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As the transfer rumours continue to link La Liga’s hottest properties to Serie A, Goal.com’s KS Leong takes a hypothetical look at how some of Spanish football’s geniuses would fare if they were to make the move to Italy.
Ever since the departure of Zinedine Zidane from Juventus to Real Madrid in 2001, Serie A clubs and the league in general have been slowly losing their glitz and glamour.
Superstar players and rising young sensations constantly overlooked the hotbed that was once Lega Calcio and headed straight to la Liga de las Estrellas [League of Stars] instead.
It wasn’t until 2007, right after the Calciopoli affair, that Italian football started to rebuild their reputation and the emerging, bright prospects such as Pato, Marek Hamsik, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Mauro Zarate, just to name a few, flooded back in to the league, while the Alessandro Del Pieros and the Francesco Tottis resurfaced from the shadows.
But that’s not enough. Now, the superpowers of Serie A are plotting a revenge mission as they look to pillage some of Spanish football’s most outrageously attacking talents, in a bid to enhance the image of Calcio and purge the preconception that the game is dull and dreary.
If the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Agüero and David Villa do make the move to Italy, would they perform just as brilliantly as they have been in Spain? Would they wow the global football fans just as much? Would they struggle to adapt? Or would they flop completely?
Sergio Agüero – Atlético Madrid (Interested clubs: Internazionale, Juventus)
It’s difficult to define Agüero’s playing style and role at this stage of his career. He’s not an out-and-out striker, but he’s not strictly a playmaker-cum-forward either. He adapts to one or the other, depending on the opposition, and that is a trait that would come in very handy in Italian football.
Why he would shine: Unlike the flashy, razzle-dazzle footballers, Agüero is very much a team player. Although he can turn games around and win matches single-handedly, he’s at his most impressive when he collaborates with his team-mates by playing rapid-fire one-touch passing to spilt defences open, create chances and finish them off. But that also means his playing style is very restrictive to the team he plays for.
Why he would sink: If he were to play for a defensive-minded side that adopts the counter-attacking philosophy, he would struggle. It’s not because he’s a poor finisher, but because he’s the kind of player who craves being heavily involved in a game. If he spends too much time being isolated, he grows restless and starts drifting out of position, as is frequently the case when he features for Argentina. If he doesn’t do that, he will disappear from the game completely.
Probable success rate: 7/10
Samuel Eto’o – Barcelona (Interested club: Internazionale)
Eto’o has the potential to pull-off a ‘Van Nistelrooy’: jump from one major European league to another and become the top scorer in his first season. At 27 years of age, he might still seem young for a striker, but it does feel like he’s been around forever. He has enough experience and enough firepower in his arsenal to make him succeed in Italy.
Why he would shine: In his early days, Eto’o was not that different from Agüero now, a forward without a clear role. But he has now evolved into a distinct central striker and in a sense, he is a bit like Adriano. Although not as well-built, he is incredibly strong on the ball and he can pack a punch with his shooting. He’s also very fast and very tricky, but unlike the Emperor, the days of his attitude and behavioural problems are well behind him. And unlike Agüero, his game is not restricted to any one team or any one playing style.
Why he would sink: Like all strikers, it’s easy to predict how well they will perform with another club in another league, but it’s a different story altogether when they actually get there and start playing (eg. Shevchenko, Morientes, Henry). The biggest problem that most strikers face following a big-money move is that if they fail to find their goalscoring form in their first few games, they will quickly be consigned to the bench, where their confidence will start rotting.
Probable success rate: 8/10
Lionel Messi – Barcelona (Interested clubs: Internazionale, Juventus)
Wouldn’t there just be the sweetest touch of romanticism if Messi were to one day leave Barcelona for Napoli, just like his mentor, Diego Maradona? It looks unlikely at this stage, as only a very few clubs have the financial capability and pulling power to lure him away from Catalunya.
Why he would shine: For one, he can dribble and run rings around defenders. But he is much more than just a showman. He doesn’t abuse his skills and he only utilises them when he knows it will produce an effective end product. That will prevent him from being kicked around just purely out of spite. One of Messi’s biggest improvement areas over the past few years is his finishing. He doesn’t rely on the power of his left foot as much as the placing of his shot. And in a league where their goalkeepers often perform superhuman feats, precision can make all the difference between 20 goals per season and 30 goals per season.
Why he would sink: As Real Madrid showed a few weeks ago in El Clásico, Messi is stoppable. If you put two quality defenders to shadow him throughout the game, you will keep him quiet. Teams in Spain are a tad reluctant to adopt this approach due to the style of football; but in Italy, there would be no hesitancy to dish out that kind of treatment on him week in, week out. And there’s certainly no shortage of top class defenders in Serie A either.
Probable success rate: 8/10
Sergio Ramos – Real Madrid (Interested club: AC Milan)
Widely accepted and hailed as the successor to Paolo Maldini, Milan have been bugging Real Madrid about Sergio Ramos almost as irritatingly as Madrid have been pestering Milan for Kaka.
Why he would shine: The 22-year-old would have no problems fitting into Serie A, especially with the Rossoneri where he would be given plenty of attacking licence. Adept at playing in any position across the back and even as a defensive midfielder, his versatility alone is worth his buy-out clause. He is strong in the air and on the ground, he’s not afraid to get bloodied, he can shoot, he can score, he can cross and he can defend against some of the most dangerous wingers in the game.
Why he would sink: Italian-based defenders (Thuram, Zambrotta, Cannavaro, Walter Samuel) have often struggle in La Liga’s fast-paced attacking environment, but how would a Spanish defender fare in Serie A, a league that practically re-invented the concept of defending? The problem for Sergio is that every single mistake he makes will be amplified and ridiculed and there would certainly be a lot of pressure to perform better defensively than offensively. And his biggest visible weakness is that he is easily affected by external, psychological factors, such as criticism and anxiety.
Probable success rate: 8/10
David Silva – Valencia (Interested clubs: Juventus)
Silva is very much like two former Valencia wingers who tried their luck in Italy: Kily González and Claudio López. Both were hugely successful in La Liga and didn’t do too badly either in Serie A. If he is to follow in their footsteps, there’s every chance he will end up in Italy one day.
Why he would shine: He is a versatile winger who can play in either flank, as a central playmaker, or even as a second striker. If he struggles at one position with his new team, he can easily be moved to another. One of the 23-year-old’s best virtues is that he has a lot of qualities, but he rarely reveals them. He has a blistering left foot, he can dribble, he has a striker’s instinct, yet you don’t see him apply that week in, week out. The advantage in that is that not many defenders will know how to play against him.
Why he would sink: On the flip side of that coin, perhaps the reason Silva doesn’t demonstrate his individual skill as much is because he prefers to stick to a team game. So far, it appears that he only knows how to play one style of football: the tiki-taka passing football that both Spain and Valencia adopt. Anything different and he could be lost. Shades of a certain Gaizka Mendieta certainly come to mind.
Probable success rate: 6/10
David Villa – Valencia (Interested clubs: Juventus, Internazionale)
He is the most sought after striker in world football today. Rarely have so many of Europe’s major clubs been after one single player simultaneously. This, of course, puts tremendous pressure on his shoulders, whether he ends up moving or staying with Los Ché.
Why he would shine: He is one of the most lethal strikers in front of goal. Put him anyone inside or around the box and chances are he will find the back of the net. His goal-per-game ratio and shots-to-goal conversion rate is reminiscent of some of the most prolific finishers in Italy such as Batistuta, Shevchenko and Trézéguet. But Villa’s secret weapon is his ability to draw his marker out of position and still somehow wriggle into all the right places at just the right time.
Why he would sink: Playing at a team like Valencia, it is very rare that he encounters an opposition that would deploy nine men behind the ball. He has yet to really prove his worth against teams that will have him outnumbered in attack. A good case in point was Spain’s clash with Italy in the quarter-finals of Euro 2008, a match where El Guaje was completely marked out and he was denied the chance to play his normal game. In Serie A, he can expect that kind of frustration every week.
Probable success rate: 7/10
Xavi Hernández – Barcelona (Interested clubs: Juventus, Internazionale)
Xavi would succeed in Italy the same way Zinedine Zidane did. Although the Spaniard is clearly not as flamboyant and balletic as the Frenchman, they do share a similar style of football. Neither are exceptionally quick, but they make up for that with their acute ability to glue the ball to their feet and jog casually around the pitch without ever losing possession.
Why he would shine: The 28-year-old has many a quality to make him stand-out in Serie A. If anything, his playing style is tailor-made for the slower, patient and more tactical approach of Calcio. He is a very measured and calculated player and his football brain moves faster than his feet. His outstanding reading and understanding of the game allows him to connect with any player he combines with. He knows when to release the pass, when to hold back and when to make that crucial run into the box and turn himself into a goalscorer.
Why he would sink: In all honesty, there’s no weakness in his game that would make him flop terribly in Italy, other than maybe homesickness. Born and bred in Barcelona, he looks unlikely to ever leave the club to begin with, but if he does, chances are it would have been against his will.
Probable success rate: 9/10
Do you agree with the assessment? Who are some of La Liga’s other top stars who would do well in Serie A?
