THE WOLF'S DEN - Tana dei Lupi II

[Lupa]

Things are really slow around here. There's a derby to be played tomorrow.

Here's who is available:

12 marzo 2011 - Roma-Lazio: i convocati

Al termine della sessione di allenamento di oggi mister Montella ha diramato la lista dei calciatori convocati per Roma-Lazio.

Stagione 2010-2011
10^ giornata girone di ritorno
AS ROMA-SS LAZIO
Domenica 13 marzo 2011 ore 15:00
Stadio Olimpico di Roma
Arbitro: sig. Tagliavento


1 BOGDAN LOBONT
3 PAOLO CASTELLINI
4 JUAN SILVEIRA DOS SANTOS
5 PHILIPPE MEXES
7 DAVID PIZARRO
9 MIRKO VUCINIC
10 FRANCESCO TOTTI
11 RODRIGO FERRANTE TADDEI
15 SIMONE LORIA
16 DANIELE DE ROSSI
17 JOHN ARNE RIISE
20 SIMONE PERROTTA
22 MARCO BORRIELLO
23 LEANDRO GRECO
27 JULIO SERGIO BERTAGNOLI
29 NICOLAS BURDISSO
30 SIMPLICIO FABIO HENRIQUE
32 DONIEBER ALEXANDER MARANGON (DONI)
45 STEFANO PETTINARI
47 GIANLUCA CAPRARI
49 STEFANO SABELLI
94 JEREMY MENEZ

[romawi]

Looks like Totti will be playing tomorrow. Good for him. I hope Montella starts all three of Totti, Vucinic, and Menez. Forget the results for now, we need to go back to playing some good football. As for the game, I said earlier that I'm not all that excited about it, and I probably won't end up watching it live.

[romawi]

Montella: 'Roma must win back fans'
Vincenzo Montella prepares for his first Rome derby as a Coach and puts his foot down. “We need to win back our fans.”

Roma are still reeling from their Champions League exit to Shakhtar Donetsk, falling 3-0 with Philippe Mexes sent off and Daniele De Rossi facing a ban.

“This is an important derby for our position in the table and the same goes for Lazio,” commented Montella, who is still unbeaten in Serie A since replacing Claudio Ranieri.

“For us, though, it is key because we need to win back our fans. The team understood the mistakes made in Donetsk and is in good shape.”

That includes the row between David Pizarro and Marco Borriello over who would take a penalty.

“I am changing strategy from today. I’ll say before the game who is the designated penalty taker and if someone doesn’t feel ready, they have to tell me and then I will decide who should step up. It’s a bit like dealing with children.”

Montella also caused controversy in Donetsk by leaving captain Francesco Totti on the bench throughout the match.

“Totti is in great shape physically and I am counting on him. I hope he can break his drought in the derby, as he hasn’t scored in a while, but his exclusion in Donetsk was purely tactical.

“It has been a difficult week, but I think I’ve managed to keep the team calm. Lazio are bound to be the favourites, as they’re ahead of us in the table, but there will be the usual fiery derby atmosphere.

“Perhaps as a player I felt the occasion of the derby a little more. A Coach tends to have more impact during the week than on match day.”

Totti and Mirko Vucinic have recovered from knocks, but Marco Cassetti is still unavailable and Matteo Brighi suspended.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Disappointing to hear that he left out Totti against Shaktar for tactical reasons. I think having Totti on the field, especially in the 4-2-3-1, gives this team the best chance to win, and I was hoping Montella would see that.

[maro]

It's much easier to watch Motta's shambolic defending when it's being done in prison-stripes. Watching Pepe, Aquilani, and Motta all play for Rubentus is tough - or would be were they not so clearly all at home in such a mediocre side.

Monty explained Totti's omission, chewna - he said he expected the game to be pretty tight and combative and physical in the first half and so wanted Borriello to do the hard work and was planning on bringing Totti on when there was a bit more time and space in the second half.

[pocari_fenrir]

We had poor luck on our side that game. Joke of a first goal and a mountain to climb with a need for 3 goals to keep us in. From there, everything just snowballed to Mexes getting sent off for a light professional foul, Srna goading us and a couple more goals to put us rock bottom

[Lupa]

Everyone predicting the same lineup:

IL MESSAGGERO
ROMA (4-2-3-1): 32 Doni; 29 N. Burdisso, 5 Mexes, 4 Juan, 17 Riise; 7 Pizarro, 16 De Rossi; 11 Taddei, 20 Perrotta, 9 Vucinic; 10 Totti. In panchina: 27 Julio Sergio, 15 Loria, 3 Castellini, 30 Simplicio, 23 Greco, 94 Menez, 22 Borriello.

IL CORRIERE DELLO SPORT
ROMA (4-2-3-1): 32 Doni; 29 N. Burdisso, 5 Mexes, 4 Juan, 17 Riise; 7 Pizarro, 16 De Rossi; 11 Taddei, 20 Perrotta, 9 Vucinic; 10 Totti. In panchina: 27 Julio Sergio, 15 Loria, 3 Castellini, 30 Simplicio, 23 Greco, 94 Menez, 22 Borriello.

LA GAZZETTA
ROMA (4-2-3-1): 32 Doni; 29 N. Burdisso, 5 Mexes, 4 Juan, 17 Riise; 7 Pizarro, 16 De Rossi; 11 Taddei, 20 Perrotta, 9 Vucinic; 10 Totti. In panchina: 27 Julio Sergio, 15 Loria, 3 Castellini, 30 Simplicio, 23 Greco, 94 Menez, 22 Borriello

IL ROMANISTA
ROMA (4-2-3-1): 32 Doni; 29 N. Burdisso, 5 Mexes, 4 Juan, 17 Riise; 7 Pizarro, 16 De Rossi; 11 Taddei, 20 Perrotta, 9 Vucinic; 10 Totti. In panchina: 27 Julio Sergio, 15 Loria, 3 Castellini, 30 Simplicio, 23 Greco, 94 Menez, 22 Borriello.

Apparently, they were wrong, as Menez is starting

ROMA (4-2-3-1): 32 Doni; 29 N. Burdisso, 5 Mexes, 4 Juan, 17 Riise; 7 Pizarro, 16 De Rossi; 94 Menez, 20 Perrotta, 9 Vucinic; 10 Totti. In panchina: 27 Julio Sergio, 15 Loria, 3 Castellini, 30 Simplicio, 23 Greco, 94 Menez, 22 Borriello.

[ASR1927]

FORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMAFORZA ROMA

Roma 2 Totti x2
Lazio 0

[maro]

Roma: 6 sempre unica.

I blame Totti.

[maro]

I didn't get to see much of the first half properly but it seemed we played some pretty good stuff and then ground it out ugly-but-beautiful in the second. Menez struggled in the second half but looked okay in the first and I hope is given lots more chances. Taddei's movement, though, made a big difference in the end. We were pretty solid at the back and much as I dislike seeing Burdisso at right back he had a very solid game.

Anyway, who gives a fock: Lazio 2 - Roma 0. What a terrible scoreline. Oh, except that that was the red card count. Totti 2 - Merda 0: much better. Forza La Magica.

[maro]

One other thing about today - it probably confirmed the suspicion that it wasn't because of Cicinho that we'd won the last four derbies.

[Lupa]

Aside from maro's posts, I still don't see a lot of enthusiasm for the derby. I hope romawi changed his mind and watched.

Come on guys, we won the derby! Congrats, Montella on managing the game well. Congrats, Totti on your goals.

Woohoo!!

[ASR1927]

Totti: 'The derby of my dreams!'

Francesco Totti dedicated his brace to President Rosella Sensi. “It’s the derby of my dreams, the one I always wanted.”

The Roma captain got both goals in a 2-0 victory over rivals Lazio that revived their hopes of finishing fourth.

“It’s the derby of my dreams, the one I always wanted. Winning with two of my goals is just too wonderful,” grinned Totti.

“My personality means I never give up. People can say what they like, but I keep on going. It’s always a pleasure to beat Lazio, so to seal it with my brace makes me doubly happy.”

Claudio Ranieri had won three derby games, but it was the first as Coach for Vincenzo Montella.

“Since Vincenzo arrived, the mentality of the team has changed. You can see the hunger to win,” continued Totti.

“I am happy to dedicate this victory to the Sensi family, who deserve it for all they have done and the passion they put into the club. We must all thank the President.

“I also dedicate it to my wife, Ilary, as we have now been together for nine years.”

[Lupa]

Thanks, Jeff. I'd been trying to load that article, but kept getting a message that the server was too slow to respond. A bit like Muslera on Totti's first goal.

Montella: 'Feelings different as a boss'

Vincenzo Montella explains why he did not celebrate during the derby victory and how his emotions are “different” as a Coach.

The former striker remains the only man to have scored four goals in a single derby game, but remained stony-faced when Francesco Totti’s brace beat Lazio 2-0 today.

“My memories of those four goals aren’t as fresh as they were. This was a difficult victory and a deserved one that we fought hard for.

“The feelings are different to the derby when I scored, but they are still wonderful. Why didn’t I celebrate? I like to keep my emotions to myself.

“Roma absolutely deserved the win. We knew there were risks on the flanks with our initial line-up, but we really only conceded efforts from distance or corners.

“There was more quality from the side in the first half, but greater strength and determination after the break. Lazio played well, Roma were a bit better.”

Totti was dropped against Shakhtar Donetsk midweek, but came back to the starting XI with a brace.

“He is a great player and when he is fit you can really tell. He plays when I consider it opportune and we will hold on tight to our captain,” continued Montella.

“David Pizarro is a special player and I realise a three-man midfield is difficult. With Claudio Ranieri he had Pizarro injured and Rodrigo Taddei wasn’t covering, so the previous choices were understandable.

“When I took over the lads were lacking in confidence, but they have rediscovered it now.”

http://www.football-italia.net/mar13o.html

[Lupa]

Roma 2-0 Lazio: Totti the hero but Pizarro the architect
March 13, 2011

The starting line-ups

Francesco Totti scored a free-kick and a penalty to record Roma’s fifth successive Rome Derby victory.

Vincenzo Montella recalled Totti as the central forward in Roma’s old fluid ’strikerless’ 4-2-3-1 shape. Marco Cassetti was out, so Nicolas Burdisso played at right-back.

Eddy Reja made just one change from last week’s win over Palermo. Stephan Lichsteiner replaced Lionel Scaloni at right-back.

Roma started strongly and finished strongly, though for the majority the game was slightly scrappy and lacked any rhythm. At no point did Lazio assert themselves and dominate, however, so Roma were deserving of the three points – even if it took set-pieces for them to break the deadlock.

Totti false nine

Playing Totti as the ’striker’ made Roma fluid, flexible and exciting in the opening minutes. He came deep and often ended up close to the two holding players, whilst the attacking band of three moved forward and became the highest players up the pitch. Mirko Vucinic stayed wide on the left and looked to take on Lichsteiner, but he rarely got the better of that duel. Menez was quiet.

Lazio responded to Totti’s movement by keeping their defence deep. Totti was rarely followed across the pitch in open play, which meant his runs didn’t really create much space for his teammates – that explained why Roma were flexible without being dangerous or looking threatening in front of goal.

Pizarro dictates

The main man was David Pizarro, who was always available for a pass and dictated play at the start. Roma had been instructed to work their left flank (particularly looking to play in Vucinic) and Pizarro played a couple of excellent balls out to that flank, with John Arne Riise getting forward on the overlap. Pizarro also came close to a goal, with a thumping 30-yard drive that hit the bar.

Lazio were poor in the first half. Their gameplan was to play on the break, but their transitions from defence to attack were terrible. It wasn’t clear what Hernanes was doing – he didn’t provide much of a defensive presence, which contributed to Roma overrunning Lazio in the centre, nor was he in a position to start quick breaks. His positioning didn’t seem to make any sense.

That said, Lazio’s two best moments came from Hernanes – although tellingly, it was when he drifted into positions away from the centre, on the flanks. First he picked up the ball in space on the left and drove a cross-shot past the far post, then in the second half his right-wing cross found Sergio Floccari who couldn’t find the net from a header. Lazio’s two wingers were quiet, although they did a good job defensively against Roma’s full-backs.

An interesting feature of the game was how Lazio pressed Roma at goal kicks – Hernanes would move forward, and he and Floccari would occupy Roma’s two centre-backs. This meant Julio Sergio was unable to play out from the back, and with Roma lacking a proper central striker (Marco Borriello, for example) long goal kicks weren’t much use. Totti’s strategy for challenging in the air was simply to charge at his marker and then turn his back at the last moment, frequently giving away free-kicks. The game lacked tempo before the break.

Second half

Unlike previous Rome Derbies, there were no personnel changes at half time. However, Lazio changed their style of football – playing higher up the pitch, being more positive and competing in midfield. Neither side really got a hold of the ball in this period – Roma couldn’t make it stick upfront, and because they had been forced deeper, their onrushing midfielders had further to run to get to Totti. At the other end, Floccari had one headed chance but was otherwise dealt with well by Juan and Philippe Mexes.

The breakthrough came from the star man, Pizarro. He not only kept Roma moves flowing by playing simple passes from side to side, he also broke forward and dribbled at the heart of the Lazio defence, catching his opponents by surprise. One of these runs saw him fouled on the edge of the box, and Totti smashed the free-kick in.

Reja responded by switching his formation to an attack-minded 4-2-4ish shape, and Hernanes was one of the men to depart – as happened in the first derby of the season. However, the end of the game because more of a fight than a football game. Lazio had two men dismissed (and it could have been more), whilst Totti and substitute Fabio Simplicio kept the ball in the corner for much of the final ten minutes. Amongst all this, Simplicio won a penalty which was converted by Totti for the second goal.

Conclusion

It was a welcome return for the formation Roma played with such success for the majority of last season, and the opening to the game suggested they’d put on a real show. However, they lacked individual spark from their two wide men, Vucinic and Menez, and therefore turned to Pizarro through the centre for their openings. It was fitting that he won the free-kick that broke the deadlock, though (as in the crazy comeback against Bayern earlier this season) it’s always Totti who manages to grab the headlines.

Lazio were very disappointing – they made poor decisions with the ball, couldn’t involve Floccari in their play, and Hernanes was as quiet as he was in the first Rome derby of the season.

http://www.zonalmarking.net/2011/03/13/ ... o-tactics/ (I didn't notice JS playing!)

[pocari_fenrir]

[pocari_fenrir]

[Lupa]

Roma open to Montella extension

Roma could extend Vincenzo Montella’s contract beyond the end of this season, confirmed director Gian Paolo Montali.

“Vincenzo’s results so far are extremely positive,” said Montali after the 2-0 derby victory.

“We are talking about 10 points from four games for a debutant Coach. As with many other situations, we must evaluate his position at the end of the season.”

Montella was promoted from the youth academy after Claudio Ranieri’s resignation and remains unbeaten in Serie A.

Montali also commented on the negotiations to sell the club to American investor Thomas Di Benedetto.

“The bank is examining the last paperwork and we are simply continuing to focus on the sporting affairs. In any case, the talks are at an advanced stage.”

http://www.football-italia.net/mar13r.html

[romawi]

[maro]

I have a feeling Napoli are in free fall. If they don't recover to take the three points tonight I suspect they'll continue to fall away. I don't think their defence is up to scratch. Lazio, on the other hand, despite being merda, are a properly organised team (though they didn't show it today) and might well be more of a threat for fourth place.

[Lupa]

Unfortunately, that three points looks likely for them.

I see that Reja was complaining about the lasers (among other things). It actually was clearly visible on the fk, and I thought I saw a glimmer of green on the penalty as well. Has the league ever fined a team for this? They'll certainly see it when they do the video review. That, and the stomp on Totti's face.