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| | Tuesday 26 August, 2008 | | Blog: A-Grade | |
After a few years in the doldrums, James Horncastle believes Serie A will be back to its best before long
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Throughout the `80s and `90s Serie A was known as the most beautiful championship in the world and with good reason. Over a 20-year period six of its clubs won a total of 24 major European honours. Every winner of the Ballon d’Or between 1980 and 2000 played on the peninsula at some stage in their career and not just for one of the eight clubs that took home the Scudetto in that period, but for the likes of Parma, Verona, Brescia and Cagliari.
In the last few years though, Serie A’s status as the most competitive League on the planet has not only been challenged but taken by its Spanish and English counterparts. The reasons why are well known and so, rather than revisiting them, I would prefer to use this blog to wax optimistic about Serie A and make a case for it as a resurgent force.
An ambitious summer in the transfer bazaar makes this season as hotly anticipated as any in recent years. Far from being unable to compete with their continental rivals in the spending stakes, Italy’s top-flight clubs have opened their wallets and invested £310m in new players [the most since 2001], that’s £100m more than La Liga’s teams and £15m less than the Premiership’s sides.
And the spending isn’t confined to the top four. Napoli, Genoa, Palermo and Lazio have splurged £85m between them, heralding a return to the competitiveness that characterised the First Division in the late `90s. While flashing the cash doesn’t necessarily guarantee success, it indicates aspiration and a desire for improvement that will ultimately strengthen the championship for the benefit of us all.
On an aesthetic level, Serie A is better for having Bologna, Napoli, Genoa and Juventus back. No disrespect to Ascoli, Treviso, Modena and Livorno, but the above mentioned teams have illustrious histories and have won 45 Scudetti between them. On that note it’s a shame Parma, one of the notorious Seven Sisters, were relegated last term.
How do we measure the success of a League though? Some suggest we look at its clubs’ performance in Europe, others its financial wherewithal. Yet these indicators, while helpful, are misleading. What about excitement, drama, unpredictability [the final day of the 2007-08 season] and a little bit of romance [in one word…Chievo]?
Even Serie A’s harshest of critics have to admit it’s on the up. Four of the last five Ballon d’Or winners play or have played in Italy. New stadia have been commissioned in Turin and Cagliari, and TV rights are to be collectively bargained for in 2010. So let’s revel in watching Serie A re-emerge.
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Let's hope James Horncastle is right. I must admit I hadn't realised that Serie A sides had splashed so much cash this summer – and the strength of a League is always linked to its financial might. I just worry where the money is coming from. Clubs like Lazio, Roma and Fiorentina overspent in the late 90s trying to compete with the big three, and as a result, all endured financial crises to varying degrees. Are Italian clubs going into bad debt to finance this spending? Since the Premier League's TV deal is so much bigger than Serie A's, how can Serie A be spending as much money in the transfer market?
The loan of Philippe Senderos to Milan looks symbolic. A defender who is a bit of a joke in England being offloaded to the mighty Rossoneri, who are desperate for him to shore up their ageing backline. When was the last time an English club lost a really important player to an Italian side?
All the same, it is encouraging to read that there are real signs of a Serie A revival. The quality of the football has remained high, even if the star stranieri have more often headed for La Liga in recent years. It will be a further boost to calciofili if rumours that Setanta have picked up the rights to Serie A turn out to be true. Forza il bello campionato!
Richard
When stating no disrespect to Ascoli compared to Bologna, Napoli, etc, well one must remember that Ascoli is a city of 50,000 people, who have competed in Serie A during its glory years, finishing 5th and a 6th, and even achieving home crowds which represented 75% (36,500) of the city. So as a die heart supporter there is a taste of disrespect.
Now yes the average Joe will say, yeah but Napoli, Bologna, etc, etc, have won Scudetti, but Serie A is just as much celebrated as a League for clubs who never in ones wildest dreams compete in Serie A. Really Serie A is completely unique in this part, and one which must be more celebrated. For me and many, many Serie A supporters seeing these small clubs in Serie A is just as meaningful as seeing a big club, because you know that every week is a fairytale for many clubs. Not only this but it shows the strength of Serie A, a League not simply about money, and how big everything is.
I hope to see your next blog on this topic, because it is a topic, which is neglected, but one of extreme importance and a symbol of calcio Italiano.
Matthew Marozzi
Serie A needs better stadiums owned by the clubs. More attacking players like Diego or VDV, instead of the likes of only Appiah and Poulsen. And foreign owners when the club needs it like Roma.
Mikkel
I can't agree more with your comments. At worse you have to admit this League has more competitive sides capable of lifting silverware than in England or Spain. Let the games begin and let's pray that we don't have any ugly incidents which have been a feature in the last few years. Suspended rounds do nothing for the image of Serie A.
John Palamara
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