With the recent exodus of young players leaving Italy, Serie A as well as the national team has been in a decline.
Growth and development is the number one goal for all young professional athletes, no matter what sport. Whether it is through a minor league system like hockey or baseball, or simply playing well enough to earn more minutes like basketball. In soccer, the ultimate proof of how far you’ve come in your development is your first call up to the first team. It is arguably the most important moment in a young player’s career thus far.
Mattia Vitale stepped on the field for the first time as a member of Juventus’ first team in a match against Parma on April 11, 2015. The 17 year-old came on for Kingsley Coman in the 80th minute, and although he didn’t score and his club lost, it will still be a moment he will never forget.
Since Vitale is already a member of Juve, which is a relatively large club, his story will be different than others. He could continue playing with the Primavera, or he could move out on loan to get more playing time until he is skilled enough to play for the bianconeri first team full time.
For others, though, the story can be totally different. If a young player is brought through the youth system of a smaller team, but is destined for future stardom, his goal in most cases, once he makes the first team of his current squad, will be to move onto a bigger club where he can recieve better wages and more recognition. With the recent monetary decline of most teams in the Serie A, the bigger clubs that said young players desire a move to are not in Italy, but abroad. Clubs in England and Spain, as well as some in Germany and France are now more attractive destinations for top young Italian talent.
Marco Verratti left for Paris Saint-Germain, Mario Balotelli to Liverpool, Ciro Immobile to Borussia Dortmund, and most recently Matteo Darmian has departed to Manchester United. It even appears as though Stephan El Shaarawy is headed to Monaco. Verratti, so far, has been the only one of those mentioned that has succeeded abroad. Balotelli only scored one Premier League goal with Liverpool and Immobile, a former capocannoniere winner, lost his starting spot to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Dortmund. Darmian and El Shaarawy have yet to begin their time abroad, but may be the next young Italians to under-perform elsewhere.
This exodus has not only had a negative effect on the individual players and the Serie A, but on the Italian National Team as well. Serie A is more tactical and technically sound than other leagues, and that has held true for the national team as well. Italian coaches are trained to be extremely tactical. Before they recieve their coaching licenses, they must present a thesis on different tactical subjects to the FIGC. There has always been an Italian coach at the helm of the Azzurri, which could be why they are one of the most successful national teams. Recently, though, that has been far from the case. Italy has fallen to 17th in the FIFA World Rankings with teams like Austria, Romania, and Wales ahead of them.
Moving to a less tactical, more free flowing league can cause players to forget about how they learned to play their games in Italy all of their lives, and adapt to the style of their respective league. So when they come back to train with the national team, their production dips due to unfamiliarity with the style.
The FIGC and Serie A clubs should fight harder to keep young talent in the country instead of shipping them abroad. It will improve the appearance of Serie A as well as the Azzurri. Young players will fit in better with the national team and be better tactically if they stay in Italy. It will be a necessity if Italian soccer in general desires a return to its former glory.
The post The Italian Exodus: Young Players Continue to Leave Serie A appeared first on Italian Football Daily.
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