Top league is a matter of taste

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

I don't understand why anyone wants to see the so-called reign of "La Liga" end. One only needs to compare the European leagues to see that La Liga is the most entertaining league in Europe. Italy is too tactical, hence the stars of La Liga don't have a way to shine there. Meanwhile England is too physical. In La Liga, we see fast football with quick passing and well-timed breakaways in almost every single game. This is entertaining football. Personally, I think those in the States should forget about the Premiership and start televising more La Liga games in the interest of truly generating a fervor for soccer.
--Santiago, Virginia Beach

I don't know that people want to see the reign of La Liga end. Rather given the dominance of Spanish teams in Europe the last few years, perhaps they simply would like to see more balance at the top of the Champions League. As for which league is more entertaining, part of it comes down to personal taste. The Premiership is more physical, but does that mean it's too physical? One could counter that the Premiership is more fast-paced; does that mean it's too fast-paced? Could it be that some people prefer higher-paced matches with more physical contact?

You can make the same argument about Serie A. Many players who were mediocre in Serie A shine in La Liga -- but is that the fault of Serie A for not "letting them shine"? I don't think so. Truly great players (look at Zinedine Zidane) will shine everywhere. In fact, somebody could turn around and argue that the Liga stars who failed in Italy did so because Serie A is simply a tougher and more competitive league.

Mr. Marcotti, for some reason last year I became a fan of Leeds. I think they have a lot of very talented players but I don't understand why they are doing so poorly this year. Any ideas? Thanks.
--Larry Miller, New York

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There are a number of reasons, many of them related to things off the pitch. For starters, Leeds is in a tough spot financially, which is why it had to sell Robbie Keane and Rio Ferdinand (and why Olivier Dacourt will probably leave in January). New boss Terry Venables has ditched the 4-4-2 formation in favor of a new system that some players have struggled to embrace. Lee Bowyer has not renewed his contract and remains unsettled. The team has been hit by an injury crisis; Mark Viduka and Harry Kewell are playing some of the worst soccer of their careers. I think all these negative factors have contributed to Leeds' problems. However, there is plenty of talent there, and the side could well make a comeback in the new year.

Hi Gabriele. I have 2 points. Firstly do you think that the new position given to Andrea Pirlo for Milan this season could spark a trend with Italian clubs in the future? Plus, is this the kind of thing Capello had in mind when bringing Pep Guardiola to Roma? I'm interested to know what you think about this, because I was surprised by Ancelotti's planning. Cheers Gabriele. Listen to you every week on TalkSport; keep up the good work.
--Tom Dowding, Plymouth, Uk

I too was shocked that Ancelotti would turn Pirlo into an old-fashioned playmaker in front of the back four. It's a figure that seemed to have largely disappeared from the game, but it's certainly an interesting innovation. I don't know if it will spark a trend, because you need a very specific type of player to make it work. Guardiola was one of those players, and I think Capello toyed with the idea when he took him to Roma. However, perhaps owing to Francesco Totti's presence in the team, the former Barcelona man has not featured very often.

I'm totally disappointed with Roma this season. As typified in their game against Arsenal, the team just cannot score. I don't understand Capello's tactics of always leaving at least one of Batistuta, Montella and Delvecchio on the bench. The midfield is also too predictable (route Totti) and unimaginative. I don't see Roma going past this round of the champions League.
--Wale, Lagos, Nigeria

I think Capello believes that playing Montella, Batistuta, Delvecchio and Totti together would make the side less balanced. I agree Roma is more predictable and Totti has had to carry the team, though that might have a lot to do with the fact that Cafu and Vincent Candela, who are so important in providing width, have been slowed by injury. Throw in the fact that the back three has had serious problems this year (Christian Panucci is a shadow of his former self) and it's a difficult tangle for Capello to resolve.

You mentioned that Luciano's crime was victimless. This is hardly the case how I see it; other players must have been passed up by the big-name clubs when they decided to sign Luciano. It seems logical that if club authorities had known he was four years older, some other young budding star would have gotten a big move instead of him. That star who is still stuck on a youth team making $300/week was the victim.
--Ga'ash Soffer

I disagree. You can speculate about what might have been for hours and design all sorts of scenarios, but it doesn't change the fact that Luciano grabbed his chance and proved he was good enough to play at the highest level. Would the other "budding star" have made it? Bear in mind that Luciano was 17 and unknown when he arrived in Serie A, and it still took him a few years to go to the next level. In other words, it wasn't just his birth certificate that made him a star.

Hi Gabriele, I think it is time for Rui Costa to be exposed more to the world. The Milan-Real match showed Rui in some form -- taking on players at will, brilliant vision and superb playmaking. He's been doing this for years and still not getting the credit that Zidane and Ronaldo do. More importantly, he had loyalty to his club -- Fiorentina. He moved only after they were suffering from a crisis and could get well-needed cash by selling him. Rui is just talked about for his performances in a match and is only adored by supporters of Portuguese football. It's time the world takes note of the master. He's getting older day and day and is injury-prone, but give him the ball. All he does is magic!
--Ramakrishnan Parthasarathy, Charlottesville VA

I think that in terms of ability Rui Costa may well be the most gifted player in the world. The problem is that it's not just about talent, it's about workrate, consistency, raising your game in key moments. Ronaldo and Zidane, to use your example, both led their teams to important trophies and they shone in big matches. Rui Costa has yet to do that consistently.

How do clubs set the selling value of a player?
--Don Boxley, Ft Collins, CO

Except for a very small minority of players who have a release clause in their contracts, in most cases the sale price is simply determined by the open market, i.e. bid and offer. In addition to the obvious one (ability), the factors which are weighed in determining the price include salary, length of contract and age.

Hi Gabriele, this year has been a stellar one for FC Basel, winning the double in Switzerland and beating Celtic as well as Liverpool to reach the second stage of the Champions league. Do you think Basel has a chance to get to the next stage? I think they do. Liverpool has been playing better than Manchester, and Valencia has been better than Deportivo. Hence, they are really playing weaker opposition in this round than in the last, not taking into account Juventus. What do you think of Basel?
--Patrick Leimgruber, Basel, Switzerland

I'd be careful in suggesting that Liverpool has been playing better than Manchester United, at least on the European stage, but I agree that Valencia is ahead of Deportivo La Coruna. Christian Gross has done a phenomenal job, scouring the world to assemble a dynamic, creative team that plays very well as a unit but also allows individuals the chance to shine. I think getting to the next round will be a tall order, but Basel has surprised everyone before so...

In your reply to Peter Setumba you state that "the early exit of Bayern in the CL underscores some of the problems the Bundesliga has," which seems to refer to German teams not matching the amount of money spent by Italian, English or Spanish clubs. Well, Bayern spent a lot more money on new players this season than they did when they won the CL two years ago. Also while it is true that German clubs in general don't spend these huge sums, it is also true that the Bundesliga is the only top-ranked European league, aside from the Premier League, that does not see its top clubs on the verge of bankruptcy. And still one can hardly say that German teams haven't been successful internationally during the last five years if you look at the success of Bayern, Dortmund, Leverkusen and Schalke.
--Martin Siegel, Albuquerque, NM

I'm not suggesting that German clubs haven't been successful internationally. On the other hand, I do think that the Bundesliga as a whole has some problems to resolve, and Bayern's exit from the Champions League is just one of the symptoms. Bayer Leverkusen has struggled domestically, Borussia Dortmund is performing well but is still far from its best, in my opinion. I think there is a lack of competition at the highest levels in the Bundesliga, owing to Bayern's dominance. Lest we forget, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia both spent heavily to build their teams, and still the gap has not been bridged. Something is wrong when a club like Bayer Leverkusen can build a talented, competitive team and then see its two top stars join its main rivals. As for top clubs in Italy and Spain being on the verge of bankruptcy, I think you are greatly exaggerating the situation. They have had to cut costs this summer, but then it's a general malaise affecting everyone.

Hi Gabriele, I'd like to comment on your remarks on why European soccer clubs don't use trades. In the early 20th century American baseball teams did use the concept of transfer fees in order to obtain or get rid of players but US sports evolved to the point where trades were more efficient in the absence of team relegation and the financial success of American sports leagues where the disparities between rich and poor were not so pronounced as in Europe. A famous example was Babe Ruth being bought from the Boston Red Sox in 1919. I agree with you that transfer fees are part of soccer because of promotion and relegation and the fact that the disparity between big and small clubs in Italy, England, Spain, and others makes it such that small clubs can stay successful at the top level by selling their players. In the U.S., trades are done to dump salaries or acquire draft picks so I don't think that U.S. sports are behind European soccer per se but that the systems are different and that the rules are made to accommodate both. Thanks. I love your work!
--John Lee, San Francisco

You're right, the systems are different and, unless promotion and relegation are introduced into U.S. sports, I don't think buying and selling players would be viable. However, I do think that the U.S. system is less efficient from a purely economic standpoint.

 

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