THE WOLF'S DEN - Tana dei Lupi I

[Carlo Romano]

I as usual will watch on Sky Italia...over priced though it is in the UK.

I shudder to think about the one-sided BSkyB commentary on Tuesday and ITV on Wednesday will be just as bad! What really bugs me about these f*ckers is, even when there isn't an EPL club involved they are incapable of going through a game without constant reference to how an English team or player would have handled the situation we've just viewed on the screen! Who needs that!


Nice to see Wenger takes us seriously enough to fear the away goal...that I got from the BBC text service. I can only imagine the sport section in the daily rags, something I never spend money on as I much prefer genuine toilet paper when the need arises!

[RomaShield27]

[Pauly W. Nuts]

[Carlo Romano]

Pauly, so you quietly think we can get past this round?

Btw, sometimes we get MLS here in the small hours of the morning. Don't know what the source is though...the main commentator is a Latino and his partner in crime is a very broad accented Irishman!

Speaking of Irishmen, Ed, I wish I hadn't seen your last post! Things were looking so promising before...I know, don't shoot you, you're only the piano player!



That aside, I'm too sober! You always know that by the typos...

[stefano]

Why is Totti never healthy to play a game in England. This is bullshit.

[Pauly W. Nuts]

[Pauly W. Nuts]

[Jamoldo]

[red]

[Italiamia]

[aba_bab]

[RomaShield27]

[Pauly W. Nuts]

[aba_bab]

[RomaShield27]

TOTTI, TEST DECISIVO ALL´EMIRATES JUAN OUT, CICINHO IN PANCHINA AQUILANI E VUCINIC A RISCHIO TRIBUNA
– pubblicata martedì 24 febbraio 2009

Totti stringerà i denti. E sarà in campo, questa sera all'Emirates Stadium contro l'Arsenal. La posta in palio è troppo alta per non essere presenti. Il capitano giallorosso ieri sera era stato costretto ad interrompere l'allenamento per un indurimento dell'adduttore della gamba destra. Questa mattina, Totti non ha forzato i muscoli. Sarà decisivo il riscaldamento di questa sera all'Emirates, a poche ore dal fischio d'inizio dell'arbitro Bo Larsen. Il numero dieci vuole esserci. Dallo staff tecnico giallorosso trapela ottimismo. Al momento, Totti è tra i titolari della gara. Vucinic ieri aveva lavorato in modo differenziato. Non sta bene: andrà in panchina o in tribuna. Così come Aquilani, che avverte ancora dolore al collo del piede destro, quando calcia. Si dovrà valutare. Juan assisterà alla partita certamente dalla tribuna. Il difensore è ancora alle prese con una leggera lesione ed un ematoma alla coscia destra. Al posto di Juan con tutta probabilità ci sarà Loria. Ma non è escluso l'impiego di Diamoutene anche in virtù della rifinutura di ieri, durante la quale il maliano era apparso concentrato. Cicinho non sarà a disposizione perché accusa ancora problemi al ginocchio. L'impressione è che il brasiliano vada in panchina, stasera. Motta è pronto a sostituire il compagno. Cicinho potrebbe pure prossimamente sottoporsi ad un intervento di pulizia della cartilagine del ginocchio. Ma saranno necessari ulteriori e approfonditi esami.

Latest reports say that Totti is going to grin and bear it and will start tonight. I only hope he's not going to be moping around upfront doing half a job. If he plays, he plays full throttle, otherwise sit down and let someone else play. Thats it. Vucinic's dodgy ginocchio is not getting any better, so he will almost certainly be on the bench, if not worse and not selected at all. This is a massive blow. If Totti goes down by half-time (touch wood) will The LitM be able to come on and do his stuff?

Aquilani and Cicinho also still have problems and likely will be subs. Juan won't even make the subs list. Loria is likely to start but there's a possibility of seeing Diamoutene...


Pffffff, all that is not good. How are we all feeling about the game this evening? Tom, are you still heading to the Emirates? What time are you leaving for London?

The Emirates may not be Old Trafford but it can still be quite a hard place to play, particularly on big European nights like this. The Arsenal players and fans know that the Champions League is they're only real chance of glory this season, so expect them to be full of emotion and commitment to the last. Tonight will be a real big test of the teams character and mentality. Spalletti said the fact that we have not won on his last five visits to England is of no concern to him, but surely it must be playing in the back of the players minds, and perhaps on the beautiful bald Mister himself as well. We may be in good form, playing some decent football, and have some confidence about us, but tonight will be a real test of that and how we cope with an Arsewipe onslaught and 59,001 fans (have a guess who the 1 is). We just have to believe in our ability,and like Spalletti said: “I think we just need to have the courage to believe in our quality."

Our midfield is in good condition coming into this game and that could be key. Could, in fact, be enough, with a depleted and untested defence and an unfit forward department. Baptista may be our only forward who can last 90 minutes but you'd have to wonder how he'll handle the occasion of returning to his old ground. Lets hope he's out to prove a point, and took his concentration pills this morning. Our midfield is strong and in good condition, and it is there were we must express our dominance in this game. De Rossi and Perrotta are nicely rested, Brighi is in the form of his life, and both Taddei and Pizarro can bring workrate and control respectively, and its in these boys were we need to smash fecking heads. And then there's Alberto, the kid who Wenger has been chasing for years, to come on if needed. Upfront, lets hope that Totti and Vucinic at least have 90 minutes of high tempo between them, but according to the latest reports above, it will be Totti to start and Vucinic only fit enough for the bench (from where he can still score his double hattrick, ye boya). At the back is where the problems exist If the Arses play as predicted with Van Persie and Bentner upfront, Mexes is going to have one heck of a night. Lets hope the Monster can be at his brilliant best. We will need him. If Loria is partnering him then lets hope. Thats all, just hope. Get him to mark Bentner or something. I would also be slightly concerned at Motta at right-full (if Cici doesn't start) – not in his ability but the fact that he is relatively inexperienced at this level (did he play much of Udinese's run in the CL a couple of seasons back? Or was he with them at that time?), and will be up against a very tricky oppenent in Nasri, who won't be operating as a traditional winger. I'm sure Motta can have a good game, it will be a big challange for him but it always helps having a midfield-line with superhuman workrate in front of you.

We can win this tonight, if we believe and want it enough. And we have to. I can't concentrate on anything else. I just want it to be game time.

[maro]

Just about to head for the train to take me home and then on into London, Edzo. That list of injuries doesn't look so good, though I suppose Arsenal can claim to be similarly afflicted. The Totti-Baptista-Perrotta trio up top makes me a lot less uncomfortable than seeing, say, Pizza behind those two since at least we'll get some profondita'. It's going to be a tense occasion, I imagine. The English seem to think that Arsenal may have too much pace for us. I rather suspect that a midfield of Taddei-DDR-Brighi and Perrotta is likely to be about as English a match-up as an Italian side has ever put out - lots of energy and industry without perhaps the technical guile of many Italian teams of times gone by. If Totti can link up with Simone or with the fullbacks getting beyond him then we'll ask questions of Arsewipe. It might be quite a cluttered, compact game, though, I suspect.

[stefano]

I was almost hit by a car this morning thinking about the game while walking to work.

[RomaShield27]

Are you sure thats not because you were drunk again, Stevo?

[romawi]

Fuck! What the hell is up with these injuries? I think Mirko not starting is our biggest problem. I really don't think that Totti and Baptista can carry that great of a threat going forward, especially since we will probably be playing on the counter. Cicinho would've also been great for this game as, defensive deficiencies aside, he can provide a threat going forward. Lets just hope Motta has a great game today.

Oh, and I've decided to skip both my classes today. I honestly can't be bothered to think about anything else.

[Italiamia]

I presume Stefano hit the Scotch pretty hard last night after all of the banter with Tomasso. At this point do we really know who is starting. Cicinho was supposed to go, but now he has this knee pain. I don't know what to make of Juan. What the hell do we have to do to keep this guy healthy. Aquilani should not get a huge deal unless he can show us he can play the better part of a season without injury. He has failed to do it for 3 years now.


ROMA (4-3-1-2): Doni; Motta, Mexes, Loria, Riise; Taddei, De Rossi, Brighi; Perrotta (Pizarro); Baptista, Totti.