THE WOLF'S DEN - Tana dei Lupi II

[RomaShield27]

RUDI L'EQUILIBRISTA, TRA LUIS E ZDENEK
/ Giovedì 13 Giugno 2013 - ore 07:30

IL MESSAGGERO (A. Angeloni) - Tre anni e tre allenatori diversi. Un dato comune, oltre a quello dei risultati pessimi, a tratti umilianti: il 4-3-3. Così Luis Enrique, così Zdenek Zeman, così sarà anche Rudi Garcia. Stessi numeri, tre modi diversi di interpretarli. Chi lo vuole orizzontale, chi verticale. Garcia per certi aspetti è più vicino a Luis Enrique che non a Zeman. Diciamo che nel complesso è la via di mezzo. Calcio spettacolo, un po’ più equilibrato. I terzini spingono in contemporanea, uno dei due, diventa di fatto un attaccante esterno, creando quindi una sorta di 3-3-1-3 che, per inciso, è il celebre modulo teorizzato da Bielsa. Caratteristiche del modulo: velocità, molto pressing, preferibilmente pochi lancioni in avanti e, soprattutto, possesso palla. Garcia vuole calciatori dai piedi buoni, dinamici, veloci, reattivi. Le fasce sfruttate più per la proposizione che per la sovrapposizione. Attaccanti più inclini a accentrarsi che non al cross dal fondo. Detto questo, la prima considerazione che viene in mente è sul ruolo di De Rossi. Daniele è perfetto per il ruolo di centrale davanti alla difesa, pronto a schierarsi in mezzo ai due stopper per lasciare avanzare i terzini e chiudere le traiettorie della palla e le imbucate degli avversari. Ma la sua presenza resta in bilico per tutta una serie di motivi ormai noti. I terzini attuali non vanno bene per quel tipo di calcio. Paradossalmente quello adatto sarebbe Dodò. Per adesso Garcia può contare anche su Balzaretti. A destra attualmente ci sono Torosidis e Piris. Jung è quello che - sulla carta - più si adatta all’interpretazione di terzino d’attacco: corsa, gamba, tiro. Insomma, le fasce sono da rifare. I centrali vanno bene, perché in Marquinhos, Castan e Benatia (per ora anche Burdisso e Romagnoli) c’è fisicità, velocità e tecnica. In attacco resta l’incognita Osvaldo, che quasi sicuramente sarà ceduto per poi acquistare un attaccante esterno (Payet è un papabile). La società ha deciso di puntare su Destro centravanti e a destra su Lamela. Totti, come sempre e finché ne avrà, farà l’esterno trequartista o la punta centrale.

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Interesting piece here comparing Garcia to LE and ZZ, saying he is the 'tightrope' between the two and their two styles of football, something which was also touched upon in the press conference yesterday.

It says even though Garcia plays a 4-3-3 like ZZ, his style is somewhat closer to what we seen with LE. More balanced, fast tempo, high pressing and lots of possession. The full-backs push forward at the same time when in possession thus creating a sort of 3-3-1-3, with one defensive midfielder dropping deep to essentially form a back 3. Thats similar to what we seen with LE, and obviously likely to be DDR, which is good news for him. He was our best (and most important?) player in that formation.

It suggests our current full-backs aren't good enough to suit his system, and we'll likely need a new right-back (Jung again). Centre-backs are fine with Marquinhos, Benatia, Castan (Burdisso/Romagnoli), with Osvaldo to be sold and replaced by a winger, with Destro becoming our main target man.

[DCGweez]

[DavidP]

he's the russian dude (#9) with the nasty tackle and slap to chanturia. keep him the fuck away.

[DavidP]

some fifa agent claiming we've signed paulinho from corinthians, with the official pdf set to be posted after the confederations cup.
a lot of others claiming sabatini met with nainggolan's agent yesterday and agreed on personal terms. reports from spain that barca offering alexis sanchez or 20m for marcos.

de rossi, pjanic, florenzi. i will be amazed if all 3 are still here come september.

[DCGweez]

He said in Brazil he is already considered a Roma player but it won't be finalized until after the Confed Cup.

José Alberti says a lot of things. He also said it's a fight between Inter and them. If you read the English Papers they say that Spurs have already agreed to terms with him and will pay his buyout.

It ain't called silly season for nuthin'.

If we have to lose Marcos, i'd love it if we could get a player in trade who might not otherwise come here. Sanchez is a bit overrated but Lamela, Sanchez on each wing with a proper CF would be quite a front 3.

[Italiamia]

I friend of mine who is the Yelp Community organizer in Rome sent this to me of the Porto Turistico di Roma at Ostia. Those of you who know me will get the "joke" immediately. I blasted her for putting it up on Yelp as well.

[DCGweez]

I don't get the joke. I do know that next time i'm near Rome I know where to get a good burger. Thanks for the help.

[Italiamia]

http://www.repubblica.it/sport/calcio/serie-a/roma/

[p_maldini_3]

http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/espnfcuni ... 94?cc=5901

[RomaShield27]

Roma, De Rossi si infuria: «Mai parlato del futuro»
domenica 16 giugno 2013 / http://www.corrieredellosport.it/confed ... turo%C2%BB

La Figc smentisce una presunta intervista del centrocampista dal ritiro della Nazionale: «Non ha rilasciato alcuna dichiarazione»

RIO DE JANEIRO - "A Roma sto bene, voglio restare, a meno che non sia la società a volermi mandare via". Queste parole, attribuite a Daniele De Rossi e apparse da ieri sera su siti e social network vari, hanno fatto arrabbiare il centrocampista dell'Italia che è in silenzio (finora non ha mai parlato, nè partecipato a conferenze stampa, sia a Coverciano che a Rio) al punto da indurre la federcalcio, tramite l'ufficio stampa, a PER APPROFONDIREFOTO Azzurri al Maracanà Prandelli: Stadio mitico Speciale Confederations Prandelli: «Italia, vinciamo in uno stadio mitico» Pirlo: Sono 100 presenze al Maracanà? Emozionante Neymar-Paulinho show: Brasile, buona la prima diffondere una nota di smentita. "In merito alle dichiarazioni apparse oggi su alcuni siti e social network circa una 'presuntà intervista - è scritto nella nota della Figc - rilasciata dal calciatore della Roma e della Nazionale Daniele De Rossi a Rai International, aventi per oggetto il suo futuro nel club giallorosso, la Figc precisa che da quando è in ritiro con la Nazionale non ha rilasciato alcuna dichiarazione nè interviste agli organi di stampa". Due giorni fa c'era stato un altro caso di dichiarazioni inventate e attribuite a un azzurro, quando un giornale di Salvador, anche nella sua edizione online, aveva 'fatto parlarè di azzurro e Juventus Andrea Pirlo.

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Supposedly said:

"I'm fine in Rome, I will not leave, I feel bad just because I'm not playing well. Also, as Francesco (Totti, ed) knows what it means to wear this shirt and I want that very much. Also because I can be removed from them, but I have it in the blood. They say that want to leave Rome? I happened to hear these things even last season and I did a press conference to refute all the rumors and I thought I was clear. Rome is my home, if one day I decide to go away, as I said, I'll be the first to say to all the fans at an open conference, but it will never happen. At least on my part. Unless is the society want to send away... ".

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Garcia style: W il 4-3-3 ma con giudizio
domenica 16 giugno 2013 08:18

– Da un veloce sondaggio fatto con i colleghi francesi che hanno avuto a che fare con Rudi Garcia, c’è un aggettivo che ricorre in tutti i profili: «curioso ». È uno che si informa, Garcia: non corre il rischio di arrivare impreparato, cosa che invece fece Luis Enrique, talmente sicuro di quello che veniva a fare a Roma che se n’è andato cornuto, mazziato e invecchiato di 20 anni. Per evitare di fare la stessa fine, Garcia sta già studiando quelli che saranno i suoi giocatori, cercando di capire se il suo 433 può essere realizzabile con una rosa come quella attuale della Roma. La differenza con Zeman, infatti, sta principalmente lì: niente integralismo, ma la capacità (sua e da trasmettere alla squadra) di poter cambiare pelle. Ecco perché il Lilla si è divertito a diventare 4231 o 4312.

Modulo base In difesa, Garcia lavora con le coppie: un terzino con il turbo (arrivasseWallace, avrebbe tutte le caratteristiche ideali), l’altro che sa anche difendere (più Balzaretti che Dodò). Al centro, uno forte fisicamente e uno più tecnico: in questo senso, Marquinhos si adatterebbe a perfezione sia con Benatia — che però calcia di destro come lui —, sia con Castan, con il quale giocherebbe sul centrodestra, cosa che non accadrebbe invece con il marocchino. A centrocampo, la Roma che ha in mente Garcia ha tre mediani di sostanza e allo stesso tempo di qualità. De Rossi, leggermente più basso rispetto ai due intermedi, sarebbe l’identikit perfetto: il francese lo conosce, ma conosce la versione azzurra, internazionale, quella migliore. Nainggolan farebbe comodo, così come Pjanic libero di testa e sempre sano fisicamente. Proprio quello di Lione, che Garcia ebbe modo di apprezzare. Farebbe non comodo, ma stracomodo, anche Paulinho, ma non sarà facile portarlo a Trigoria[...]

Alternativa 4231 Davanti Garcia vorrebbe punte veloci, ma farà un’eccezione con Totti «falso nove», come Hazard o Mavuba a Lille. Lamela (venerdì notte in campo con la sua Nazionale in Guatemala) a destra sarà il prototipo della sua Roma offensiva, a sinistra bisognerà trovare uno con caratteristiche simili, per portare il capitano a fare il centravanti. A meno che tutto non si trasformi in un modulo a una o due punte: così fosse, le porte per Destro sarebbero spalancate.

[RomaShield27]

Some good stuff here from Colly. Not so much about Garcia or what to expect from him, in fairness, but more about our ownership and how they've been running the club. The pessimistic views no doubt springs from the pages of this thread were I think we've all pretty much been highly critical as well.



BY COLIN O'BRIEN (FEATURED COLUMNIST) ON JUNE 16, 2013 /

Another season, another coach on the Roma bench. After what seemed like an eternity, Rudi Garcia was announced as the Giallorossi's new manager at a press conference, following a season that promised much and delivered nothing but heartache.

In attendance that day, the club's director of football, the CEO and the president. It was big news here in Italy, but it happened in New York. Which is probably just as well, because only one of the four men present spoke Italian.

This is one of Serie A's most supported clubs, a team with perhaps the most visceral, complicated and passionate connection to its fans and its city. And at the moment, it's hard to imagine those in charge being any farther away.

It's not just the language barrier, though it doesn't help. Nor is it the fact that the business side of things is being run, for the most part, on the other side of the world.

Foreign involvement isn't always a bad thing and since taking over, the American consortium who bought the club from Rosella Sensi have invested considerable sums in the transfer market and made some big plans. But the positive turn-around has yet to come, and doubts remain about the direction in which the club is heading. Something, it seems, is being lost in translation.

No matter what they do, Roma seem stuck. Perennial losers. Hardly surprising, as hard times hit the Sensi family elsewhere and left little money for investment on pitch. But since changing hands, the club is in rude health financially, which makes the lack of progress difficult to understand.

They finished the 2009-10 season as runners up to Inter, but the year after they struggled to sixth after parting ways with Claudio Ranieri and putting faith in Vincenzo Montella, the former striker promoted from his role coaching the youth team.

When the new owners arrived, L'Aeroplanino was among the first out the door. This was to be a revolution, and new blood was needed. Faith was placed in Barcelona's Luis Enrique and with a host of new faces on the playing roster, great things were expected. They failed to materialise. The Giallorossi limped to seventh and Enrique was on his merry way.

Next up, Zdenek Zeman. More new players, same old disappointing results. The Czech was dismissed, and Aurelio Andreazzoli was given the unenviable tasking of steadying the ship for the rest of the season.

He managed little better, finishing sixth and presiding over a Coppa Italia loss to rivals Lazio that will haunt the club and its supporters for years to come.

In the meantime, Montella lead Catania to their best ever league position in his first full season as a coach, earning himself a chance on the Fiorentina bench, where he's crafted an entertaining and effective side that finished above Roma in the league with a wage bill less than half that being paid out by his under-performing former employers.

The board wanted a fresh face with new ideas to lead Roma's renaissance, and they fired him at the first opportunity, without ever really considering him. Every decision taken since has had a similarly ill-fated air to it.

Enrique was unprepared and ill-equipped for life on the hottest of Italian hot seats. Now the coach at Celta Vigo, time will tell if he has the potential to be a great manager, but from the very beginning the idea of building a Barcelona 2.0 in the Italian capital was flawed.

Roma is a club equally rich in traditions and weighed down by expectations. Hiring a manager from the current en vogue outfit in world football was not going to be enough to secure success. That much must have been obvious to anyone with even a modicum of understanding of the game. Trying to transplant the ideas and ideals of the Catalan giants only made matters worse.

But if hiring Enrique was foolishly idealistic but done for the right reasons, then Zeman's employment was impossibly mismatched.

Zeman is a cult figure at the club, and in Italy in general. His arrival pleased elements of the hard-core support who have always pined for his return, and won favour for those in charge. After that, it was a roll of the dice. Sure, his commitment to youth development and direct, attacking football was easy to fall for, but he was never going to be given the time to make any of it matter. He didn't fit Boston's idea of what the club should be.

There was too much belligerence in the way he dealt with criticism, too much self-assured indifference to other people's opinions. Too much history, threatening to consume the present. Too many enemies. And far too many cigarettes.

He was a marketing nightmare. Which, of course, is of critical importance these days at Trigoria. Or Boston. Or New York. Or wherever the club's being run from.

This is an operation that's almost truculent in the way it promotes itself. A club that tweets incessantly about what board members are up to, that prides itself on being “First on Pintrest!”, that re-designs its crest with all the subtlety of a bull in a china shop, because someone was worried that their fans didn't actually know what city they were based in. That's the actual reason they gave for the change. No joke (for ye of little faith, it's the two-minute mark here.)

All of that would be fine, if the club was competing for the league. A force in Europe. Quantifiably on the right track. But it's not. There's an awkwardness to the bombast, because for all the talk about building Roma into one of the world's leading sides, to those suffering in the stands it still resembles an under-achieving sleeping giant, languishing indeterminably in the mid-table.

To make matters worse, Franco Baldini's resignation means that the management of the club now falls to CEO Italo Zanzi, a successful businessman and attorney, but one with no experience in Italian football.

Baldini gave the new owners a certain creditability in Italy. He had been the late Franco Sensi's loyal lieutenant and is a man for whom Roma represents more than just a job. The Italian was brought in to help shape a new Roma and to change the landscape of calcio in general, but during the course of his second stint in the Italian capital, he saw his power diluted and his opinions ignored.

After two disappointing years, someone had to pay. That's the nature of football, ridiculous and counter-productive though it often is. But it shouldn't have been Baldini. The 52-year-old is a man of integrity and intelligence, capable of running a major business and yet humble enough to understand that to the fans, that business represents more than just a balance sheet.

It's been a difficult beginning for Roma's new owners. Mistakes have been made and without wanting to sound overly critical, a good look in the mirror would do certain members of the board a world of good.

There are a lot of pros to the American's modern take on how to run an Italian football club, but the baby shouldn't be thrown out with the bath water. Roma needed modernising, but changing too much can do more harm than not changing anything.

Rudi Garcia is a positive change. He arrives in Rome after five successful years at Lille, having achieved great things and played good football while doing it.

Maybe the new French manager will make all the difference. Perhaps he'll bring an air of French cool, a laissez faire attitude that takes the pressure down a notch and stops his side from imploding at the very first sign of trouble. But don't hold your breadth.

Speaking to the Gazzetta dello Sport (in English, via football-italia.net), Garcia hit on the subject of language. “I know it is very important to express yourself in the home language," he said. "You’ll see that I will be fluent soon."

It's not just about the language, but if Garcia settles in and adapts to Roman life soon, things might start to look more promising. At the moment, however, the gap between those in charge and those in the stands couldn't be any bigger—and a manager can't change all that.

Garcia's comments should resonate with his new employers. A desire to understand what is wanted and needed in Rome, and to express ideas clearly in a way that can be understood by everyone, is desperately needed farther up the food chain. Pallotta is keen on the cliche that "Rome wasn't built in a day," and that's true. But there should be a lot more to show for two years of work.

Bienvenue, Rudi. Let's hope it doesn't end up being adieu anytime soon.

[Lupa]

One good thing about Garcia is that he's not Mancini.

I have to say I'm not confident about the fact that we're still employing non-Italian guys when it seems like our first criterion is that they're *not* Italian. I don't think I've seen his Lille play, though, so I'll wait and see. What else can you do?

[p_maldini_3]

was baldini kicked out? or did he run to greener pastures in tottenham?

in my objective opinion, the management has done everything right except pick the right coach. once the results come, roma will explode.

[Italiamia]

http://www.repubblica.it/sport/calcio/s ... -61293833/

[Lupa]

Raise your hands if you think De Rossi will finish his career with Roma. Yeah, it's hard to type with your hands up, but that probably won't be a problem, since I doubt that you have your hands up.

[DavidP]

[red]

[RomaShield27]

[Italiamia]

Of course it's easy to complain about ownership. At the outset, let me say that I am disappointed in ownership but there is no way that I would want Rosella Sensi back under any circumstances. The problem for me is, and has always been when I complain, the perceived lack of direction of the club. Certainly, we all realise that when Baldini chose Iglesias to coach, he never expected the man to bail out after one season. It was supposed to be a new project to transform the team into a competitive power. Therefore, I will not characterise that hire as a step backward because one cannot make such a judgment after a single season. Now, Iglesias leaving, and bringing in Zeman was a step backward. The club had to regroup when LE departed. Instead, they went for fan appeasement, ticket sales and headlines. A mistake to be sure but it probably set the team back at least another 2 to 3 years. Now with Baldini gone and the third coach in as many years, I do not know what to expect. I like young coaches and Garcia will probably bring a certain enthusiasm and a new perspective. I hope. Thus, my biggest complaint is that I do not see any direction or progress. Zanzi came out and said there is cash to make the team a winner. My question is exactly what kind of team are they trying to build at Roma. They have to give the new coach the tools to succeed. Garcia cannot be expected to come in and suddenly win with what he has right now.

[maro]