THE WOLF'S DEN - Tana dei Lupi II

[romawi]

And losing both Menez and Vucinic would be a huge blow to this team. Bojan could cover for Mirko, but we still would need someone for the other flank. And with Menez gone we would have to find someone to replace him in the midfield field (for me, in a 4-3-3 he should be starter) because I don't think Lamela can be that guy just yet, and I don't think Perrotta is technically good enough play in the midfield three if we're going to play possession football the way I think LE would want us to.

[DavidP]

[romawi]

[maro]

I think he is, Chewna. Greco/Brighi/Perrotta/Taddei/Bertolacci plus DDR and Pizza. One of the things about keep-ball is that it's less reliant on individual technical ability than it is on having options to whom to pass - which comes from the positioning of the wide players, fullbacks and wing-forwards alike. If they're always concentrating on being passing options, it becomes much, much easier to keep the ball. I also think Simone's technically much better than tends to get appreciated - Gerrard isn't technically good enough to play in SImone's role as a trequartista, which shows you just how demanding that role actually is. The moment he slots back into a deeper position you can see he's very tidy on the ball and a good short passer. He's no technical trequartista, but that's not what's really needed in the 4-3-3.

[romawi]

[maro]

You know I agree with you on wishing Menez might get a run in a more central role. I'll be very happy if he stays. Regardless, we've got some good options in midfield - Brighi, for one thing, is a very fine player; Taddei might well also play in there. I could see Cicinho being used in a midfield three etc. etc. We need a first-choice 'keeper who will organise the team. I also like the idea of having an older guy there to look after one or two of the younger players in front of him.

[maro]

I think in a midfield three we need a holding midfielder (DDR, all going to plan), a regista del tutto campo (the role for which Pastore has surely been ear-marked, though which Pizza, in the current team would play, or perhaps Greco), and a runner - someone who presses, harries, tackles, wins the ball back, but is also tidy in possession (Brighi's the most natural fit). A DDR-Pizza-Pastore/Menez three is too technical, insufficiently physical, unable to match really athletic oppositions, in my opinion. I think the balance of the side would always be much better served with a Brighi-type in there (and perhaps Bertolacci will be able to do this??, though I think we're going to see at least one, and quite possibly two, more central midfielder(s) added to the squad before the summer's out.

[maro]

The holding midfielder also can't be the harrier because he needs to hold his position in front of the back 4, so it's not quite a question of his role simply being that of a good tackler (which we would already have in DDR). Defensively, it's the Gattuso figure, rather than the DDR one, if you see what I mean, while also needing to contribute rather more going the other way.

[romawi]

Technically Perrotta is good. I'm not denying that. It's just that I have a feeling that LE is going to ask the team to keep a very high defensive line and as a result space will be tight for the midfield three. Perrotta with space is good on the ball, but in tight spaces I think he'll struggle. I hope I'm wrong about this.

[maro]

I have a feeling that Simone will be fine. I'm not the most techincally gifted player in my hockey team, but I almost never give the ball away in 'keep-ball' situations for the simple reason that when I receive the ball I almost always already know where I'm going to pass it off to. Simone is like this in his own way, I think - he sees the game two passes ahead (which is why his movement is so good). He also knows his limitations.

[romawi]

[maro]

Sure. Barca are surely the utterly exceptional exception. Messi is also not Totti and so our false-striker will play in quite a different way. As, therefore, will our wing-forwards. Barca also have Pique and Dani Alves.

[DavidP]

Doni.

[RomaShield27]

Highlights of todays friendly:



Good vid, 'Bojan Krkic' press conference saying goodbye':

[ASR1927]

Reports this morning are that Menez has left Brunico. We will most likely see him in two days when we play PSG. Looks like he is gone.

[ASR1927]

This pretty much echoes what was said here earlier about the Baldini-Totti controversy. Many believe it is being blown out of proportion by the press (no way!) but here it is. From football-italia:

On July 29 Roma will officially become property of Thomas Di Benedetto and his company. Even though the deal has practically been done for months, that day will represent a milestone in the club’s history.

The American era has already started, though, and since the appointment of Walter Sabatini as director of sport the structure of the club has been completely revolutionised. It wasn’t the only change: Franco Baldini is set to become the general director by October. This appointment represents a further step from the new owners in the process of strengthening the Board’s structure.

However, changes in a club which was run almost like a provinciale in the past will always be hard to digest. Roma is indeed a complicated piazza to work in. The pressure placed upon directors and players is comparable only to the one felt at the highest level of the game.

In this context, the warning message sent by Baldini directly to Roma’s captain and legend Francesco Totti must be read as a significant signal of how politics within the club are going to change and how this transition may be incredibly painful.

“Totti has to free himself from his laziness and from those using his name without his knowledge,” claimed the future Roma director. “He has to stop his laissez-faire attitude. The lighter his load, the further he will go with football.”

Baldini’s comments clearly didn’t go down well with Er Pupone and his followers. But Baldini has no intention of winning the fans over with kind words towards the Giallorossi No. 10 and didn’t read the usual pro-Totti script. The England general manager knows exactly how things work in Rome, having previously been in charge of the club for over six years including the season of the legendary Scudetto.

Furthermore, Baldini’s attack wasn’t exclusively directed at Totti. Reading between the lines of these comments, the director’s message may well refer to the player’s staff too. In the new Roma there will be no space for the likes of Vito Scala, Totti’s personal trainer, as well as a couple of other staff members (Vincenzo Buzzi and Luca Pengue) who are close to the Captain. Francesco himself will be expected to behave differently from in the past.

Under the Sensi family, Totti’s power and influence grew dramatically. Il Capitano was involved in the club’s transfer market too (Baldini reportedly told him to stop calling players like Totti did with Gigi Buffon). His opinion in the dressing room always echoed louder than anyone else’s. His relationship with Coaches also counted beyond reasonable and some still believe Luciano Spalletti’s exit from the Olimpico was partially the result of a misunderstanding between the two.

Baldini won’t take that and is trying to confine Totti to the playing field while clearing the Trigoria offices of intrusive characters who may interfere with the new società. Still, in a city where doubting Totti is like questioning the Pope’s sanctity in the Vatican, Baldini is playing with fire as he dangerously prepares a minefield for his arrival. If the two don’t agree, the club could face a serious fracture. Indeed, this may well be the biggest internal battle for the new direttore generale and the Americans – if they win it, Roma will certainly take the shape of a big club.

[maro]

From an interview with Perrotta today:
Poi un commento su Menez: "Menez è un fenomeno vero e ne sono ancora convinto, ma sua volontà era quella di tornare a Parigi, a casa sua. Gli faccio un grande in bocca al lupo, è un grandissimo giocatore e un bravo ragazzo che qui a Roma non è riuscito a dimostrare appieno tutto il suo valore. Un vero peccato, ci è dispiaciuto salutarlo questa mattina".

Simone's a leg-end.

I thought this was pretty telling, too:
"Poi a livello umano è una bravissima persona ed un grande comunicatore. Assomiglia a Spalletti per l'approccio alla squadra e ad ogni giocatore. Non è facile arrivare e ricordare i nomi di tutti i giocatori anche di quelli della Primavera, è un segno di grande umiltà".

[DavidP]

can someone fucking explain?

http://www.romanews.eu/2011/07/24/il-ma ... unicredit/

and

http://www.agi.it/english-version/sport ... r_a_s_roma

[zafferano]

Anyone have the free link to see this evening game ?
i lost it

[maro]

Which game, briz? I use these two sites:
www.myp2p.eu
www.atdhe.fm