THE WOLF'S DEN - Tana dei Lupi II

[maro]

http://www.calciomercato.com/rassegna-s ... n-montella

This will make -que's blood run cold.

[RomaShield27]

So Borriello will take numbero 22:



Video's of his conferenza stamp can be seen .

[Carlo Romano]

Just now with the international break I think this post is more like an item from a colonna di gossip, but it is factual...


It seems everyone wants to get in on the act of saying they played a part in bringing Marco Borriello to us.

We have the obvious Pradè-Sensi-Montali connection, desperate to revive their reputation and sagging popularity. Ranieri as the original instigator isn't mentioned beyond that because it's not clear whether he actually named Borriello as a "need" or just demanded someone fit and immediately playable. We have our rich Milanese Zio Silvio and his sidekick Dottore Galliani who have stated they wanted to give us a good deal involving Borriello because of the favourable rapport which exists between our two clubs. A shrewd three moves by Berlusconi involving camel face, Robinho, and Borriello, which not only helped his club and ours but also raised his personal image.

Borriello talks of how our presidentessa convinced him with spirit and passion to come to Roma. Today he also mentioned a cellphone text message he received from our Mike Love lookalike, Daniele De Rossi, who said he(Borriello) should join us because "we are going to win!" For me, the single most important factor to be taken from the last couple of days is that our coach is again in good spirit, having got Burdisso and Borriello. After all, everything starts with him...

Much as it galls me to say so, I guess we must in part thank the Pradè-Sensi-Montali triade though without Unicredit standing as "guarantor," the deal could never have happened. Montali seems to have made the decision to keep Mexes and extend his contract. Despite the fact he is prone to errors when under pressure, I concede we are better off keeping him than letting him go.

Two closing thoughts, where has Bruno Conti been during all this? Also, something tells me though that once we start to win regularly we will never hear the end of Rosella singing her own praises.


Ed, I didn't want to tempt fate by saying Borriello facially reminds me of the great Roberto Pruzzo. If Borriello can recreate something like his form with Genoa which is one hell of a big ask, then I will start to believe. Guys like Pruzzo and Batistuta though are exceptions, both in their differing ways each a one-off...

[Bagg10]

Thursday 2 September, 2010
Blog: Bombast and Borriello

Milan might have made a mistake in letting Marco Borriello leave for Roma, as James Horncastle states

Adriano Galliani has had his ego massaged this week, not least from La Gazzetta dello Sport who decided to refer to him as “the architect of happiness” rather than by his official job title of Milan’s administrator delegate. When the transfer window closed on Tuesday evening, he could afford to sit back, rub his hands together and look back at a job well done.

Seemingly from nowhere, the much-maligned austerity Milan that had so angered the Curva Sud as to prompt it into writing a communiqué criticising the club’s lacklustre recruitment strategy, suddenly rediscovered the ambition of old, signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic and then Robinho in the space of two days.

The reported liquidity problems that had apparently compelled Milan to get Genoa to sign Kevin-Prince Boateng for them were conveniently forgotten, not to mention the other hand-me-downs from Marassi.

Naturally, the Impossible Mission that was the Ibrahimovic deal garnered the most attention given the talismanic status he acquired in three very successful years at rivals Inter. After all, the negotiations were replete with Hollywood drama, the like of which are more familiar to an episode of 24 than a football transfer with the Swede smugly revealing on Wednesday night that at one point Galliani told Barcelona: “I’m not leaving without Ibrahimovic.”

Milan have every reason to believe they have the most to gain from Ibrahimovic’s fight with Pep Guardiola or The Philosopher as he now calls him. But paradoxically the real benefactors could in fact be Roma who got the chance to sign the man displaced by Ibrahimovic’s arrival, Italy international striker Marco Borriello. Milan were so pleased with themselves, and with some justification, that they allowed the 28-year-old to go to Roma at a discount. Galliani even called it “a present” from Berlusconi for the good relationship between the two clubs.

And yet, by doing so they have arguably strengthened one of their main title rivals, because the signings of Ibrahimovic and Robinho add bombast not balance to Milan, while Borriello’s arrival in the capital perhaps completes an already strong squad, which only really lacks depth at the full-back positions.

If we give Roma’s transfer campaign a quick glance, it’s blindingly obvious that they are the only one of Italy’s top four who haven’t sold anyone of note. Somehow, the cash-strapped Giallorossi have only reinforced, working a Houdini-esque feat of escapology to untangle themselves from quite incredible financial constraints.

What’s more, Roma have actually become a more attractive proposition to players, as demonstrated in both Borriello and Burdisso turning down moves to Juventus, prompting Claudio Ranieri to talk about the emergence of lo stile Roma. But for the moment, let’s focus on the Borriello move, which contrary to some reports wasn’t financed on the back of a loan from Unicredit, but rather was guaranteed against revenue the club expects to earn from TV rights, sponsors and their participation in the Champions League.

Where, for instance, does it leave Roma’s other high profile summer signing, the Emperor Adriano? The local Press are understandably trying to put a positive spin on things, insisting that the Brazilian, who is currently out injured, is now under no pressure to perform and he can take all the time necessary to recover and get in shape. Yet having followed Adriano down the years, and knowing how much the notion of feeling loved plays a part in his game, this seems hopelessly optimistic. Added to which, it’s not cynical to wonder what he might get up to with the extra time on his hands.

After all, Borriello will almost certainly be first choice, so the question is what are Roma getting? The great Roberto Boninsegna once said: “Borriello reminds me of Gigi Riva because both only use their right foot to get out of the car, but the left is enough on its own to score lots of goals.”

That might seem odd given Borriello has only had two seasons in his top-flight career in which he has made double figures, but there are echoes of Luca Toni in that he appears to be a late bloomer, the early part of his career having been spent more on the gossip pages thanks to his model-like looks and on-off relationship with Argentine showgirl Belen Rodriguez.

If we discount much if not all of the 2008-09 season when he suffered a troublesome knee injury, Borriello has scored 33 League goals in the last two campaigns in which he has been fully fit. He is both a scorer of fine goals and a fine goalscorer, someone who will bring a more dynamic physicality to Roma’s game than Adriano, especially in the air either playing in a trident or alone up front.

His prolific spell at Genoa has naturally led Roma fans to compare him with the legendary Roberto Pruzzo, who – if anyone needs reminding – was the missing piece of the puzzle that completed the 1983 Scudetto winning team.

http://www.football-italia.net/blogs/jh113.html

[RomaShield27]

Coup'la cool links shamefully stolen from the Roma Offside:

Length of contract and wages (before tax)
Player profile pics of the team, in a video


Mexes: "Il contratto con la Roma? Ora la Francia è la mia priorita"
– 03-09-2010

FRANCE FOOTBALL - Laurent Blanc, il nuovo ct della Francia, è stato chiaro: solo chi gioca con continuità nel proprio club ha speranza di far parte della Nazionale transalpina. E il discorso vale anche per Philippe Mexes, difensore centrale della Roma, che dalla scorsa stagione è passato da titolare inamovibile a riserva di lusso e l’arrivo di Nicolas Burdisso in giallorosso non sembra cambiare lo scenario.

“Nella mia testa – dice lo stesso giocatore – la Nazionale francese ha adesso molta più importanza di prima. Burdisso è tornato a Roma ed è ovvio che la concorrenza sia aumentata. Rischio di giocare poco, e sono in scadenza di contratto. In questo momento sto seriamente valutando se sia il caso o meno di prolungarlo. Se non avrò spazio nella prima parte di stagione, potrei anche pensare di non farlo... Molto dipenderà anche dalle scelte di Blanc. Se dovessi infatti rientrare nei piani del CT, sarei costretto a fare una scelta. Andare via da Roma per giocare o rimanere nella Capitale dove sono ormai da tanto, tantissimo tempo. Devo considerare tante cose, come ad esempio il fatto che ho ancora 28 anni. E voglio giocare con la Francia l’Europeo 2012 e il Mondiale 2014”. Il difensore romanista ha parlato anche di Adil Ramì, compagno di reparto nella nazionale francese con cui sarà probabilmente affiancato nella partita con la Bielorussia "Non lo conoscevo ancora, ma c'è stato subito un gran feeling. Dobbiamo fare progressi nella posizione in campo, imparare di più le abitudini di uno e dell'altro. Ma abbiamo un rapporto umano super"


Mexes said he is giving serious thought to his contract situation and if he should extend, as with the return of Burdisso competition has increased and Laurant Blanc has said "only those who play regularly would make the French team". So Mexes said if he doesn't play regularly this season he may not renew with Roma, as now that he finally has been given his fair chance with France he has to make the most of it. This is a fair enough point I think from Philippe, as I'm sure he wants to make his mark for his national team while he can. I just hope he does get enough playing time with us this season so he does extent. Its no secret Ranieri prefers Burdisso but I just hope he doesn't stick with him no matter what and picks whoever is on better form (to partner Juan), and Philippe has shown pre-season that he looks to be getting back to his best.

Some positive words from Okaka on Borreillo's arrival:

"I say that the more, the better," Okaka told Il Corriere dello Sport. "We are challenging on three fronts and everyone will be useful to the cause. In September we will be playing three games a week.Ranieri makes the choices and it's the pitch that proves how much a player is worth. I am tranquil like I have always been. I am a player like all the rest and I will try my best for the good of the team."

[Carlo Romano]

Further to that, the usual Roma websites are today suggesting it's already agreed Mexes will go to Milan in January. That being said so soon after we were told Montali considers Philou to be unsaleable?

[maro]

I only saw the last 20 minutes of the Grenouilles tonight - I tuned in at the point Menez was coming off - but Mexes was excellent. He looked comfortable as a leader in the French team and he had one of those games when he looks like he has complete confidence in himself and more time to see things and anticipate them than anyone else on the pitch. It was a glimmer of that Mexes of two and a half years ago when he went through that three months of grace when everything went for him and he was pretty much unplayable. Let's hope it's sign of things to come. I worry, though, that he can't play in Ranieri's team where there's so much emphasis on the offside trap. It requires a kind of intelligence I don't think Philippe quite has (and Burdisso does), an ability to play with the head rather than just with the instincts. Still, he was top-drawer for the part that I saw tonight which can't be a bad thing. And apparently Vooch was top-drawer against the Welsh too, which can only be good for his confidence.

[Carlo Romano]

Tom, I saw those 20 mins too.

Going by the commentary I heard, it was a case of much the same thing before we tuned in, France having most of the play and Belarus stunning the Parisienne crowd with that late goal. It has to be said that was a beautiful piece of individual skill to set the goal up and a finish to merit the quality assist. Now if only my beloved Azzurri could have shown something like that in open play rather than having to benefit from set pieces! Mind you, I wasn't about to argue at the time. Scored one and made the other...it was the Cassano show even if the Estonian defending could have done more to stop Bonucci get the winner off that lovely backheel from our scugnizzo barese!

Prandelli has his problems to solve but Blanc has even more.

[maro]

I thought you gentlemen might enjoy this:


Capello delighted by strike stars

Fabio Capello reserved praise for his new strike duo of Wayne Rooney and Jermain Defoe after England's 4-0 Euro qualifying win over Bulgaria.

Rooney, struggling for form ever since an injury last season, made a vital contribution in all four goals, with Defoe grabbing three of them.

Capello put it down to the new, freer role he had handed Rooney.

He said: "I played Rooney in a position different than usual. He did very well. I spoke with him before the game.

"He had to stay just in front of the two central midfielders and from this position to go forward and to be free. The quality of Rooney was really high."

Capello also hailed the finishing of Defoe, whose goals helped heal some of the scars of England's shambolic World Cup defeat against Germany.

Capello said: "Defoe is always very important for us. He can shoot with his left foot and his right and his performance was really, really good and his movement without the ball was fantastic. He was like a black Vincenzo Montella today."

The victory gets England off to a flying start in their group, although one sour note for Capello was an injury to Michael Dawson, who was carried off in the second half with a nasty knee injury which looks certain to keep him out of Tuesday's match against Switzerland.

Capello said: "I have to wait to find out about Dawson. I am not a doctor. We have to wait for the tests, but no one else had problems, only Dawson."

Capello also praised the contribution of goalkeeper Joe Hart who made two crucial stops and saved a Glen Johnson attempted clearance on the line.

Capello said: "Hart is playing very, very well. He made two fantastic saves. The most important thing was to win."

Bulgaria coach Stanimir Stoilov admitted the international retirement of Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov had been a major blow for his side.

Stoilov said: "For Bulgaria it is a big loss not to have Berbatov. He will always be missed and if he had played today it would probably have been a different result. We had our chances and missed them and England scored.

"It's Berbatov's decision and we should respect that. England have very fast forwards and we were destroyed on counter-attacks in the last minutes. We left too much space in the middle for England."

[romawi]

lol. I actually went and googled the original article.

[maro]

You needn't have bothered, right? I just cut and pasted it.

[RomaShield27]

Haha, did he actually say that? A black Vincenzo Montella, lol. Good to hear Mexes and Vooch played well.

[romawi]

[RomaShield27]

He really should've provided a link with that article, anyway. Not to mention making the title bold.

[Carlo Romano]

[RomaShield27]

Of course his first loyalty is to his nation – thats perfectly normal and I'd expect it to be the norm for any player the world over. In Philippe's case its even more sensitive and special to him because of the fact that he was so harshly overlooked by the bigoted disgrace that was Domenech as the French manager, and now that he's finally where he belongs (in the heart of the French defense) and with a new manager he has to consider how he stays there, and so if Blanc said his players have to playing regularly then Philippe's words are only logical. I have no doubt Philippe loves Roma as much as any non-homegrown player can, but the chance to play at a World Cup and represent your nation is special to every player – especially one who's never played at any major international tournament before (which at 28 years of age is quite astonishing). Its a tough one for him, but hopefully for him and for us romanisti his good form continues so Ranieri simply cannot overlook him in our first eleven.

[Carlo Romano]

Ed, though Borriello is most certainly not the reincarnation of Roberto Pruzzo in his playing days, I have the feeling he will contribute well enough to make the difference and prolong our life in the CL. So between that, Serie A and the TIM Cup, then the rotation system will or should give Mexes playing time. Whether what he gets will satisfy both he and Laurent Blanc remains to be seen.

I'm as sure as I can be that Ranieri has more belief in Burdisso because of his solidity, his organisational qualities at the back. It's like we have a second Capitan' on the field in Burdisso. When Philippe plays, that's what he does, end of story. Nico on the other hand does both that and, as we see, is constantly shouting and gesturing to his defensive compagni to hold their positions or move as required.

I too prefer Nico though having said that, my opinion as you know of "Philou" is I doubt him in high pressure situations, but since he is otherwise most dependable, no-one will see me objecting if he stays.

As Juan has recovered from the knock he took in training it's probably no longer likely we could have a Burdisso-Mexes central pairing next Saturday against Cagliari.

[Carlo Romano]

[red]

Would Roma have signed Boriello if they had faith that Adriano was going to get back to being the player he once was?

[San Paolo]

some nice photo's here of Borri's presentation, Enjoy! In Bocca al lupo Marco!

http://tifomilan.wordpress.com/2010/09/ ... sentation/