Gab Marcotti

People will cite some exceptions and people will be mean about Arsenal, but that's not really fair, I think.

But you agree with that, right?

You have to do stuff for the ball.

And they have the players to do that.

All right, let's go to the structural issues.

I just want to, and hopefully you'll agree with me, we don't need to argue about it.

I just want to take one out of the way immediately.

The fact that Serie A isn't as great as it was in the 90s when they were dominating.

I don't think that is a major issue at all.

Ligue 1 is not as good as they were.

Spain, not as good as they were.

And in fact, when Italy won the Euros...

that wasn't as good as it was.

And I would argue it's probably better today than it was when they won the World Cup in 2006, which, lest we forget, was on the back of the Calciopoli scandal and all this other stuff.

So I don't think that's a factor so much.

Does it contribute a little bit because your domestic players are playing against a lower caliber of opposition?

Sure.

But it doesn't move the needle, right?

I think there's a youth development, there's a major youth development issue.

And the counter-argument to this is, oh, but look,