Beckham and Milan: A Look At What’s Wrong With Italian Clubs

We as fans have a part to play in the situation. If fans, especially fans of big clubs like Milan, Juventus, and Inter, weren’t so impatient for silverware and so unforgiving of dry spells, there wouldn’t be so much pressure on coaches to win “right now at all costs.” Give coaches more breathing room to take risks and experiment, and you’ll see that they would love to invest in a youth pipeline.

But here’s the other thing. Part of what you seem to be complaining about is simply another effect of globalization. You know how a lot of European and American companies are outsourcing work to China, India, etc because workers are just as talented, but they cost 10X less? Same goes for footballers. Non-established players from abroad are satisfied with less in terms of wages than domestic players, because they come from places with a much lower cost of living, and because frankly, they are more desperate. Poverty seems to be a prerequisite for great success in football, as you see that most of the best footballers ever come from very poor backgrounds (almost all of the south american legends past and present – Pele, Ronaldo, Maradona, Dinho, Rivaldo, Zico, Garrincha, etc). Very few are like Pirlo, who could have lived pretty comfortably by first world standards even without football.

The wealthier Italy as a country becomes, the less disposed its citizens will be to professional sport. This is true not just for Italy, but everywhere. As the number of Italians trying to play professionally decreases, the cost of developing them (vs simply importing talent into their academies) will increase, driving up their market cost, and decreasing their attractiveness as investments. This is simply a fact of life. Football is a microcosm of how the world itself is becoming more egalitarian. You think that Europe is going to dominate the footballing world forever? At some point all this importing of talent is going to make non UEFA countries more competitive internationally, especially as more and more first generation European footballers opt to play for their parents home countries, rather than their adoptive countries (Balotelli is a unique situation).

It sucks for Italians, English, and French especially, but what is bad for you guys, sadly, is good for the rest of the footballing world. Just as what is bad for many American workers whose jobs have been outsourced is beneficial for workers in the third world

Requirements to play for AC Milan..

1) Prefered over 30
2) Be Brazilan or Over 30 Italian
3) Out of Form
4) Be a Has Been
5) Able to Sell T-Shirts
etc.

———> From SATURDAY

Balotelli – 0 Goals + 0 Assist/ 8 Games (412 Minutes) Played
Played 55″ vs. Siena – Did s0-s0

Lanzafame
Not selected vs. Palermo

De Silvestri
played 45″ vs. Palermo
—————————–FROM SUNDAY
Santacroce
Played 90″ vs. Torino – 1 Yellow Card

Russotto
Came in 64″ vs. Torino

Abate
Played 90″ vs. Napoli

Dessana
Is out Injured

Bocchetti
Played 90′ vs. Chievo

Criscito
Played 90″ vs. Chievo

Coda
Warmed the Bench vs. AC Milan

Motta
NA – Possible being bought by Palermo in Jan, 09

Cigarini
Is out Injured

Consigli
Warmed the Bench vs. Juve

Osvaldo – 0 Goals + 0 Assist/ 7 Games (229 Minutes) Played
Not selected vs. Sampdoria

Acquafresca – 6(1Pk) Goals + 0 Assist/ 16 games (1038 Minutes) Played
Played 61″ vs. Reggina – Scored 1 Goal
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1885423
————————————————> Extra

Pelle – 0 Goal + 2 Assists/ 9 games (587 Minutes) Played
Came in @ 81″ vs. FC Utrecht

Lupoli – Loan @ Norwich City – 4 Goals + 1 Assist/ 13 Games (448 Minutes) Played
Slept in vs. Charlton Athletic

Di Carmine – Loan @ QPR – 1 goal/ 11 Games (497 Minutes) Played
Warmed the Bench vs. Preston North End
—————————————->
Sorry I don’t have Serie B players info.

There were a few jeers and also ironic banners held up by the fans.
One read:

‘From top of the world to top models. Poor Milan.’
http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/dec21o.html

I agree, more Italian youths playing. The problem is most of the bigger clubs are buying overated stranieri who don’t contribute to winning, thus getting shareholders their due. Plus, the youth system costs money to run, so since you are spending good money on it, use it damnit

Alessio, why does Brighi not count? He is a young Italian (originally Roman, what’s more) and he is a starter for Roma. Just because we didn’t start him when he was 16 doesn’t disqualify us as contributors to the national roster.

I don’t see how the trio Chiellini-Marchisio-Molinaro is so much more important to la nazionale than the De Rossi-Aquilani-Brighi. They seem quite level in terms of quality and importance. I appreciate De Ceglie and Giovinco, but for the moment they have done no more for the azzurri than okaka, virga, cerci, rosi, della penna, andreolli or galloppa. Hell, Curci has at least been called up as a sub.

I was talking about u-25 players, not necessarily a team’s young contributions to the Nazionale, but giving chance to players who are on the cusp of breaking into the national team. I’d still count Aquilani.

Brighi doesn’t count, he’s in the “potentially being re-introduced to the Nazionale” pool, like his cohort Marco Marchionni.

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I’m sorry if I’m sounding obnoxious, but I really don’t understand what your point is. Brighi doesn’t count… towards what? And how is a “team’s young contribution to the nazionale” in any way a different or divorced category from fielding “players on the cusp of breaking into the national team”?

We’re probably arguing over semantics, I just don’t understand what point you’re trying to make overall. Feel free to elucidate.

Teams like Roma, Milan, and Inter have lots of young Italian players on their rosters, they just loan them out to the provencal teams to get some play time. Really, it is a win-win scenario. The youngsters get to play every game while the smaller clubs get cheap talent.

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Inter do own 2 of the best young Italians strikers in Aquafresca and Balottelli.

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It’s not a win-win, because how many of those young players get a chance at their parent club? Pre-Calciopoli….I could probably count the number on one hand for Juve, though we did snap up young Italians for elsewhere.

John Silver, the point was Juventus are giving young Italians the chance to play at the highest level, which few teams (including Juve pre-Calciopoli) do. I would agree we’re arguing over semantics, I’m thinking of a different group of cohorts.

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*from elsewhere.

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Oh Bekcham, could you not “stay fit” at a gym like many of your colleagues?
I know this sounds childish but this is why I am glad Gilardino is currently joint Capocannoniere. And, It is a shame that Paloschi is not playing in Serie A. Milan’s kit sponsor is adidas…hmm…

It’s not a win-win, because how many of those young players get a chance at their parent club?

Probably as many as made the grade. Just because a player has potential doesn’t mean they will actually realize that talent. Only a very few people actually have the skills/mentality/luck to make it in the top clubs. Out of how many millions is a Del Pierro or a Totti or a Buffon? How many kids went to the same academies but just could not cut it?

If a player is good, they will get a shot. They may have to wait, but they will get to play.

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I would find it so funny, that by some miracle of God, Beckham kills in Serie A and becomes an instant legend. HAHAHA

That would be AWESOME, Sampson hahah.
Even tho I’m not Milanista, I hope he does contribute in some way on the pitch (not in sales) in a positive manner. Or at least stays away from injury.

Alessio, I would argue that Fiorentina and Roma are both allowing young Italians to play. The fact that at this particular contingency Juve has one or two more elements in their bench is quite uninfluential to a broader statement such as the ones you are (or seem to be) making. In a few years from now the balance will tilt, Roma will have one or two more young players than Juve, and Romans will start bragging about how their team is the only ‘young and Italian’ one (as they did a few years ago). Ho-hum.

Enjoy the wave of enthusiasm if that’s what you’re into. You certainly have a right to. But don’t delude yourself that having some young Italians on the bench means that Juve is doing more for la nazionale than the other teams you mention. Until they get called up, that’s just tifosi fantasy.

John Silver, I’m pretty sure we’re arguing different point.

Johonna, are you telling me in the last 20 years, not one Inter-academy product has been able to cut it with the senior team? Come on, that’s too naive. Would Juve’s current crop of youngsters been given a chance at Juve pre-Calciopoli? Probably not, maybe Giovinco.

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points.*

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Giovinco is not ready for Juventus yet, IMO. Still needs to learn to deal with physical play and tight spaces.

He’s ready……we just need to give him more playing time. He’s played excellently everytime he’s been out there.

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Julian, your point is good, but at the same time, you are focusing on the top 3 teams in Serie A – plenty of other teams (Udine, Napoli, Genova, Fiorentina, etc.) are really playing their youth which has worked out favourably seeing as this is one of the more competitive series A tables we have seen in a long time.

as a criticism of the J-I-M ‘consortium’ i would tend to agree, though Johonna makes a good point about these bigger teams loaning their younger players out.

have to agree with John Silver (except i believe Brighi is originally from Rimini) … though Juve have played a decent amount of young players this season (especially compared to Milan and Inter)

I have nothig against Milan, but I have to say “F” david beckham. That english MF was brougt to Milan for the same reasons he was taken to Los Angeles, to create hype, sell T-shirts, and bring people to the stands. I live in L.A. and I will tell you first hand that that hype he brought died really quickly. Let’s all be real with ourselves, he is over-the-hill. No doubt, he is still talented, but a former shadow of himself.

Beckham reminds me of a prostitute, who just goes from big team to big team seeking glory, money and fame. I can’t blame the MF-er for it, since the clubs are the ones that seek is services.

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Alessio, I am pretty sure that over the last 20 years some Inter academy players have stepped up to the first team. Right now, only Walter Zenga comes to mind, but I am sure there have been others.

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You pick Beckham and Milan to do this story about? Honestly? Not Inter?
Either way, it is the club’s job to win trophies. If they don’t who’s going to watch them?
Every Italian team (except Inter) has connections to Italy, I think, and fields plenty of Italians. If it wasn’t for injuries we’d be starting two or three more Italians as well (Rino and Nesta, for example) So I think we’re definitely not the case in point on this topic.
Yeah we’ve brought in crappy-past-their-prime garbage. But who says any of us fans are happy with that? If anyone is cognizant enough to stop in at the Milan Offside you’d see us groan every time Emerson comes on.
On top of all this, Gianfranco has a great post up about why this isn’t such a bad deal for Milan, even if Becks is past his prime it’s not like he’s expired and useless.

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