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I'm sorry but I do not agree with this.
Lazio or Roma, on a given day, can beat Tottenham. Roma were in the CL QF recently. They were annihilated by Man U, but they did beat them at home 2-1 also.
Juve going down is a big blow for Juve and definitely for Italian football. However, once they come back up, and spend the large amount of money they have been promised (70m), I don't see a problem for Italian football at all.
Buffon will probably not leave Italy. Toni wanted CL, so I don't think he will go to Munich.
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Roma should be able to compete with the EPL big 4 on an even level if there is still parity between the leagues. They did beat Utd (with 10 men) in the first leg but got absolutely destroyed in the 2nd, and that with a near full side out including many players that MM members have spent years calling for Milan to sign!
A side issue, but it does strike me as strange that Ronaldo got written off as overrated hype after the semi second leg, and yet Chivu still tops most lists as the ideal Maldini replacement despite the quarter second leg
Also, Italian players wanting to stay in Italy shouldnt really be seen as a measure of domestic strength anymore than English or Spanish or German players staying at home is. It has everything to do with national team selection and staying in the domestic publics eye.
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EPL has more money throughout their league, but Italy is not behind the EPL on the pitch. Look at Palermo vs West Ham for an example. The Italian side demolished them
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Well West Ham were going through their worst spell of what has been a disastrously bad season for them, they also got hammered 6 - 0 by mighty Reading but i wouldnt suggest that marks out Readiing as a potential European force
The major advantage for Serie A is actually the 4th CL spot. In England the top 4 teams are so clear that the major players from abroad will only move to the other 16 EPL teams to use them as a stepping stone (with maybe the exception of Spurs and Newcastle)
In Italy, with Juve back the top 3 are pretty obvious, but the 4th spot could go to Fiorentina, Roma, Lazio etc. Players from abroad can see those second tier teams have realistic chances of making the champions league and will consider them ahead of the same bracket in the EPL where only the UEFA cup is a realistic challenge.
In the future this will maintain a very competitive top 6 or 7 in Serie A. As long as no team can guarentee the 4th CL spot in the next few years then Serie A still has a very bright future. If however Roma for example were to join a near impregnable elite 4 then Serie A will face the same problems as England only with far less money to go round. The trouble is the current TV deals situation in Italy is set in favour of the bigger sides and therefore increases the risk of making the elite Italy should be trying to avoid
