to their rivals (namely Juvenuts and Milan).
Did Calciopoli help Inter? Yes. Due to Juventus’ relegation Inter did not have to compete against one of the biggest rivals for the scudetto in the 2006/2007 season, and Juventus sold a number of their best players, so when Juventus returned to Serie A the following season they were a shadow of their former self. Inter benefited from this. They signed both Ibrahimovic and Vieira from the relegated Juventus, something that would definitely not have happened if Juventus remained in Serie A. However, Inter did not take too much advantage of Juventus’ position. They offered market value for both Ibrahimovic (£18 million) and Vieira (£8 million). Nevertheless, Inter were by no means handed 2006/2007 scudetto, which many people inside and outside of Italy believe to be the case, and remained so every since. Even though there was no Juventus, they still had to compete against a strong Roma side (who had no point deductions) and Milan.
Although Milan were found guilty in Calciopoli, they were not relegated to Serie B, and as a result they did not have to sell any players and remained a top class team, unlike Juventus. They had a number of World Cup winners, such as Nesta, Pirlo, and Gattuso, and had Kaka, a world class player whose performances during the 2006/2007 enabled him to win the 2007 Ballon d'Or. This was a Milan team who won the 2007 Champions League, not only demonstrating their quality, but also that the quality of Italian football had not been damaged by Calciopoli. Thus, with Inter competing in the 2006/2007 scudetto against the team that would become European champions at the end of the season, they by no means had an easy scudetto victory that season.
Many claimed Milan were out of the 2006/2007 scudetto race before it even began because of their point deduction. I would agree if Inter won that scudetto by less than 8 points, thus taking account of the 8 point deficit Milan began the season with. Yet, that was not the case. Inter finished 36 points ahead of Milan in the 2006/2007 season. People argued the point deficit had a psychological effect from the very beginning, but Milan were a team of mental strength so strong they went on to win the 2007 Champions League after being striped of their automatic place and forced to qualify. Furthermore, in the same season Reggina, a team lacking in a lot more quality than Milan, started the season with a larger 11 point deficit, yet incredibly managed to avoid relegation. If a far weaker team than Milan, being faced with the real danger of relegation, and having an even larger point deduction, who did not go on to become champions of Europe were not effected psychological by their punishment, then Milan were very unlikely to have been.
Milan’s biggest reason for the failure to challenge Inter in the first post Calciopoli scudetto was because of two transfers: the sale of Shevchenko and the purchase of Ricardo Oliveira. Shevchenko was Milan’s golden boy. A Ballon d'Or winner, he was one of the most clinical strikers in the world, scoring 127 goals in 208 games for Milan, and will go down in history as one the best strikers of his generation. Milan replaced him with Oliveira, a Brazilian striker who in his only season with Milan scored 3 goals in 26 games. It has to be acknowledged that Milan did want to replace Shevchenko with Ibrahimovic, but did not finalise the deal as they were awaiting their fate of the Calciopoli verdict, and as a result Inter signed him. At Milan Shevchenko was part of a system Ancelotti had successful designed, with Shevchenko as a key component, and as a result he was deadly in front of goal. If Milan had kept Shevchenko then there is no doubt that would have challenged, and possibly even won the 2006/2007 scudetto. In subsequent seasons to this very day Milan have failed to adequately replace Shevchenko.
Another reason Milan have failed to challenge Inter for the scudetto in every season since Calciopoli is because of Ancelotti. Unlike in the Premier League, managers in Italy tend to last a maximum of three to four seasons, if they are lucky. This is because presidents of football clubs do not like their managers to become stagnant, and this is what happened with Ancelotti. Ancelotti had been Milan manager since 2001, in which time he had won one scudetto, one Italian Cup, one Champions League, one European Super Cup, one Italian Super Cup, and one Club World Championship. However, by 2006, after a lot of success and Ancelotti having been Milan manager for five years, coupled with the loss of Shevckenko, Milan had lost fight and became complacent. One of Ancelotti’s best characteristics is his ability to gear his team up for big occasions, and as a result Milan went on to win the 2007 Champions League and the 2007 Club World Championship. Yet, after so long in the job his stagnant Milan team failed to perform and get results consistently week in week out. As a result, Milan started every post Calciopoli season badly and were very far behind in the title race before the Christmas break under Ancelotti’s leadership until his departure in the summer of 2009.
Despite Milan’s mistakes on the transfer market, and Ancelotti staying on as manager longer than he should have, Inter have deserved their success in recent years, and earned it one the pitch. In the first post Calciopoli scudetto race Inter won the 2006/2007 scudetto by 22 points, loosing only one game. Roma (a team with no point deductions) finished second, with a strong point total of 75 points. Inter have won every scudetto since.
What is the reason for Inter’s post Calciopoli success? As mentioned above, Juventus were relegated to Serie B for the 2006/2007 season and were weakened due to heavy player sales, whilst Milan sold one of their best players and were still managed by Ancelotti. Yet, more importantly Inter were a very strong team with good players and managed by a good young promising manager in Mancini. Unlike under previous managers good players were purchased under Mancini. Players such as Stankovic, Maicon and Julio Cesar. Under Mancini Inter played fluid football which had not been seen for a long time at Inter, at the highest level in all areas of the pitch. The team had goal scorers in all positions. For example, Materazzi (a centre back) scored 10 goals in the 2006/2007 season.
As mentioned previously Inter benefited from Calciopoli by purchasing Ibrahimovic and Vieria from Juventus. Ibrahimovic was a big reason for Inter’s success in recent years. He developed from a good player into a world class player with his technique, skills, ability, and goal scoring. It is important to note thought that although Juventus’ punishment allowed Inter to sign Vieira, he played less than 20 games in his debut season, and in total played 67 games in three and a half years. In that sense, did Inter benefit from Vieira’s signing?
Mourinho has since taken over from Mancini. Mourinho is a more competent, experienced, and technically gifted manager, who has better man management skills and tactical knowledge. Since he took over in the summer of 2008 Inter have gone up to another level, and it does not look like Inter’s success is going to stop any time soon. All Inter fans are hoping Mourinho can go one better than Mancini and win the Champions League.
Despite Juventus selling heavily in wake of Calciopoli, and their 11 point deficit in Serie B, they easily won promotion in 2006/2007. Since then, under new management with new directors, they have begun rebuilding in the hope of gaining success under a new regime. They have invested heavily since returning to Serie A in 2007, but have not necessarily spent wisely. There have been many questionable transfers in recent years, such as Melo (£22 million), Tiago (£9 million), Poulsen (£7 million), Almiron (£8 million), Amauri (£18 million), which looks as if Juventus fans maybe waiting a while longer before returning to the ‘glory days’.
Many feel Juventus were treated unfairly as a result of Calciopoli and feel sorry for them. What needs to be understood is the scale of what the triad did. For years they used their power and connections to influence the selection of referees and referee’s decisions during matches, controlled the media to the extent that they called the shots on which highlights of match incidents were shown on television programmes, subtly bribed officials, had gentlemen’s agreements with officials from different clubs and FIGC members, controlled the transfer market via GEA World, and made sure those people or clubs who stood up to them were ‘punished’. This was football corruption at the highest level.
Although Juvenuts and the triad were found guilty and punished for their acts between 2004 and 2006, nobody really knows how long the triad were engaged in their seeded affair of football control. It could explain why strong teams, like Inter in the 1990’s, did not win anything, and sheds light on controversial incidents in previous seasons, such as the not given penalty for the blatant foul on Ronaldo in the near end of the 1997/1998 season match between Juventus and Inter, resulting in Juvenuts then running up the other end and the referee awarding Juventus a penalty for a far less serious ‘foul’. For how the previous Juventus regime controlled Italian football for so many years, I for one feel Juventus’ Calciopoli punishment was just, and in some sense too lenient, and that the suffering Juvenuts are currently going through is just deserved for the suffering the triad had put Italian football through for years. Juventus can suffer watching their rivals gain success after success, but at least they and the rest of Italy can be rest assured that Inter have obtained it through fair play.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)