Rebuilding begins again

Diagnosing the problems at the Nou Camp

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

What on earth is going wrong at the Nou Camp? How can Barcelona be floundering so badly? A diagnosis, please!
--David Kaufman, Philadelphia, PA

Well, by now, Louis Van Gaal is gone, so the umpteenth rebuilding process can begin. First of all, the squad simply isn't that good. Over the past three years, the only guy Barca has brought in who hasn't been a disappointment is Javier Saviola (who bizarrely has been used sparingly). You could make a case for Marc Overmars, though he is very inconsistent. The other signings include people like Gerard, Emanuel Petit, Alfonso, Fabio Rochemback, Geovanni, Phillippe Christanval and Gaizka Mendieta, all of whom have been duds. Others such as Patrik Andersson have been injured for long stretches, while Juan Roman Riquelme wasn't given much of a chance by Van Gaal.

Throw in the fact that Barca lost Rivaldo -- whose skills may be declining but remains arguably the team's best player -- and it's not that surprising that it is struggling.

Beyond that, Van Gaal certainly did not help matters this season. In his first spell in charge, he was given money and resources to bring in the players he wanted to play his system; this time he was stuck with Riquelme (who he didn't want) and Mendieta, who, after a disastrous experience at Lazio, has serious confidence problems.

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Van Gaal's big mistake, in my opinion, was trying to force his squad to play a system for which they are not suited, rather than finding a system that plays to the strengths of the players at his disposal.

This is one situation where you can spread the blame across everybody: Van Gaal, chairman Joan Gaspart and the players (well, most of them...).

How many foreigners (non-EU) can each team have and how many can play at the same time?
--Manuel Rodriguez Cortes, Mexico City, Mexico

The rules vary from country to country, but most allow up to three on the pitch at any one time. Bear in mind that many non-EU players qualify as EU nationals because they have dual passports (which are readily accessible after five years in a particular country). There are no limits in European competition.

Am I the only one who thinks that Ronaldo is not up to the pre-France '98 level he was, or am I just expecting too much from him? I feel he lacks the confidence he used to have in front of goal.
--bello anka inua, sheffield, UK

I think he'll be just fine, though it may take a while. It would be unrealistic to expect him to bounce back with 30 goals this year, but I think he'll get his fair share. We often idealize the past, and, perhaps we imagine him to have been unstoppable before France '98 when, in reality, he wasn't that much better than he is now.

A comment, actually.... on the overspending tragedies. Look at once-proud and mighty "Fiorentina" with Batistuta, the Champions League, etc, etc... just a few years ago! Now... bankrupt and playing as a semi-pro team in the C2 division in Italy. I promise you that this will not be the last VERY big name club to have this fate. Only in England where they actually are money-conscious will this be avoided. I hate it, but our great sport is headed for some major shocks, and yes GREAT players can now be had for a "song"!
--michael worrick, palm city, fl

It's true that we are in the middle of a major adjustment, but it's worth remembering that Fiorentina's demise wasn't just caused by debt. The club was actually doing reasonably well until the chairman decided to borrow money from Fiorentina, which he never repaid.

Incidentally, Fiorentina's new incarnation, Florentia Viola, are not a semi-pro team: It is a fully professional club with 20,000-odd season-ticket holders.

And I'm not sure clubs in England are that much better off than elsewhere. Clubs like Chelsea and Leeds are heavily indebted -- in fact, if they were in Serie A or the Bundesliga, where debt can't exceed a certain percentage of turnover, they might be excluded from the league.

Would you be in favor of neighboring countries forming joint leagues? It works for the NHL. This would mean that great players from small countries could fulfill their ambitions at home. If Sporting Lisbon played in an Iberian league, they would get the same amount of TV money as Real Madrid, sell 60,000 tickets for every home game, and would not have to sell a player like Luis Figo at the age of 20.

If Canada had its own hockey league, all good players would go to the States. This way the Edmonton Oilers fans had the chance to watch Wayne Gretzky win five Stanley cups. It would also mean that clubs with huge fan-bases like Celtic would have a realistic chance to succeed in Europe. Even if they had the money, they could not attract top players, as long as they are in the Scottish league.
--alija, ploče,croatia

Personally, I am in favor of regional leagues. As I see it, it's the only way for some of the smaller countries to compete these days. There are small countries with huge clubs boasting glorious histories (Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, Rangers, Celtic, Porto, Anderlecht, Benfica, etc.) and it would be a shame if they fell further behind. I'm not sure that joining a bigger neighbor (like Scottish clubs joining the Premiership, Dutch clubs joining the Bundesliga, etc.) is the answer. I would be in favor of a federated league, like the old Atlantic League idea, involving Holland, Belgium, Denmark and possibly Scotland and Portugal as well.

Gabriele, what is your view on the growing number of war-horses that are arriving in the Premiership nowadays. Players such as Dugarry, Djorkaeff, Blanc, Ravanelli, Zola, Ferrer. I am convinced that they will not hold their own in Italy or Spain, where they have all graced. So how can the Premiership be called the best if these unwanted players are so crucial to their respective clubs?
--Wayne, Chelsea, UK

I'm not sure you can lump all these guys in the same boat. Some of the guys you mentioned moved to smaller clubs; had they stayed in their own nations they would probably have moved to smaller teams there, except for the fact that the Premiership offered more money. This applies to Youri Djorkaeff, Christophe Dugarry and Fabrizio Ravanelli (at least in his second incarnation at Derby County). Zola and Ferrer did go to bigger clubs, but remember, Zola was 30 when he arrived in the Premiership. True, he is doing very well even now that he is 36, but there are golden oldies in Italy (Baggio, Signori, Ferrara) and Spain (Donato, Hierro) as well. As for Blanc, I agree, he is a bit of a mystery.

I am writing this question since you are in the media. I just would like to know why there is such a bias towards the English Premier League in terms of coverage. Here in Australia we get only EPL games live. It is basically just annoying because the EPL claims to be the most watched, but I feel that if people are given the choice, the skills of the Spanish or Italian leagues would be watched just as much if not more.
--Ashwin Singh, Sydney, Australia

The Premier League draws a big audience in former Commonwealth nations (like Australia) and parts of Asia and Africa, but I think overall, its reach isn't that much greater than La Liga or Serie A (both of which are far more popular in South America, for example). Bear in mind also that the English-speaking media is very powerful, and this obviously helps the Premiership as well. Finally, many Premiership games are close-fought, exciting contests and they are presented well on television (the excellent stadiums in England are an important factor, too), which means they draw casual fans.

In his summaries of the 2002 World Cup, Grant Wahl comments on the lack of class of Italy and Spain, who complain about unfair officiating in their eliminations. Then he agrees with critics of the U.S.-Germany, where a handball went unnoticed. Would you at the very least agree that all three of these teams were robbed?
--Tommaso Gomez, Orange, CT

I think there was poor officiating in all three games. Was it enough to influence the result? Perhaps, but I think in each case the aggrieved side could have done more to win. Officiating can be unpredictable; good teams know how to rise above it.

 

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