THE WOLF'S DEN - Tana dei Lupi II

[maro]

Florenzi's a bit more naturally gifted than Bradley, I'd say - he also has an extra yard or two of pace which is so important in the modern game. One of the other important things about Bradley is that his decision-making is generally pretty accurate. The one thing I didn't like about his game last season was his unwillingness to take responsibility when on the ball - he seemed a bit over-awed, always doing the water-carrier role and getting the ball back to pass it on to someone else who could look to make something happen. That's a good sign in some ways - of discipline, knowing one's role, playing within one's limitations - but you can't have a central midfielder who so completely abnegates responsibility for looking for a pass. His short passes are also careless - not inaccurate, just not crisp enough at times. My instinct is that both of those things will get better as he settles into a team and feels more comfortable and confident within it.

[DCGweez]

I wasn't comparing their talents only their work rate and professionalism. Florenzi is quickly becoming one of my favorite players on the team. He's more direct which we lack and runs his socks off.

Agree on most of your comments, he certainly played hot potato with the ball last year wanting to get rid of it as quickly as he could for lack of confidence with the ball.

[maro]

Sure. I just wanted to add that discipline - with and without the ball - is also important here. Fans (as opposed to a connoisseur such as yourself) tend to find it easier to see effort than to see accuracy of the consistent and unspectacular kind, which is why a player who's defensively disciplined tends to be less appreciated than one who goes flying into tackles but is also thereby drawn out of position more often and so can make life harder for his team-mates. Making good decisions is one of the great gifts a player can have, but is rarely as celebrated as the ability to do a trick etc. etc.

Florenzi might well be a very, very fine player. He has a cutting edge because of his pace and mobility is such a critical factor in the modern game. For me, it's actually one of the reasons DDR's struggled a bit over the past two or three seasons while Marchisio's tended to go from strength to strength. De Rossi's the better all-round player - if used correctly - but the modern game suits Marchisio more.

[DCGweez]

Florenzi reads the game so well and his understanding of the game seems to being growing quickly. So many times in recent years i've watched balls fly into the box to no one. Often times we blame the passer of the ball, but in today's game with so much pressure on the ball they are taught to send it in when they get a few inches of space. We just haven't had the players get on the end of those passes.

Florenzi seems to be that player.

[DCGweez]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer ... ?mobile=no

[maro]

www.forzaroma.info/2013/08/13/de-rossi- ... nte/251984

Weird how much that trouble-maker Osvaldo is appreciated by so many of his team-mates. Perhaps he's less of a knob than we all thought.

[romawi]

I don't really get all the Osvaldo hate. He's a good player, and doesn't really seem to be the disruptive figure that most people are making him out to be. Plus, I think his work-rate is a bit underrated. He tracks back when needed, and runs quite a bit off the ball. I don't see him as lazy as some have been describing him. Roma's better off if he stays, and I hope he does.

[maro]

[romawi]

No, I really do agree with that.

As for Bojan, I don't think he ever got a proper chance with us. I was looking forward to seeing him play for Zeman, where I thought he could have had an opportunity to do really well. A great fit for the front three of a Zeman team, more so than Lamela was. Is Bojan better than Rossi? Tough call, but based on sheer potential, I'd rather have Bojan on the team.

[maro]

I'd say Bojan has small nuts, which is never a good thing. I think at the time we were also talking in terms of a partner for Totti and I thought Bojan was a better fit for that because he seems to me more prepared to run in behind defences. Which made it especially strange to see Allegri using him as a trequartista quite often last season (that is, quite often among those rare occasions on which he used him at all). Not that he did too badly there; it just seemed on the face of it a strange use of him.

[red]

Bojan just isn't much good.

He was only highly thought of because he was able to make a name for himself by coming off the bench to score the fifth goal against whatever shit team Barca were thrashing. See it happen with players who come through at the likes of Celtic pretty regularly.

Bojan will gradually work his way down until he ends up at a vaguely decent La Liga team, which is probably about the right level for him.

[romawi]

[red]

Bojan's problem may be more to do with mentality - as Maro suggested - rather than ability, but I just can't see him ever having enough about him to be an important player for a team that is expecting to win things.

[DCGweez]

Bojan=Small Nuts big Talent.

Barca, Milan and Roma have all tried to unlock his talent and found that a weak mind defeats beautiful feet every time.

[arthurfonzarelli]

[maro]

I've not seen much, Chewna, but I think I quite like the balance that Garcia seems to be bringing to the team. There was quite a nice observation by someone or other on this on forzaroma earlier today - he doesn't seem to have quite the same singleminded eccentricities tactically that we saw with LE and Zeman. It looks like he gets players forward, which is nice, but in a way that doesn't leave the team completely exposed (midfield runners through the middle rather than in-to-out). And everyone has big things to say about Strootman, which makes me think that we've got what looks like a pretty strong midfield, so long as no-one is shipped out. It might be one of the most technical midfields we've had in a while, and DDR alongside Strootman and Pjanic ought to make you miss Pizza a bit less, since DDR can do the sitting role without having to do all the construction of play. I don't understand what he thinks our front three is going to be - I can't believe Totti-Lamela-Gervinho is stronger than Totti-Osvaldo-Lamela or, indeed, Totti-Destro-Lamela, but I guess one has to back the coach. Defensively you'd think we're a bit short of pace, but having proper protection in front and proper shape will cover for that a bit. And then if it turns out to be Benatia-Jedvaj through the middle we may be quicker than we fear anyway. Oh, and it looks as though we might see De Sanctis, Balzaretti, De Rossi, Florenzi, Totti, Destro in many games, which would make for a nicely Italian spine.

[maro]

And then, of course, there's the question of whether Pjanic, Lamela, and Osvaldo will all be with the club come the beginning of the season. If they're not, in each case the club will be the weaker for it, though I take Fonz's point that Osvaldo may be beyond the tipping-point with club and tifosi.

[DCGweez]

You're overboard in your defense of Ozzy. His transgression have been overblown but not created from others imaginations.

Also, his teammates have been asked about him in interviews and press conferences. The day you take PC comments and interview statements as outright truth, I have some swamp land to sell you in Florida.

[maro]

[AS Collie]