SURVEY: Who is better, Marotta or Galliani?
Oft-criticized by their own fans, the two have done much to help their respective teams rise to the top, but are also the reason they are where they are this season.
Oddly enough, Fabio Paratici, Marotta’s right-hand man, lies in the middle, as he is very much wanted by Milan, too.
If you had to hire a man to run your club (and, yes, were forced to choose between these two) who would you go for?
The case for Marotta
The former Sampdoria DS has made a reputation out of bringing in players on Bosman deals. From Pirlo to Pogba, from Llorente to Khedira, Marotta has built strong teams out of free transfers, though one shouldn’t forget that even the players he did pay for, he paid far less than what they ended up giving back. Andrea Barzagli, for example, only cost €300.000, whilst Carlos Tevez and Arturo Vidal’s records speak for themselves.
The case against Marotta
Marotta’s detractors say that he is unable to hit a home run when the going gets tough and make the necessary offer, with many pointing to the failed acquisition of Julian Draxler as an example. It could just be the club limiting the budget, or Marotta’s negotiation skills.
Some fans are also irritated by how players leave Juventus, accusing Marotta of not being as good a salesman as he should be. The examples of Tevez and Llorente are often lamented, as are the Director General’s last-minute transfer deals (Hernanes, Bendtner).
The case for Galliani
Milan’s CEO and VP, on the other hand, has made the transfer window into his own private fief. Just thinking about the Shevchenko and Kakà deals makes one’s spine tingle. Adriano Galliani is synonymous with two Champions Leagues won in the 2000s, for a total of five going back to the late 1980’s. Add eight Serie A titles to that, and you begin to see why he is still the envy of many European clubs.
The case against Galliani
That said, the last few seasons haven’t been so kind to Galliani: with the club failing to win anything since 2011 and consequently tightening its budget, some are wondering whether his supposed wizardry owed a lot more to the vast sums he used to be able to work with.
The vast majority of Diavolo fans now blame him for their club’s recent woes, also citing his tendency to always deal with the same owners and agents, as well as a centralisation of power that has made him untouchable and stopped Milan from bringing in fresh blood, like Paolo Maldini.
POLL: MAROTTA OR GALLIANI?
