THE WOLF'S DEN - Tana dei Lupi II

[Jamoldo]

Maro, I it looks like we mainly attacked on the centre and right, with Riise like you said covering a lot of ground (or the whole left side), since I did not see Vuci track back at all (more as a left sided forward perhaps). Looked to me that taddei tuckd in and let cassetti get forward, and added some stability to the right side. So it looked like an understanable tactical choice. Solid but nothingspectacular. Yesterday indeed had some classic 4-2-3-1 characteristics to our play and I think our midfield dominance combined with Parma's "wait and see hit em on the break tactics" made us look very good at the back (and this is not taking away anything from our defenders).

What did people think of Galloppa? I did not notice much of him and it has been so long since I have caught a Roma game that I was too busy trying to watch what we were doing and our tactics more than anything else.

I do agree with you on the Guberti and Cerci's non-use. Okaka was looking good though and its a pity he had to limp off. I think Baptista looked very good coming on (though it was something like a 10 minute cameo)

[maro]

Yes, 'moldy, I think you're right. In that sense it was quite different from the 4-2-3-1 Ranieri set out in Sofia, where Taddei and Vooch really hugged the touchlines. This time there was a bit more room for Cassetti and Riise to overlap - I loved the way Cassetti got forward in the first 15 minutes or so: not, dibdib, because it was Cassetti, but because of the way the passes from Totti to him - so perfectly weighted - reminded me of the way Totti used to link up with Cafu (and Mancini, I guess, when he was playing down the right with Capello). How many of those highlights clips of Totti have him playing first-time balls to Cafu or Mancini down the right-hand corridor, in behind the opposition's defensive line? When Totti has players breaking beyond him it's like watching him in his old trequartista days.

And while it's true, 'moldy, that we didn't suffer all that much defensively because Parma didn't commit all that much going forward, how often did we see Spags's sides totally vulnerable to sides who played on the counter? Ranieri made a comment related to this after the game - that he hadn't wanted us "sbilanciarci" (or whatever the word was) - to over-commit and leave ourselves exposed at the back. Here it is: "Nel primo tempo avevo chiesto di non sbilanciarci troppo, perché la qualità principale del Parma sta nelle ripartenze." I think Ranieri just has the fullbacks committing in slightly different ways - with a bit more of an emphasis on sitting when the other fullback goes forward. And I also get the sense that he's asked Pizarro to take on a few more defensive duties - to cover a bit more in front of the back four in ways I don't think Spags quite asked him to do. It's had the effect of making Pizarro more visible in defence and also of releasing DDR to get forward a little bit more. With Spags, I think the idea was that DDR sat much more exclusively which meant that whenever he was out of position we were exposed. Whatever the reason, we certainly didn't concede chances to Parma on the break in the way we did with Spags to counter-attacking teams like Cagliari and Livorno (or whoever it is I mean).

[Italiamia]

[RomaShield27]

TOTTI RELIEVED INJURY NOT SERIOUS


Roma captain Francesco Totti was relieved to discover his knee injury is not as serious as first thought. The striker picked up a knock on his right knee during Sunday's 2-0 win over Parma and was taken to hospital to undergo tests. The 33-year-old underwent minor surgery on the knee earlier in the season and revealed he feared the worst.

"I was scared but I am happy that it is nothing serious," said Totti. "I think I will be available when the season restarts in the new year."

Totti, who signed a contract extension with Roma until June 2014 last week, was pleased that his club have ended the year on a high note. The triumph over Parma extended Roma's unbeaten run to seven games and lifted the Giallorossi to fourth in the standings.

"It was important to end the year in fourth place," said Totti. "Now the standings are on our side and we must begin the new year with the same rhythm and the same winning mentality."

[maro]

Does this mean we get to class ourselves among i piu attenti?

"4-3-1-2: La scarsa forma degli esterni ha costretto Ranieri a varare una Roma compatta soprattutto in mezzo al campo. Anche Spalletti nei momenti di difficoltà si era affidato a questo schema per poi accantonarlo perché poco adattabile alle caratteristiche di Pizarro. Ranieri ha, inizialmente, adattato il cileno nel ruolo di interno sinistro. De Rossi davanti alla difesa, Brighi o Taddei sul centro destra e Perrotta sulla trequarti completavano il pacchetto di centrocampo. In questo modo la Roma lascia poco spazio allo spettacolo ma guadagna in compattezza e solidità. Ranieri sembra voler utilizzare questo modulo contro gli avversari schierati con una difesa a 3. Potrebbe essere un caso ma ha scelto il rombo proprio nel secondo tempo del derby e contro il Parma. Entrambe le squadre giocano tre centrali e due esterni che fanno entrambe le fasi. Unica differenza tra il precedente rombo e quello di Parma è la disposizione dei giocatori. I più attenti, infatti, avranno notato come Pizarro abbia agito da mediano davanti alla difesa, mentre De Rossi si è sistemato sul centro-sinistra con maggiori compiti di inserimento."

[RomaShield27]

Happy Christmas to all, hope you all have a good holiday and enjoy the festive spirit and have lots of drink and good times (if you celebrate Christmas that is, if you don't, well get drunk anyway). I guess the Christmas break will do the team some good and let them refresh the bones a bit, we've had a pretty tough schedule with a lot of tough games the last couple of months. Hopefully we can have everyone back fit and healthy (not to many mince pies please, coughcough Totti) for the new year and Cagliari away.

Although Burdisso probably won't be having quite a jolly Christmas after he fractured his hand. Rumour has it he glanced at a mirror and saw some tough looking bastard looking back at him and didn't like the look on his face and decided to clean him out. He thought his hand was just bruised but it turned out it turned out to be fractured when he had the doc look at it. Tough cnut. He'll be in a cast for six weeks, which means he'll rip it off after two in time for Cagliari.

Totti has a nice Christmassy-typy message on his official website –

http://www.francescototti.com/home.html

"Friends of www.francescototti.com, thanks to you all we have seen the birth of my new official website. It was a really unforgettable month, which has ended with my comeback to the internet. And then so many other great emotions: the win in the derby, top spot in the Europa League, the climb up the table until we reached fourth place, and most of all, the official announcement of my contract that will tie me to Roma forever: I’ll be giallorosso for life. A dream come true. I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and hope to see you back here any time you want.â€

[Italiamia]

Cicinho asks for Roma exit


ome, Italy (Sportsbooks) - Cicinho has appealed to Roma to grant him his wish of returning home with Sao Paulo in January.
The 29-year-old Brazil international is currently out of the first-team picture at the Serie A outfit and is desperate to return to his former club.

"I have a big desire to play for Sao Paulo and January will be decisive," he said.

"But Roma are unwilling to release me at the moment.

"I want to pull on the Sao Paulo shirt again. That's my will, but the final decision is up to Roma because I am contracted to them."

(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)


December 18, 2009, at 01:16 PM ET

[p_maldini_3]

[Deini]

[aba_bab]

[RomaShield27]

[aba_bab]

[stefano]

[marco]

[Jamoldo]

[Italiamia]

[vtec]

[Lupa]

[Jamoldo]

[Lupa]