THE WOLF'S DEN - Tana dei Lupi II

[red]

Roma, especially De Rossi and Pizarro, were remarkably sluggish.

A total lack of pace in the movement of the ball makes it incredibly hard to break down a packed defence.

It was very like watching Ranieri's Juve. Roma looked incapable of creating a clear chance, while looking like conceding a goal on the counter attack.

[stefano]

Totti looked quicker than he has in years. I'm hoping that's not simply because everyone else is still out of shape.

[maro]

Pizza and DDR are probably the most behind in terms of their fitness, red - so their lack of sharpness shouldn't really have been all that surprising.

[Italiamia]

I wish you rubentus "fans" would shut the hell up about Ranieri's Roma looking like Ranieri's rubentus. I thought that was put to rest last season. Just worry about your cheating, thieving, Waterboy sucking team and leave us to worry about Roma.

[red]

[stefano]

[red]

[red]

[Italiamia]

Well it's true Stefano. They don't talk about Ferrara's rubentus or Zaccheroni's rubentus, they still go on about Ranieri's rubentus. They are like a broken fucking record. One shite performance on the first game of the season and according to the Gobbi fans, now Roma is back to looking like the rubentus of 2 years ago. I am fucking sick of it.

[Italiamia]

[maro]

red, Pizza only returned to training, following injury, last Friday. DDR was the last player to rejoin the squad after the WC and has been observed to be showing the effects of a very long last season. The difference between Ranieri's Roma and his Rubentus, in my seldom quite humble opinion, is that unfit, on one leg, struggling to get the pace of things, playing as badly as they can, DDR and Pizza are about as good as the players he had at Rubentus when playing to their very best. When those two - who are quite clearly two of the best, most important elements of our side - are firing on all cylinders the side will look rather different.

[Lupa]

I couldn't believe it when I saw chris' offside post about this being a guaranteed 3 points. How can you say that, knowing Roma and small teams? Argh. Anyway, the one positive to be taken is that Totti did indeed look good, but I wondered (as stefano wondered) if it's just because everyone else looked out of shape. I have to admit I was wondering what Taddei would bring when he came in, and the answer was 'true wing play' and some decent balls in.

It was funny when the guys on The Score said that Appiah would be really the one name fans of Serie A would recognize, and I immediately thought 'well, there is the keeper ....'

[p_maldini_3]

[Carlo Romano]

Tom, ever since I read Ranieri say he couldn't understand why Lobont plays so much better on the training ground than in an actual match, I possibly paid more attention to his work than I might have otherwise done. That statement was made, if we remember, just after the Paris mini tournament. Friendlies are what they are but they still require players to concentrate and decide quickly what they will do. I thought in some of those nine or so games that Lobont looked that split second late in making his moves. The Inter match made my mind up for me. Nerves. The guy has trouble handling the pressure.

But hey, you're right to consider me as a fan rather than a tactician. I've admitted to that since I first came here, never made a secret of the fact.

Anyway, I'm not that long home from work and can only comment on the extended highlights I saw of last night's match with the Cesenate...which may have made it look better entertainment than it possibly was "live." Some excellent goalkeeping by Antonioli our ex, bad luck, a case of not meant to be, call it what we like but the truth is we ought to have at least got a goal to take the three points. Neither the Rai nor the Roma Uno panelists spared our defence in their criticism, "Too static and nervous." For that reason in itself I'm glad we have finally brought Nico Burdisso "home" and I have to say at this moment in time I don't care who is dropped to make way for him. His organisation at the back is sorely missed.

I'm also concerned that De Rossi has been below par for some time now and perhaps going to South Africa did him no favours when maybe he could have used a good rest. In hindsight he'd have been better off going on holiday! I agree once again with Ranieri who considers our team should be further ahead than it is in terms of fitness and after all those friendlies those guys ought to be.

Steve is right to say Totti looks sharp and active, it's no illusion, but unfortunately neither is the fact the group as a whole isn't yet up to match fitness!

We could conceivably be into November before Adriano is able to contribute to the team even in something like the way we hope to see him do, so we know we are relying on the same bunch of lads as last time around to get us through, which also means we must be prepared to accept the same mistakes and shortcomings of last season could happen again. Quite how her ladyship could even dare suggest the present Newco management in which she has 51% control can be the best way forward for Roma, I don't know. The most miserable mercato di Roma in many, many years makes a laughing stock of her business acumen! Our rivals are strengthening around us and from the thirty or so mins of highlights I saw, it looked like we very much needed our old timers Perrotta and Totti to provide inspiration. They should now be an added bonus to a group of new stars...

OK, maybe this was a case of "on another night it would have worked for us," but would Juve and Milan with whom we will be fighting for second, third, and fourth places in Serie A have been held to a 0-0 in their own back yard by the Cesenate? If I hadn't already known the score before I watched, my heart would have been in my mouth a couple of times when we were extremely lucky not to concede a goal. With that said, perhaps luck was on our side last night...

[Italiamia]

Very nicely said Carlo. Unfortunately, this is going to be another season where nothing is won, nothing is gained, and our boys get a year older. Cesena is a B team and we go out and wet the bed before the home fans once again. After tomorrow, Roma will be down 2 points to rubentus, Inter and Milan along with a few others.

Where are we going. As the gazzetta said: "subito due punti persi"; so what else is new. Losing points to these shit teams cost us what? At least 3 scudetti? I'm already disgusted.


I see that cockroach Ibrahimovic went to Milan on loan.

[Carlo Romano]

Soul destroying, amico! But you and I have seen this before and thank God even now isn't yet worse (at least publicly) than the middle 1990's. We know we can only wait until we are in a position to improve/build a new team on the foundations of the old.

Ibra...let's see what he does for Milan. It's just my opinion but I think Inter gained a better player by swapping him for Eto'o! Mediaset on the other hand are of the opinion that a Pato-Ibrahimovic-Ronaldinho tridente now puts Milan on a par with Inter. I will have to see that proved before I believe it.

[Giacomo]

I believe it, especially because Inter also lost Balotelli.

[maro]

Don't worry, Carlo - what am I if not also a tifoso? In large part it's difficult to assess keepers' quality because the supply of evidence is so much scarcer over the course of each 90 minutes. I'm not trying to claim I'm some kind of better judge - that would be horse-shit; rather, I just think in general fans' opinions are exaggerated and cliched, making meagre evidence fit their preconceptions. You may well be spot-on on Lobont; I'm just surprised that you seem able to draw such decisive conclusions on such a basis.

It seems to me hard to argue that Lobont struggles with pressure if you're saying that his weaknesses were already visible in the pre-season friendlies? And it would also be slightly tough to judge a keeper's reflexes in preseason when it goes without saying that all players are going to be short of their sharpest.

Soul-destroying? You two old farts are so impatient and so greedy. Anyone would think you were lying about your advanced years.

[Italiamia]

Impatient and greedy? What are you smoking over there Tommaso. Two scudetti in my lifetime, 3 in the history of the club, and countless lost for lack of mental toughness and urgency. I have seen to much to know that I have seen enough. For all of the things that you can call me, impatient and greedy, when it comes to Roma, are not among them. Give it another 15 years Tommaso, or when you allegedly reach the age of 50. Then we can talk. You are still a infant when it comes to consistent Roma loserdom.

[maro]

I just thought age and experience might have reconciled you to your lot as a Romanista and yet still you continue to chafe against the good Lord's constraints.