Homegrown talent

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

What do you make of the lack of young stars being produced in the big leagues (Italy, England, Spain and Germany) especially with the bigger clubs? If you look in the last couple of years, there have only been a handful of potential superstars coming through; Rooney (Everton), Torres (Athletico Madrid), Metzelder (Dortmund) and Miccoli (Perugia). None of these came through the youth system of a "big" club and with the exception of the Man United era (Giggs, Becks etc) and the Italian era (Totti, Montella, Del Piero etc) it has been a long time since a whole conveyor Belt of superstars was produced amongst Europes elite. What do you think is The reason for this? Keep up the excellent work on Talksport.
-- Adil Khan, Blackburn, UK

I don't know that I agree that there is a lack of homegrown young stars in Europe's big leagues. Sometimes they come along in bunches, sometimes it takes players a few years to develop. If you look around Europe, there are plenty of young stars with superstar potential -- Kevin Kuranyi, Alan Smith, Carlton Cole, Enzo Maresca, Javier Portillo, to name but a few in the big four leagues. Obviously, big clubs have different attitudes toward promoting kids into the first team and it's tough to crack the top sides. But quality does emerge and there is a lot of it bubbling under the surface.

Mailbag

If you'd like to submit a question to Gabriele Marcotti, please enter it below.

Your name: Your E-mail Address: Your Hometown: Enter Your Question:

Since Barcelona has all these problems for a long time, what is the long term solution for it? Is it a new president who will manage to do miracles like Florentino Perez did to Real Madrid?
-- Raffi Baronian

A new chairman will surely help, though club elections won't take place until late summer and, by then, Barcelona's squad for next season will certainly be decided. The club certainly needs stability right now and, most of all, a manager with players he knows and trusts, which wasn't the case with Louis Van Gaal.

I was amused by the South American Federation's complaints about "only" getting 4 bids to the 2006 World Cup. Their 10 team group will have a higher percentage of teams than any other, and outside of Brazil and Argentina, their 30-year World Cup performance as a group doesn't justify more than 3 bids as it is. How would you allocate the bids?
-- Thomas Reagan, Arlington, TX

I would agree to a point that the performance of South American nations -- with the exception of Argentina and Brazil -- in the past thirty years hasn't been particularly impressive, but the continent's history and traditions pretty much mandate at least four spots. Realistically, there is another reason and -- typically -- it has to do with money. Brazil struggled to qualify this year and then went on to dominate the World Cup. I don't think the game is willing to risk having a World Cup without Brazil or Argentina... partly because, no matter how poor they do in qualifying, they are always threats to lift the cup, partly because it would be an economic disaster if those nations failed to qualify. And, if there were only three spots available, the risk would be very great.

Gab, what happened to the World Team Championships. I think that could be a prestigious trophy if it was organized properly. What do u think?
-- Naz, Chelsea, London

The second edition was due to be held in Spain but was then cancelled. I think the European press (particularly the all-powerful British press) completely rubbished the competition the first time around and it's a shame, because it could have been the start of something big and worthwhile. FIFA has said it wants to resurrect it in some form, I think much will depend on whether they can get the sponsors together.

This is more of a comment: I completely agree with you. Soccer should not be blamed for the rampant hooliganism that takes place in football around the world. This is the greatest sport in the world -- the only one which moves an entire globe into absolute jubilation; one that transcends every race, religion, creed. The world's game. Let's not blame the sport, but focus on the governmental authorities that need to control the many lunatics that are in the crowd. They make the Yankee bleachers look like choir boys. The sport deserves better.
-- Christian Lopez, New York City

Thank you. I might add that there are more than 100,000 professional games played each year (compared to less than 300 in American football) and, when viewed through that lens, the number of violent or distasteful incidents is actually quite low.

What do you think are the right moves to adjust the Italian national team. It seems that hard working players like Gattuso are being preferred to the likes of Fiore who just want to play soccer and not wrestling. Until Italy finds an attacking solution, they will never be that powerful force they wish to be.
-- Chadi Abdelnour, London

I think you're a bit harsh. The modern game is far more physical And athletic than it was in the past and, to balance this out, you often Need players like Rino Gattuso or Roy Keane or Patrick Vieira. They are the Guys who can win the ball back and, without the ball, the skills of a Francesco Totti or Alex Del Piero aren't much use. Andrea Pirlo's role, that of The deep-lying playmaker, is an interesting innovation (or, rather, the return of a once common position) but it's not always easy to find the right mix of players to complement his characteristics (as Milan is finding out).

I've started to become interested in world soccer over the last few months. However, I don't quite understand all the competitions, so I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me. First, what is the difference between the Worthington league cup and the F.A. Cup? Second, do all nations hold domestic cups? Third and finally, what is the difference between the UEFA Cup and the Champions League? What is the qualifying process for each? Thanks for your time.
-- Jeremy, Midland, MI

OK, those who already know this can skip to the next question. For those who don't, here's a quick primer. Most countries have a domestic cup competition (usually following a knockout format) which runs concurrently to the league. England and Scotland have two, the FA Cup and the League Cup. The main difference between them is that the FA Cup is more prestigious and includes teams of all levels, including amateur, whereas the League Cup is limited to those clubs in the Football League (the Premiership, First, Second and Third division).

The UEFA Cup is a straight knockout competition whereas the Champions League is a combination of group stages and knockout competition. Each European country is allocated one to four spots in the Champions League, based on the past performance of the country's clubs in European competition (a mathematical formula taking into account the last five years which is called the UEFA coefficient). So, for example, Spain has four spots in the Champions League, whereas Iceland only has one. Seventy-two clubs entered this year's Champions League, of which 16 had a bye to the first group stage (the Champions League proper) and another 16 qualified via the preliminary rounds.

The UEFA Cup is a little more complicated to explain. Again, countries get between one and four spots depending on the UEFA co-efficient. Most nations award one spot to the winner of the domestic cup. The other spots are awarded based on the finish in the league. So if a country has two berths in the Champions League and three in the UEFA Cup, the top two would enter the Champions League and the third and fourth placed clubs would enter the UEFA Cup with the third UEFA Cup spot going to the winner of the domestic cup. If the winner of the domestic cup already finished in the top four in the league, the fifth place club would get the UEFA Cup spot. In addition, the UEFA Cup also includes the 16 clubs which were eliminated from the last qualifying round of the Champions League (i.e. before the group stage) and the eight clubs who finished third in their respective groups in the first group stage of the Champions League (these clubs join the competition at a later stage).

Finally, three spots are reserved to the winners of the InterToto Cup (which is a loosely run competition held primarily over the summer for those clubs who did not qualify for the major European competitions). This year a total of 145 teams competed in the UEFA Cup.

I have what may be deemed as a rude question, but I have to ask your thoughts. I've recently been watching a lot of Scottish football, which of course means I watch a lot of Old Firm. Here's the thing: I don't think they're that good, the Old Firm. It's clear the SPL is a bit of a mess, but with all the noise Rangers and Celtic make about an "Atlantic League," I should see something more than two teams who would struggle To get out of midtable elsewhere. Add to that the "slighting" of other SPL teams on the part of the old firm, and I can't even claim they operate in good sporting ethics (two big fish, one small pond). What do you think?
-- Mo, New York City

It's an age-old Scottish problem. Rangers and Celtic dominate the Scottish Premiership, they play against inferior opposition and therefore fail to attract top talent. It's a vicious circle and one which can only be broken if they join another league or if the rest of the SPL becomes competitive. I can't see the latter happening, so the best hope for the Scottish game has got to be the former.

What do you think about the form of Robert Pires? He has played some excellent football for both France and the Gunners, but rarely do I hear his name mentioned amongst the game's elite. Do you think this is because he plays on a squad such as Arsenal which features Henry, Viera, et al. or am I just rating 'Super Bob' too highly?
-- Colin Jones, Vancouver, British Columbia

Well, Pires was voted Player of the Year in England last year so he does receive some credit. I agree that he is a fantastic talent and one of the true good guys in the game (check out his autobiography, co-written by the excellent Xavier Rivoire). To some degree it's inevitable that he will be overshadowed by Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry and, when he was out injured, Arsenal did not seem to miss him that much. Perhaps that's why the other two are seen as more important to the Gunners than Pires, but that should not take anything away from him.

What role does a soccer player's agent perform? What amount of remuneration does he receive for this? Let's say a player earns $20,000 a week. Does a certain percentage of this amount have to go to his agent?
-- Njie Sammy Moka, Singapore

No, there is no standard way of establishing an agent's remuneration. Actually, we should distinguish between different types of agents or, indeed, the different roles an agent can play. Some agents focus entirely on looking after their clients, some are middlemen employed by clubs to negotiate deals, some do a little bit of both. In most cases, agents are paid commissions by clubs when a player extends a contract or signs with a club, in others the player pays the agent directly.

Gabriele, your opinions always seem right on to me. Do you think it's possible that the physical intensity of the 34 Serie A league matches has prevented Italian sides from being able to devote as much energy to the international arena? With their relatively deep pockets, sides like Man. Ud. and Arsenal have little competition for the English title, and the same might be said for Real Madrid in Spain. But the top sides in Italy are annually in a dead heat for the title. Do you think that the intensity of the league, where a bottom side is as likely to give stiff competition as a top side, leaves these top four squads with little to offer in Europe?
-- Dan Osland, Lisboa

I do think Serie A is more intense and draining for the players than La Liga or the Premiership, but that has more to do with off-field psychological pressures (such as those from fans or the media) than physical wear and tear. The Premiership does usually look like a two-horse race, but, in Spain, the rise of Deportivo La Coruna and Valencia (and, this year, Real Sociedad) have added balance to La Liga, almost as much as Serie A. I know Italian clubs have used the Serie A grind as an excuse for poor performances in Europe, but I think it's an argument which doesn't hold water. For starters, seven or eight years ago Serie A was dominating European competition and the league was just as tough as it is now. More importantly, Italy's big clubs have huge squads filled with talented internationals, so coping on more than one front shouldn't be that difficult.

 

Related information

Stories

Marcotti: Repression is the solution to soccer violence

Multimedia

Visit Video Plus for the latest audio and video