English game holds its own

Gabriele Marcotti covers international soccer for CNNSI.com. He will answer questions from users in his mailbag periodically.

Dear Mr. Marcotti, I cannot but really appreciate your words in your latest column. All the ranting and raving about Arsenal and Real being so great seems to be a cauldron of misconceptions and the usual hype which surrounds this sport. I also would like to point out how English football is so overrated. Just because each game averages more than two goals it does not mean the standard is higher. Wenger was letting the excitement of being first in the Premiership get to his head. He needs to realize that the real competition is in Italy and Spain, with serious training routines and discipline. What England got right was the marketing aspect and the financial side, but that's just about it.
--colin, Bahrain

I think you're being a little harsh on the English game. It's true that some Premiership clubs are still far behind in terms of training and professionalism compared to Italy and Spain. But it's equally true that the ultimate judge of performance is what happens when teams from different leagues face each other in European competition. And recent results have shown that the Premiership is more than capable of competing with La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga.

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Hi Gabriele, I would like to get your views on drug taking in English football in light of the nandrolone case. It seems the FA and British media make it seem like a foreign players issue only, but I am willing to bet you that if rigorous and impartial drug tests were done, there would be more than a few surprises 'coz English football isn't drug free, one could allege right from the Premier League all the way down. what are your thoughts on the scourge of drugs in football??
--arthur, hatfield,uk

The standard of drug testing in league matches varies tremendously around Europe. Italy's Serie A and Germany's Bundesliga do random tests after every match, but the Premiership does not. In England, inspectors show up randomly at training grounds. As a result, testing is far more frequent and rigorous in Serie A or the Bundesliga. In my opinion, that's the real reason the English game has had just one positive test for nandrolone in the past decade.

Beyond that, however, there are serious doubts as to just how much nandrolone improves performance. One of the great things about soccer is that there are technical aspects that no amount of drug-taking can improve. Unlike some sports, if you can't play, you can't play -- no matter how big, strong or quick you are.

Hi Gabriele, Here's an alternative thought for you, big guy. Scottish football is actually in quite a good state. Controversial I know, but hear me out. Maurice Ross gets a game over the Australian right-back Kevin Muscat and has forced the Dutch right-back Fernando Ricksen to play center midfield. Can't be bad then? Barry Ferguson would walk into the England team, as he is superior to both Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt. Another bonus. Darren Fletcher, although not yet in the Man Utd first team is described by Alex Ferguson as "the real thing" and the best of the current Man Utd youngsters. Scotland's Under-21 side haven't lost in five games under Ranier Bonhoff. There are also a number of other excellent young players, chiefly Shaun Maloney and Stephen Crainey. Any thoughts?
--Terry O'Sullivan, Maine

It's nice to see somebody being positive about the future of Scottish football, but yours is definitely a minority opinion. Ross winning a starting position from Muscat is good news, but it's not like Muscat is the second coming of Cafu. In fact, I see him largely as a hacker. Barry Ferguson is a special player, but are you sure you would take him over Steven Gerrard? I'm not so convinced. It's way too early to judge Fletcher, and while the Under-21s are doing well and there is some talent coming through (don't forget McFadden either), it's equally true that too many guys in the Scotland starting 11 can't get a game in the Premiership (Dobie? Kile? Cameron?). It's going to be a long, long time before Scotland returns to where it deserves to be.

Gabriel, I enjoy your writing, you are on of that rare breed -- a half-decent football writer. So answer me this. When will someone question Newcastle manager Bobby Robson's suitability to manage a top-level club? Newcastle should be challenging for, at the very least, domestic silverware, yet under Robson they haven't come close. Then follows the ludicrous decision to play reserve goalkeeper Steve Harper ahead of Shay Given in the Champions League, but recall Given (who I think is a fine keeper -- way better than Harper) in the league. Is it, as I suspect, a case of Bobby Robson being beyond reproach by the English media who are scared of him because he's old?
--Aiden Wylie, Glasgow, Scotland

Aiden, I'm with you. The English media in particular tend to play favorites, and Bobby Robson is definitely one of their favorites. Whether it's because he's old or whether it's because he's jolly and accessible, I'm not sure, but in my opinion he was never the genius some make him appear. You may want to read the chapter on Robson and PSV Eindhoven in Simon Kuper's excellent book, Football Against the Enemy.

To his credit, he got Newcastle into the Champions League last season, and that was a remarkable feat. Having said that, I don't think he did too well in the transfer market this summer. The defense is unremarkable and inexperienced and he spent a lot of money on Hugo Viana, a guy who is supremely talented but still very young and raw and most likely won't make a contribution for a few years, at least not in the English game.

Gabriele -- it's great to see you back at cnnsi.com on a regular basis. This Web site was much poorer without your weekly insights for the past two years. My question: I read an opinion article suggesting that Bayern Munich failed miserably in the Champions League this year because they tried to turn on the style and forgot how to win games the hard, ugly way. Would you agree with this assessment?
--Marcelo Guevara, Austin, Texas, USA

I think the addition of Ze Roberto and Michael Ballack inevitably forced Ottmar Hitzfeld to change the way Bayern played, particularly in midfield. Last season, it was more defensive; this year Ballack often seems to play as a third striker. There's enough talent for Bayern to get the mix right and maybe win the Bundesliga, but it will take some time.

 

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