THE WOLF'S DEN - Tana dei Lupi II

[RomaShield27]

Teenager Giuseppe Camera's road leads to Roma
/ June 25, 2012 12:00AM

BLACKTOWN teenager Giuseppe Camera could become the next superstar of Australian soccer after joining prominent Italian Serie A club, AS Roma. Camera, 16, is expected to leave in early August to link with the club's Allievi Nazionali Squad (under-17s) after impressing in a series of trials both with Roma's Seven Hills-based academy, ASR Pro Football, and in Italy. ASR head coach Anthony Ucchino said Camera would join Roma's junior development squad for the coming season.

"I have been coaching Giuseppe since he was 11 and I am very proud that he has progressed through trials and now has been officially asked to play in AS Roma's youth development squad," Ucchino said. "The youth system at Roma has a long and successful history of producing all-round quality players like Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi, who both developed into top-flight Italian internationals."

[RomaShield27]

[maro]

I'm not sure I knew any of that Grillo story, Davit. If I did, I'd forgotten it. I thought he was just another in the long line of promising kids who fell by the way-side. In his case I'd presumed it was partly because he fell between two stools - not quite big enough to make it as a centre-back; not quite quick enough or skilful enough to make it as a fullback. A bit like a left-footed Bovo, I suppose, though without having ever reached quite such heights.

[maro]

[DavidP]

i wonder if it could work. sure, he's 25 and hasn't had any playing time in serie A (or cska sofia, for that matter). but it was zeman who made cassetti work, a player who also had virtually no playing time in A before transferring to lecce at the age of 26. another strange parallel, if i'm remembering correctly, is that it was zeman who transformed cassetti to a full-back from a more central-type player.

if zeman has specifically 'requested' grillo, he must see something in him that most don't. word on the street is zeman's not happy with the huge size of the squad, and will only work with something like 25 players, so he must certainly be requesting a 3rd LB for good reasons.

[maro]

Or perhaps it's just a bullshit rumour?

[maro]

He was more of a left-sided centre-back than a fullback back in the day too, no?

[RomaShield27]

http://romanews.eu/it,a97271/Zeman-Chie ... nho-Rimane

So according to the latest reports we've bought Marquinho for only €3.5m – a mill less than the original agreement – and he'll sign a three year deal worth €1.65m per annum. So it looks like bought of Marquinho and Florenzi will be part of Zeman's Roma. I was against keeping Marquinho purely because I thought he would push Florenzi out, as well as make competition for places harder for the likes of Viviani and Bertolacci, but it seems Zeman wants him to stay.

Zeman is also serious about getting Destro, it seems. Thats right, another fucking attacker, with no sign of any defenders (although Castan seems the likely option). we met with Siena for a few hours yesterday and offered them €4m plus co-ownerships of Viviani and Piscitella for their 50% of Destro. Then we'd have to deal with Genoa to get their half, and Borriello and further €4m is being mentioned. I don't know, if Zeman is serious about getting Destro and he thinks he's a perfect fit in his system then thats fine, but to me it seems like we're focusing on strengthening the wrong end of the pitch.

[maro]

Patience, threadmund. All the talk is that a left-back and a centre-back have already been signed and will arrive once the Copa Libertadores is done and dusted; dealings on Destro are rather more advanced because the attempt was to sign him before the co-ownership dealings made things more complicated and, anyway, it's rather easier to try to sign him now than Ogbonna, Van der Wiel, Debuchy etc., just as it would be rather harder to sign him later in the summer for equivalent reasons.

[RomaShield27]

Yes, its still early doors, I know. If for a left-back and a centre-back who have already been signed you mean Dodo and Castan then that very well may be true, but I'm not all that sure that either of those two are likely to be anything great for us straight away. Its difficult to know too much about them, but i don't think Dodo has played much for Corinthians, and sounds like he'd needed to be loaned out for a season or two. Castan is a bit different as he is experienced and has been in Europe before, although in Sweden, but I can't really see him being anything more than back-up or ousting Juan or Burdisso, say, for a starting spot.

What do you think of Destro? Where is he likely to fit in Zeman's forward line, through the middle, or has he got the attributes to push out wide?

[DavidP]

[RomaShield27]

Why is it likely Osvaldo will leave? I thought any rumours of that were squashed.

And 'selling-club policy' – please elaborate.

[maro]

That's pretty decisive, Davit, if those really are his comments: "I'm a left-sided fullback. I love to be involved in the play and don't mind getting forward to join the attack." I think Chris's piece talks of him as a CB and I remember him as a left-footed player who sort of fell between the two - a little like Chivu, actually, whose natural position is probably on the left side of a back 3.

Osvaldo is not considered incedibile, it seems. If a good offer comes in, he'll be sold. Borini might leave, too, if a good offer comes in.

I've hardly seen Destro play. My guess is that he'd be brought in to play through the middle - to offer physical presence and work-rate and a bit of pace in there. Isn't that where Delvecchio played for Zeman?

[DCGweez]

I think the elephant in the room is what to do with a much slowed 35 yr old in an up tempo, movement-based 4-3-3.

[RomaShield27]

[DavidP]

osvaldo may not leave, but you can be sure that one of our attackers will if destro comes.

whether we will be a selling club for many years to come or whether we are just youth-oriented at this stage of the 'project' i don't know, but all the indications so far are that it's possible that we'll become a major selling club pretty soon. and of course, it's improbable that we'll make profit, or get back what we paid, for osvaldo's were we to keep him now and sell him next summer, when he'd be 27.

[DavidP]

[RomaShield27]

Perhaps, David, we shall see. I would to think that we won't go down that route of selling our promising young players if and when they develop into top-class players. Of course there'll always be some who leave, but we'll need to build on their development in the future.

I guess one of the best things about having a three-man forward-line is that it's open to versatility. If I had to guess I'd say we won't see Totti lining up as one of the 'wide' forwards again, and that now Zeman see's him as the centre-forward. Totti can have good work-rate at times but I doubt if his fitness would allow him to close down and pressurise the opposition defenders throughout a entire game as much Zeman likes his wide forwards to do. I suppose Zeman will be thinking about all this at ritiro, and assessing Totti's condition and fitness and where he can play, but one thing is for certain, there is no way imaginable that Zeman will not play Totti when he is fit.

I see Destro as being able to play vice-Totti in the centre, offering something a little different, and also as one of the wide forwards, as he has a bit of pace about him and good work-rate for a striker.

Osvaldo, similarly, can play out on the sinistra as well as through the middle, but he will require a few slaps from Zeman's cigarette stained hands in ritiro to get his attitude adjusted if he is to work.

Borini and Bojan to run riot out at either destra or sinistra, with Lamela as the joker in the pack, able to work his magic from anywhere.

[DavidP]

[maro]