Summer Mercato 2011

[russo-neri]

Cesc to Barca was only a matter of time, I really doubt anyone hear seriously thought Milan could get him over Barca. Once again the rich got richer while the rest play catch up.

To be honest, I thought two of Hamsik, Ganso , Hernanes or Honda was going to come to Milan this summer but somehow Berlu backed out of it. Some say bc ITaly is in a recession, some say it was the fine but Italy is in a recession for over the past year while I doubt Berlu and his brain trusts would think they were going to win. Since all successful business man always plan for the worst case scenario, and Berlu did not become Forbes top 50 by being stupid or lucky.

Another I am really sick and tired of owners complaining the wages are too much, transfer fees e too much.....they should start asking questions like how come other team can afford it and they can't. Both Morratti and Berlu have been running Inter and Milan for over 20 yrs and yet they never bothered to consider building their own stadiums. Also, Globalizations and Internet age did not happen last month or last year, they have been happening over the past 15 yrs and yet, all Serie A teams did nothing about it. The EPL done it with less talents and brand name clubs than Serie A now while The German League is also doing it now, I really can't see Serie A failing if they really want to do it.

They already missed a great chance in 06- 07 when IT won the WC and Milan won the CL. But with this win over Spainsih B team and the coming Euro, as long as Milan enjoys a good campaign in CL and Napoli, best kept secret in Europe shocks a few teams in CL, it will be a good starting point for Serie A to promote it's league.

There will always be a next time, but why not this time? I think that's the question the owners of Serie A must ask.

I completely disagree with the first bolded part of your post. There were several posters on this site that really thought this was going to happen.

Regarding the second bolded part - they have been asking. The problem is simply that other leagues make more money than serie A. The politics in Italy, behavior of certain fans, and poor FIGC leadership have all contributed to Serie A's diminishing brand. And now it has culminated with Italy losing a CL spot.

So many posters here thought that this summer, we would revolutionize the squad - some even thinking we would spend 100 million (!). Truth is, Italian teams are stretched thin and we don't have the earning power to keep up with the other leagues. It is absolutely no coincidence that Germany has trumped us for 3rd coefficient after all the money the country spent on stadiums after 2006 WC.

IMO - Serie A will be in a depression for at least another 3-5 years. I think we all need to manage our expectations a little better. Right now our only focus should be on getting our second stella. Milan really have the best team in Serie A and we can win the next two scudetti. (Eventually Juve will probably edge us out.) Forget CL for a couple of years. Perhaps FFP will level the playing field a bit more in the years ahead where italy and esp Milan can come back.

All this said, I still expect us to nab a quality LCM before the summer is over - so keep your heads up!