THE WOLF'S DEN - Tana dei Lupi II

[arthurfonzarelli]

Not sure where this belongs but: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYgL_Ps-25A perhaps in the transfer rumours tread?

[Italiamia]

[DavidP]

so benatia is as good as gone. i think they're waiting to tie up a replacement before they ship him off like they did with dodo. for 40m i say good riddance.

[DCGweez]

What makes you think he's as good as gone? Who's left for him? Munchen right? That's it that i can see now that City bought Mangala.

We have all the leverage as he's just signed a contract. He seems to hate Saba but i think he'd play hard if put on the team with De Rossi and the boys.

[DavidP]

roma has very little leverage. even the most stubborn coach wouldn't field a player that doesn't have his head in the right place. you trust a player who pulled what benatia just did to "play hard if put on the team with De Rossi and the boys?"

[DCGweez]

I think Benatia is a competitor and that he cares for his teammates. I also think his grudge is with Saba, will he be last years Benatia? Probably not. But even 80% of Benatia is good enough.

[maro]

It's a weird feeling not starting the season with a new coach. Such stability. Plenty of time to rip up the squad and start again, I suppose.

[maro]

Here we are, then, at Davit's favourite time of the season - when he's free to speculate with wild abandon about what a midfield with DDR, Pjanic, Pastore, Verratti, and Eriksen would look like (other than prematurely balding). The burning questions, really, are quite how Rolando or Basa could replace Benatia. Whether Florenzi can reinvent himself as a proper midfielder on Garcia's terms or is going to be used as part-exchange for a proper wing-forward like Cuadrado, who doesn't just attack space but can also beat a man with the ball at his feet. Whether Romagnoli's going to be at the club come the end of August and, if so, how many minutes he's going to see in the coming season. And what's going to happen to Sanabria and Paredes - are they part of the midfield mix or options further up? And are they really options at all? Benatia for Balanta? Ljajic for Yarmolenko? Destro for Martinez? Your guess is as good as mine - and so the football merry-go-round goes its merry way.

[maro]

UGO TRANI (Rete Sport): “Secondo me è quasi scontato che Florenzi vada via. Si stanno muovendo troppe pedine in avanti”.

GALOPEIRA (Teleradiostereo): “Noi ci renderemo conto tra qualche anno di quello che è successo ieri tra le 20 e mezzanotte. Conte rimane solo se si vince e ha capito che quest’anno forse non si vince. Conte va via perché la Roma prende Iturbe. Garcia sì che è un uomo che è venuto a Roma a prendere una squadra in brandelli e si è caricato il gruppo sulle spalle. Su Iturbe è il messaggio ai tifosi juventini che è importante. Se la Roma ufficializzasse Iturbe sarebbe una pagina nuova di sport. Questa è una mossa da grande Roma”

[arthurfonzarelli]

Worried about Florenzi as well but what Ugo Trani says is usually garbage.
Anyway, let's run a pool on what maro will nickname Iturbe:

I'm going with I-Turbo

[maro]

30 mil for Iturbe? That's an insane wodge of money for 'merely' a predestinato. I guess, as ever these days, it in part comes down to wages - because he's still so young, he's not on big money, so that the fee bears comparison with someone of rather more proven stature like Sanchez, but there the transfer fee is only one part of a rather more substantial outlay. What is Iturbe? Skilful, hard-working, quick? A true modern-day 4-3-3 wing-forward? That all sounds likely - better technically than Florenzi; better technically (finishing; passing; constructing play) than Gervinho. Another player, though, who will get back behind the ball and then be devastating on the break? I suppose we should be delighted, at the very least, that we're the ones splashing 30 mil for such a kid - rather than passing on Lamela and Marquinhos to reel in such sums.

It is hard to see where the young Romans are going to fit in, though - Keita as the fifth-choice central midfielder looks a big step up on Rodrigo but that doesn't leave too many minutes for anyone else; Gervinho, Destro, Totti, Iturbe are all likely to be ahead of Florenzi in the front three, even if Ljajic isn't or isn't around to be. And Romagnoli's going to be lucky to be fourth-choice CB - if he hasn't already been handed off to Verona as some whispers have it.

Iturbe's a tricky one, Fonz. There are probably a couple of half-decent Latin puns in there which time may draw forth in its own irresistible way.

[DCGweez]

I think it's an insane amount of money for him. I like his pace and his quick shot though. He proved last year that he could play and pass with another forward (Toni)

I suspect with Conte out that James is gonna go for it. He's a fund manager after all and this seems like a time to invest and get a return.

I think this team is now at the point where we can't spend 10m and hope to have a player that can start, particularly up front.

It does make you wonder how many minutes Totti, Florenzi, Destro, Gervs and Iturbe will get.

[Italiamia]

Let's not forget we are competing in the CL this year so we need bodies and people that can provide something in that endeavor. I will not be satisfied unless we win the scudetto this year. I think paying that kind of money for Iturbe means that Benatia is probably gone.

[maro]

Playing in the CL will certainly stretch the squad - no European football was the main reason we got away with such thin midfield resources last season. I think that means you need depth 2-deep (which means that the fifth forward and fifth midfielder will see a lot more minutes which in turn means one can have a deeper squad even as one needs to). Still, I'm not sure the fifth and sixth-choice options across the midfield three and up top are going to start a hell of a lot of games. That might be okay if you're a kid like Paredes or Sanabria, prepared to bide your time for a year. I'm not sure it'll do for Florenzi or Ljajic.

I suspect you're right on Benatia, too - that that money has been spent ahead of time and that he'll be replaced with much cheaper options.

[DCGweez]

I understand that CL football will test the squad. Still i think Ale and Ucan will not be happy sitting the bench most weeks and starting against Sassuolo.

I think that if you look at James like fund manager he doesn't mind investing a lot in guys like Iturbe who he views as an investment he'll sell for 50m in 3 years.

That gives me hope that we may not be spending Benatia money. Perhaps i'm just deceiving myself.

[maro]

So much of the early talk was of Ucan being immediately loaned out, but those whispers seem to have died away for the moment. It will certainly be interesting to see what happens to him and to Paredes and Sanabria too - what chances they get; what roles they're given within the squad. Keita and Cole may contribute a great deal this season, but such players certainly come at the expense of chances for younger kids.

[DCGweez]

I get the sense that Ucan is set to play quite a bit. I think he's Pjanic's leftenant or however you Poms say it.

[maro]

That would be interesting - and it certainly sounds as though he's started well and clearly he's a technically creative midfielder. That might have some implications for Paredes in particular, I think. One of the things I like about the Iturbe signing is that he is a winger - whereas Lamela, for me, is probably a trequartista/second forward who's happier picking the ball up in the middle of the pitch. Having the same coach for two seasons running, of course, means that there can be a little more continuity and organisation in the signing of players to suit a particular way of playing. Similarly, I'd say Ljajic prefers to come and get the ball and to link up with it at his feet.

[DCGweez]

Agreed, Lamela always seemed out of place on the wing. While he had the physical attributes to play the position it didn't seem a natural fit.

I'm interested to see what Rudi does with all these parts. Seems we'll find out as much about him as a manager as we will about all the new players.

We saw some tweaks to the 4-3-3 at times last year but i wonder if he won't try to bring install a second formation.

[maro]

MAX LEGGERI (Radio Manà Manà Sport): “Ottimo l’acquisto di Iturbe. Ora sono abbastanza sicuro che Ljajic andrà via. Garcia vuole giocatori di gamba, che danno equilibrio e che vanno in profondità. Ljajc non eccelle in nessuna di queste tre caratteristiche, Florenzi invece si”.

I suppose the only thing to add to that is that without Totti, Ljajic (and Pjanic) is the only real playmaker across the front line. The balance becomes rather different if all three are giocatori di gamba che vanno in profondita'.