Italy has a problem, a problem faced by many of its clubs: what to do with the endless flow of young players moving out of the Primavera leagues?
There is no reserve league like there is in Germany or Spain.
Consequently many players are just sent out on loan, creating never-ending lists of players who are plying their trade for clubs they’re not even owned by.
It is plainly time for a reserve league.
FC Barcelona have used the reserve league system to its maximum potential. Barcelona B has sent through many great players to the first team, and many of those players have stayed.
Virtually the entire line-up of stars for Barcelona have played in the team’s successful youth system, the most notable graduate being Lionel Messi.
It has been the successful implementation of Barcelona B, playing just below the level of their senior team that has seen so much success.
So just why does Serie A need this?
Well frankly, Serie A is suffering. They have seen themselves slip from third in the UEFA co-efficient rankings to fourth.
Soon maybe even Ligue 1 has the capacity to overtake them, especially as PSG has the potential to start a trend of billionaires buying glamour clubs in France.
So just what would a reserve league entail?
Well for starters, there is a suggestion that it would place teams into the Lega Pro divisions. Whether or not teams would be allowed to progress higher than that would, I’m sure, come later if teams started achieving such results.
It would centre on teams of players less than 21 years of age, yet allow room for older players who maybe be recovering from injury or have been left out of the senior game day squad.
Already eight clubs have expressed a definite interest in the project. Some of these teams are thriving at senior level (Milan, Juventus, Inter and Udinese), some others are a little further down the table (Sampdoria, Bologna, Parma and Atalanta).
These are the initial teams and if no more join, they would be sure to include them in Lega Pro, rather than having to create a brand new league.
Italy is a country thriving with talent, but this talent is not being fully realised. They failed to qualify for the 2013 U-20 FIFA World Cup.
Winners of the U-19 UEFA Championship, they boast a side that has an abundance of players playing in the second and third tiers of Spanish football, getting solid game time against solid opponents.
The bridge between Italy’s Primavera leagues and senior squad has meant that many players simply don’t achieve their potential because it is too much of a leap.
The likes of Stephan El Shaarawy and Lorenzo Insigne, have enjoyed successful loan spells away from their main club which has allowed them to grow as footballers.
However this is not a solution for the vast majority of players, and often sees players spend the rest of their playing careers loaned out to minor clubs with little permanency.
The best way forward for Italian football is to allow main clubs to put teams into the Lega Pro series.
It means that they have a sense of strength as a team, and they proudly get to wear the colours of the senior team against opponents who have great ability.
In the time of austerity, Italy needs to rely on its young players and not the Ibrahimovic and Maradonna signings of yesteryear.
Failure to realise this soon will see Italian football die a slow death.
The likes of El Shaarawy, Lorenzo Insigne, Mattia De Sciglio and Marco Verratti have all survived the jump to first team football but countless others don’t.
Italian football fans can only hope that the FIGC makes the right decision.
Nicholas Carroll
Roar Guru
Good to see some more coverage of Serie A! It's quite an interesting and necessary conversation to have for Italian football. At this point there is not enough of a consistent standard of youth programs amongst the Serie A clubs to develop a stand-alone reserve league. I do love the idea of B teams however who would need to earn their place and start in the Lega Pro second divisions.To have that truly competitive experience above the Primavera league would be so beneficial for the players themselves, the clubs and Italian football. Even after Inter's Primavera side won the Next Gen series last season, there was such a noticeable gap when those players deputised for the first team. It would be so beneficial to see these youth players staying with the clubs that have developed them.
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
Some surreal comments on this thread! Makes you realise how far Europe is from Oz, very, very far.
Ballymore
Guest
I'm not so sure. I've always thought competitive matches are more beneficial than meaningless reserve matches. I think the parent club might learn more about their loanee on loan to a club in a Serie B relegation dog fight than if he played a reserve match, nothing than a glorified practice match infront of 22 people. The issue with my line of thinking is that in a reserve team the culture / playing style can be very similar to the 1st XI whereas on loan it can be completely different. -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
William McInnes
Roar Pro
Thanks! Pogba is a great example of young players able to thrive. Max Allegri has done well too with Milan introducing Niang, De Sciglio and El Shaarawy into the starting eleven on many occasions.
William McInnes
Roar Pro
Yes, same in Germany too although they can only play third tier which I really don't think is enough. I think we need to aim for reserve teams to be allowed in Serie B.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
I thought it was the same with Germany.
Damiano
Guest
With the reluctance of many Italian coaches to field young players, they often miss the opportunities to get game experience. I think Italian clubs do need a B team system. Paul Pogba (19 years old) left Man U to get game time with Juventus, but this is an unusual incident and Conte is an innovator in this regard. As it is many young players are on loan at Provincial clubs, the trouble with tihs, from what I recall reading, is the football philosophy at Siena, for example, is not the same as at Juve. Sometimes a promising player gets ruined as a result. Bring on the B teams I say.
William McInnes
Roar Pro
They have a relegation system, with about ten or more levels but this would either be a reserve league by itself, similar to England or clubs submitting B teams to lower leagues. Check out the Forza Italian Football linked above for more info!
William McInnes
Roar Pro
Italian football has just been rocked by scandal in previous years and as soon as other clubs get on bored with this idea, Italy has the potential to rise. Your last paragraph sums up exactly what I'm feeling! An all German UCL is unheard of so its a great sign.
William McInnes
Roar Pro
Sorry, yeah, Spain has the system you are talking about but Italy is either looking at adopting that system or creating a new reserve league.
Mazzalenko
Guest
Its an great idea with merit, and if taken on board, I have no doubt Italian football will scale the heights it once was at. Do others agree that it will be back up there again? The Bundesliga is on the rise and it looks like La Liga and EPL are on the way down so in a few years it could be German or Italian clubs battling it out for CL honours!
Alexander Grant
Roar Pro
With the memories of the Serie A betting scandal still fresh in my mind, I wonder if Italy are even ready for a relegation system. It's osmething that can easily be fixed the closer you come to the end of a season. This is just me being a bit suspect, which I feel bad about, but I can't ignore the issues the league has faced before. The second league itself needs to happen, however. It's bizarre it doesn't exist already. And here they are wondering why talent is walking away at a young age!
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
I thought Spain didn't have a 'reserve teams league' as such but were just part of the same system, just in a lower division, like in France? Basically, reserve teams in France, and I think in Spain, play alongside normal clubs in lower divisions but can not be promoted to a too higher level (I think it's National in France which is the old 3rd division). So Marseille 2, PSG 2 etc play against normal clubs like Red Star, Avignon or else ( not only other reserves). Pools are geographical ones btw. I thought Italy had also this kind of system in place so am quite surprised to learn they have no B teams.