THE WOLF'S DEN - Tana dei Lupi II

[arthurfonzarelli]

[red]

Not sure Podolski would be a good move for Roma.

He seems to be one of those players (like Grosso, for instance) who looks very good in international football only to put in consistently indifferent displays for his club.

[forzaitalia]

Big plans! I don't know about selling Menez though, he looked top drawer at many times last season and he's still only 24.

I'd love Podolski I think he'd be a cracking signing, just hope he doesn't stick to his word when he said he wants to stay at Cologne.

[maro]

I think I'm with red on Podolski - I've always had reservations about him. The fact that he was never quite good enough to secure a starting spot at Bayern tells you a fair bit, I think. He's a very good very good player, if you see what I mean, but without the something special (technique, intelligence, pace, flair, vision, whatever it is in any individual case) to take him into the category of properly top-class players. He is younger than Taddei; I'm not sure he'd be much of an upgrade otherwise and Taddei was, however richly he's contributed, a free signing and a player of Rosella's Rometta. It is probably a question of technique and instinct with Podolski - hence his being used down the left of midfield for the Djermans, to make use of his work-rate and overall contribution, but pushing him a bit further away from the cutting-edge up top. I'm not sure Podolski would be all that much better than Pepe, for example.

[arthurfonzarelli]

[maro]

Actually, I did mean "very good very good" - I was trying to draw a distinction from an "excellent" player. I tend to think Taddei is a pretty solid 'very good' player, but hardly a fuoriclasse. Perrotta is without a shadow of a doubt a "very good very good player" - better than Podolski, I should think. If we forget budgets for a moment, I think the kind of player the writer of that article had in mind (or 'Luis Enrique' had in mind) would be someone like Aguero or Tevez, or perhaps Bojan (or perhaps this Soriano kid, though I know nothing about him - nor can I be bothered checking that's even his name).

[maro]

I'm choosing to forget budgets, because I've never seen Lamela or Alvarez or Ganso (etc. etc.) play and my suspicion is that the hope is that these guys are the next generation Aguero or Tevez - cheaper, because unproven, without the same pedigree, but potentially as good. If they're the same kinds of players, then that's enough for my 'argument'. I suspect in Italy, a younger, more gifted Mascara might fit the bill - perhaps even someone like Lavezzi, though I wonder if he's busier with the ball than without it. Sanchez would be perfect. I suspect Anderson from ManUre would be a pretty good fit, though I doubt there's any chance of that happening. Oezil?

[DavidP]

Is anyone watching yeremy play for france?

[red]

I've got the game on, but I'm not paying much attention to it.

Didn't notice Menez doing anything prior to being subbed.

[Lupa]

http://www.romanews.eu/2011/06/06/de-ro ... -riuscito/

De Rossi underwent surgery for a ruptured eardrum.

[forzaitalia]

Doni's agent has said that Liverfekkin'wankscum are in talks with his client. Yes please!

Haha that code thing ^

[RomaShield27]

[forzaitalia]

I haven't seen any official confirmation yet? But, I suppose, in all likelihood it will be Enrique. I'd convinced myself we'd get Ancelotti when he left Chelsea, so I'm a bit underwhelmed too but we'll just have to wait and see.

[ASR1927]

[forzaitalia]

RomaShield is probably thinking of Spanish players poor history in Serie A. Such as Lazio spending all that cash on Mendieta

But there's no guarantee he'll just buy Spaniards. Plus, there's some dodgy names on that Brazilian list....

[ASR1927]

[DavidP]

[ASR1927]

Oopps. Thanks I edited the post.

[arthurfonzarelli]

maro,
on the topic of clihcy, I asked my gooner friend: "Is clichy any good?"

He replied:
"In one word…no.
In several words…Gibbs is better. Clichy mistakes cost us 6-12 pts a season if you honestly ask me. He has a brain fart about 2-4 times a year where he does something inordinately stupid through lack of concentration.
I’d be happy to move him on and get more English home grown players in our back-line. Gibbs, Ramsey, Wilshere, Landsbury all need more team time…more academy players who give a shit."

[maro]

Interesting, Fonz. The Gooners are a pretty disgruntled lot at the moment, so I suspect their impatience towards some of their players needs to be taken with a grain of salt (the comparison with Gibbs is surely born as much of hope as of anything else, really). Still, I'd hardly want to argue with someone who watches them week in, week out and it's quite striking how few players leave Arsenal to enjoy much success elsewhere. I think Clichy would be a considerable upgrade on the Riise of the past season, but then so would the Riise of the previous season. I think he's lost a yard of pace, but it could be that he was carrying an injury that we didn't really know about. I would like us to have some real pace and penetration from fullback. Clichy would certainly give us that. But then so would Rosi and so might Crescenzi. A player like Marcelo at fullback, for instance, might cost you 6-12 points a season with defensive mistakes, and might not gain you as many going the other way, but he sure would contribute to your side's playing some exciting attacking football that was very easy on the eye.