1.0MRKT Insights - Football Consultancy Serviceshttps://mrktinsights.comrich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="Bimti888sH"><a href="https://mrktinsights.com/index.php/2021/01/22/la-dolce-vita/">La Dolce Vita</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://mrktinsights.com/index.php/2021/01/22/la-dolce-vita/embed/#?secret=Bimti888sH" width="600" height="338" title="“La Dolce Vita” — MRKT Insights - Football Consultancy Services" data-secret="Bimti888sH" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ /** * WordPress inline HTML embed * * @since 4.4.0 * @output wp-includes/js/wp-embed.js * * Single line comments should not be used since they will break * the script when inlined in get_post_embed_html(), specifically * when the comments are not stripped out due to SCRIPT_DEBUG * being turned on. */ (function ( window, document ) { 'use strict'; /* Abort for ancient browsers. */ if ( ! document.querySelector || ! window.addEventListener || typeof URL === 'undefined' ) { return; } /** @namespace wp */ window.wp = window.wp || {}; /* Abort if script was already executed. */ if ( !! window.wp.receiveEmbedMessage ) { return; } /** * Receive embed message. * * @param {MessageEvent} e */ window.wp.receiveEmbedMessage = function( e ) { var data = e.data; /* Verify shape of message. */ if ( ! 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This article aims to give a quick overview of Italy, mainly from the point of view of building a team who are sustainable in Serie A. League system The Italian League system comprises two national leagues, Serie A (20 clubs) and Serie B (20 clubs), and a regionalised third tier, Serie C made up of 60 teams split into 3 divisions.  Churn of clubs in Serie A/B Whilst Serie A is similar to the Premier League with a consistent core of around 10 clubs, and some “yo-yo” clubs regularly moving between the top two divisions, there is far more volatility within the makeup of the second division. In the past 10 full seasons: 12 clubs have played in the Premier League, the Championship, and in the divisions below (Norwich, Southampton, etc). 31 clubs in England have played in the Championship and the third division. 17 clubs have played in Serie A, Serie B, and in the divisions below. 52 clubs in Italy have played in Serie B and the third division. This churn of clubs in Italy is both due to, and the cause of, financial instability.  With clubs facing sanction for failing to meet financial obligations clubs are regularly demoted. This means smaller, but financially stable, clubs are able to rise up through the leagues replacing larger, but chaotically run clubs. However, this also has an impact on the attendances in the second division (averaging 6k) as teams with very small fan bases replace the larger clubs.  A number of “phoenix” clubs have emerged in Italy over the last decade, very large clubs demoted to lower levels who have quickly progressed back through the leagues to Serie A; examples include Fiorentina, Napoli, Parma, and Torino. Squad sizes and consistency In England we have found a positive correlation between the stability of a line up and the points won. This strengthens the lower down the leagues you go. However, it may be that using fewer players means you get better results, or it may be that getting better results means you use fewer players. We calculate this by looking at the number of players used and the points won. We have also drilled into the “core” and looked at players playing at least 70% of available minutes. Again you will find that a stable core of players who are fit and available for selection every week is a positive factor in winning games.  There are of course exceptions. Teams can brute force promotion by constantly buying good players. Monza for example signed Danny Mota, a Portuguese international from Juventus, whilst in the third tier.  In Serie B, the teams who gained promotion in 2018/19 were Brescia, Lecce, and Verona who used 22-24 players. This figure is fairly consistent for “stable” clubs across European leagues. In Serie C, a far less stable set of leagues, teams ranged from 16 to 31 used players. Monza used the most and Pro Piacenza (who went out of business part way through the season) used the fewest. The data we have gathered can be manipulated to answer any deeper questions you may have about squad composition. Our general belief though is that any ownership group is best served by having a preferred style of play and recruiting players and managers with that style in mind. Although it is necessary to be pragmatic and find the best way to win each game, recruiting to a positional profile creates a leaner squad.  Transfer spending If we examine total transfer spending in Serie B vs finishing position over the last three seasons we can see there isn’t a clear correlation between the two. However, we need to consider why this might be.  Firstly spending in any window individually does not tell you about the existing value in the squad. Liverpool won the league without spending on transfer fees in 2019/20 but in reality already had built a title winning squad in the 5 years before. Secondly spending may be to replace players. We like to look at “played minutes lost” as a concept. We are currently working to see if we can correlate the churn of minutes played to the subsequent performance; and whether turnover in certain positions has more impact.    The promoted teams to Serie A from B in the last 3 seasons are; Benevento, Crotone, Brescia, Lecce, Hellas Verona, Empoli, Parma, and Frosione. All of them have appeared in Serie A in recent years and so are likely to have had a legacy of previous spending within their squads. Managerial Turnover 29 managerial changes in Serie B in 2016/17 (22 clubs) 32 managerial changes in Serie B in 2017/18 (22 clubs) 35 managerial changes in Serie B in 2018/19 (19 clubs) In contrast the English Championship averages 22 managerial changes per season with 24 clubs over the last 5 seasons. Serie A is more stable than Serie B, with an average of around 20 changes of coach per season, with 20 teams. Again we need to consider why this may be. Clubs in the top division are likely to have the best managers, and have entered into longer contracts. In lower leagues, particularly Serie B with the play-off system for promotion clubs are continually looking for a short term boost (whether backed up or not by research) of a managerial change. The best performing coaches are also likely to be targeted by other clubs. Only 5 Serie A coaches have been in charge for more than 2 years, and only 4 in Serie B. Does this matter though? The promoted coaches at Benevento and Crotone have only been in charge for a little