Serie A Thread - 2014/15 Season

[lo zio]

Re: Serie A Thread

Do you think Lazio will sign him permenantly there has been no news over here about him.

there are no news here too about bianchi's future. he did pretty well, anyway.

can you help me with parma starting eleven and tactial formation (ignoring all injuries). thex mix too much so i cannot see whati is their "most accurrate" starting 11 and formation. why corradi hasn't been playing lately? he's the captain of the team.

there was no such thing as a most accurate starting 11 indeed, as both di carlo and cuper changed the line up almost every week (and this definitely didn't help parma at all).
however this one should be close to it.

--------------------------lucarelli
--------------------------(or budan)
---------------------------------------reginaldo
--gasbarroni

------------dessena------cigarini------morrone

castellini-----------rossi--------falcone---------coly

--------------------------bucci


i can't believe such a team got relegated..... really says a lot about serie a's quality this season.

budan is on his way to palermo (finally) and someone will definitely buy lucarelli, gasbarroni, dessena and cigarini as they're just too good to stay in serie b (it will be already hard enough for parma to keep reginaldo, pisanu, parravicini, corradi and rossi).


seems like juve is trying to get alonso. not a bad move, but i'd rather get ledesma from lazio.
still talking about playmakers, it seems palermo is really close to sign liverani () on a free transfer!!!!

 

[Sabac Red]

Re: Serie A Thread

Liverpool have been linked with Dessena, i'm guesing
he could fill the gap that would be left by Alonso(maybe),
Lucas and Masch going off to the olympics.

Liverani gets around doesn't he...

 

[Aboutreika18]

Re: Serie A Thread

Liverpool have been linked with Dessena, i'm guesing
he could fill the gap that would be left by Alonso(maybe),
Lucas and Masch going off to the olympics.

Liverani gets around doesn't he...

Dessena is a left back. :-pp

 

[Sabac Red]

Re: Serie A Thread

Ha funny, yeah we've been linked
with both players of E and O.

 

[Dominic]

Re: Serie A Thread

Dossena is Udinese's leftback, Dessena is the Parma midfielder. You've been linked with the leftback.

Edit: @Ben: I reckon Liverani would fit in well with Palermo, to fill the void left by Corini. And I know you're a fan of both players.

Ledesma over Alons.. no way man! I'd certainly prefer Alonso.

 

[cfdh_edmundo]

Re: Serie A Thread

Is the Coppa Italia final tomorrow ? Is it one leg or two legs ? And where is it being played ?? Napoli ??

 

[Milanista]

Re: Serie A Thread

Its in the Olimpico, and yes it is 2 legs.

 

[lo zio]

Re: Serie A Thread

lol, dossena and dessena in a premiership club! i reckon it would be a nightmare for any british commentator "dossena flying along the left side, he sees dessena, looking for a 1-2, dessena gets the ball, back to dossena, dessena cuts inside, dossena assists for dessena.. goal!"...

Sabac, dessena couldn't fill alonso's shoes as he's a different kind of player. cigarini is parma's playmaker. dessena is more similar to aquilani. he's very powerful and has a great balance (despite not being really a giant), brutal acceleration, fantastic cutting inside ability and a great shot. he has a good technique, even for the italian standards, but his "touch" nowhere near aquilani's or montolivo's one.
he has not an impressive dribbling, but that's not a big deal, coz thanks to his acceleration and awareness he's a master in cutting inside the box.
he has just 2 flaws. first of all, sometimes he falls asleep (but afterall inconsistence is quite a prerogative for young talented players, and i think he will get better, talking about this matter).
the other problem for dessena has a name.... actually many names; aquilani, montolivo, marchisio, cigarini; 4 guys who have almost his same age (some are a bit younger, some a bit older) who play in his same position and are unbelievably good... so good to "obscure" dessena's star.

nontheless the guy was still able to reach a starter spot in italy's under 21 and to get the attention of many top clubs (last season he was linked to juve, inter and real).
imo he's ready for a top club, but it would be better for him not to reach it, as in a top club he wouldn't be a starter (not yet, at least) and wouldn't get the playtime he needs to grow well and correct his flaws.

Edit: @Ben: I reckon Liverani would fit in well with Palermo, to fill the void left by Corini. And I know you're a fan of both players.

i would love to see him playing together with nocerino. that would be quite a midfield!! besides liverani is exactly what we need. he can give us what we lacked of this season: a plot, a dna, a well defined idea of football (wich was our most important issue since corini left).
those 2 guys could build a very good and balanced partnership.... not as great as the corini-barone partnership was, but still a very good duo.

Ledesma over Alons.. no way man! I'd certainly prefer Alonso.

i'm not saying ledesma is a better player than alonso... but they're different kind of playmakers, and i feel ledesma would suit better juventus.

u see alonso is a fantastic passer, but he's a "creative-playmaker". he doesn't give geometry and structure to the team, he give artistic flair to the team. infact the one who gives geometry and structure to liverpool is mascherano, and that's the real reason why the little argentinian became so important for liverpool.

to make a comparison, xabi is a pirlo-like playmaker (andrea of course is 1 thousand times better, has a better touch, a better dribbling, a better shot, an unbelievable vision..... but it doesn't matter, they belong to the same "playmaking school").

ledesma instead is a xavi-like playmaker (or a pizarro-like). he has not the same artistic flair alonso has, but, unlike alonso, he can give geometry and structure.
besides he's a better cutting inside ability, scores more often, and partecipate to the game even during non-ball-possession phases. ledesma infact is a good coverer too, he moves back to help the defence, and this is an important factor, coz u (i mean juventus) got used to a pretty easy and cheap football this season, by lining up 2 defensive midfielders.
this line up made your football look a bit boring, slow and predictable at times, but also offered to the defence a fantastic coverage.
juventus "pass-filtering midfield" was a big factor this season, and was also the reason why chiellini and legrottaglie always felt so confortable.

now if u get alonso, u will certainly gain something in terms of quality, but your defensive line will definitely "feel the difference".

going for alonso, imo, would mean also looking for 2 proper cbs, coz no way chiellini, legrottaglie or andrade will be able to hold an unprotected defence.

i know now u'll mention sissoko's fantastic impact in juve, and u're right.... but sissoko is still just a man, and he can't be in 2 places at the same time

however i'm not saying alonso wouldn't be a great buy. he definitely would be a fantastic sign.... i just think ledesma might be more useful..... and cheap

Is the Coppa Italia final tomorrow ? Is it one leg or two legs ? And where is it being played ?? Napoli ??

from this season on the final will be a single match (not 2 stef ) and it will be played in Roma, which will be considered neutral turf (wich means that half of the tickets will go to the interisti and the other half to the romanisti).
i'm so looking foward to this match!

 

[Milanista]

Re: Serie A Thread

Barzagli to Viola. FIorentina are looking stronger and stronger. I think they'll get Gilardino and Vargas next.

 

[lo zio]

Re: Serie A Thread

Barzagli to Viola. FIorentina are looking stronger and stronger. I think they'll get Gilardino and Vargas next.

with Corvino in charge they will strengthen the squad even more, no doubt about it.

if i would be zamparini, i would trade amauri for Corvino. no money, no other players, just him..... but i think Della Valle wouldn't let Pantaleo Corvino leave, not even for Amauri

 

[Dominic]

Re: Serie A Thread

i'm not saying ledesma is a better player than alonso... but they're different kind of playmakers, and i feel ledesma would suit better juventus.

u see alonso is a fantastic passer, but he's a "creative-playmaker". he doesn't give geometry and structure to the team, he give artistic flair to the team. infact the one who gives geometry and structure to liverpool is mascherano, and that's the real reason why the little argentinian became so important for liverpool.

to make a comparison, xabi is a pirlo-like playmaker (andrea of course is 1 thousand times better, has a better touch, a better dribbling, a better shot, an unbelievable vision..... but it doesn't matter, they belong to the same "playmaking school").

ledesma instead is a xavi-like playmaker (or a pizarro-like). he has not the same artistic flair alonso has, but, unlike alonso, he can give geometry and structure.
besides he's a better cutting inside ability, scores more often, and partecipate to the game even during non-ball-possession phases. ledesma infact is a good coverer too, he moves back to help the defence, and this is an important factor, coz u (i mean juventus) got used to a pretty easy and cheap football this season, by lining up 2 defensive midfielders.
this line up made your football look a bit boring, slow and predictable at times, but also offered to the defence a fantastic coverage.
juventus "pass-filtering midfield" was a big factor this season, and was also the reason why chiellini and legrottaglie always felt so confortable.

now if u get alonso, u will certainly gain something in terms of quality, but your defensive line will definitely "feel the difference".

going for alonso, imo, would mean also looking for 2 proper cbs, coz no way chiellini, legrottaglie or andrade will be able to hold an unprotected defence.

i know now u'll mention sissoko's fantastic impact in juve, and u're right.... but sissoko is still just a man, and he can't be in 2 places at the same time

however i'm not saying alonso wouldn't be a great buy. he definitely would be a fantastic sign.... i just think ledesma might be more useful..... and cheap

It may be a cheap conclusion, but Ledesma has an Almiron syndrom written all over him. If we were to go for the cheap alternative again, we are better off keeping Zanetti in the starting line-up. Zanetti's 'dirty' work is second to few (supreme coverage and positional sense) and he was the one that added structure to juve's midfield. Not to mention he was one Serie A's topassisters this season ( I think only Pizzarro and Lavezzi had more), incredible considering his role.

Alonso's defensive work may not be as excellent as Zanetti's, but he adds the creativity and technique we sorely lacked in Camoranesi's absence. We can't keep relying solely on Camoranesi for creativity. Alonso would improve build-up play and possesion play incredibly. Early this season Nocerino and Zanetti did well to protect Chiellini and Legrottaglie, but especially Nocerino's misspassing and lack of basic footballing qualities created as many chances for the opposition as his destructive work prevented.

But back to the topic :mrgreen:. I simply think Ledesma would not be good enough. Alonso would bring the team to a higher level, while Ledesma would not. I reckon Alonso's defensive work is superiour to that of Ledesma. Ledesma is better physically, but I often notice him being late and having to make reckless challenges. Whereas Alonso is a player who plays with his brain, defensively too. He is able to play creatively from a deep defensive position, assuring that he covers space in midfield.

Besides in Nedved and Camoranesi we have players that do abnormally well in disrupting opponents' attacks.

 

[lo zio]

Re: Serie A Thread

all your points are pretty good actually, except the almiron comparison.

u see, almiron is quite an unique player. i've never seen such a shy player. did u see his first press conference as a juve player last summer? he wasn't able to say a word, and then said to the journalists "u have to forgive me but this is my first press conference and i'm a bit shy"

almiron lacks of personality, wich is historically the most important feature of juve players.
ledesma isn't like that. he already proved himself on the big stage (champions league) he got used to handle the "big player in a big team" role (lazio is a big team and roma is one of the toughest place to play football talking about fans expectations) and he proved he has the guts to carry a team on his shoulders (as u can clearely notice the difference in lazio's football, when ledesma is injured or suspended).

u said something very true about zanetti (who is one of the most underrated player in italy); he's the one who gave structure to juve this season and he could build a fantastic partnership with alonso (as good as the mascherano-alonso partnership). but after seeing sissoko's impact, i can't see zanetti being a starter next season. and this means that, with an alonso-sissoko midfield duo, juventus would have a great "decorator" and a great "bricklayer"...... but not an engineer, wich is more important than both the decorator and the bricklayer.

with a world class defensive line behind them (like barzagli-zapata, or felipe-zapata) this wouldn't be a big problem..... but with andrade and chiellini (or legrottaglie).... ehm :anx:

about the ledesma not being good enough for juve argument.... i think u're underestimating ledesma... a lot.

i think it's also a matter of context. alonso is a fantastic player, no doubt about it. but u also have to consider that in premiership he's quite an unique player, as there are not many pure playmakers in premiership.
here in serie a almost every team as a playmaker (conti, edusei, liverani, ledesma, pirlo, cigarini, codrea, pizarro, barreto, corini, d'agostino, volpi, ect...). the competition is terrific and to be a serie a-worthy playmaker u really have to be somebody. players like corini, liverani, conti, giannini, albertini, they would have become legends in england, if they would have played in premiership.... while here they're almost "normal".
besides here all the playmakers are also "structure-raising" players. u can't be just a "pure deep-lying passing" playmaker here (as alonso is)... u also have to give geometry.
we have ony one pure passing playmaker; pirlo. but he's so ubelievably good that it doesn't really matters.

nontheless take a look at milan. they have an artist and a bricklayer at midfield..... and until they had an immense defense they were (by far) the best team in europe.
now that stam is gone, now that both nesta and kaladze became a bit too injkury prone, look how many troubles they're facing in defense.

 

[Dominic]

Re: Serie A Thread

Agreed about Almiron.

What inspires me about a Sissoko-Alonso partnership is that it worked very well for Liverpool, it dismanteld so many topsides in Europe and since then Sissoko has only improved and our wingers are superiour to those that Liverpool had at the time. 'Nedved/Giovinco- Alonso- Sissoko- Camoranesi' should be one of Europe's best midfields. It's harsh on Zanetti to bench him, after the season he's had, but frankly it'll be a long season and he'll still get to play a lot.

About the defence. I have confidence in Chiellini there and I agree that Legrottaglie isn't that great, but he has great chemistry with Chiellini that makes up for a lot. He covers for Chiellini's shortcomings(mostly as a consequence of having little experience at CB) and vice versa. Chiellini will continue to grow in his role and i'm sure he can become one of europe's topdefenders.

Andrade I consider damaged goods, I have zero expectations of him. But Mellberg is coming in. He may not be among the top 10 cb's in the world, but i'm sure he'll be a very good addition in the middle. Experienced, coolheaded and good physical qualities. Maybe Chiellini and Mellberg's athletic abilities can mask the (small) lack of talent. :lol:

 

[Abhishek]

Re: Serie A Thread

lol, dossena and dessena in a premiership club! i reckon it would be a nightmare for any british commentator "dossena flying along the left side, he sees dessena, looking for a 1-2, dessena gets the ball, back to dossena, dessena cuts inside, dossena assists for dessena.. goal!"...

More likely, they'll call dossena and dessena and vice versa. You know English commentators :-pp

to make a comparison, xabi is a pirlo-like playmaker (andrea of course is 1 thousand times better, has a better touch, a better dribbling, a better shot, an unbelievable vision..... but it doesn't matter, they belong to the same "playmaking school").

I agree that Pirlo is a better player, but let's not go over the top :-pp

Certainly not a 1 thousand time better player anyways. Maybe a level or two below where Pirlo is.

I get your point about Alonso, but then one thing you're forgetting about Alonso. He has a chemistry with Momo, and it's really good. They were the best CM partnership in England a couple of years ago. More important than anything, it's the partnership between the two, and believe me, it was really, really good until Momo got the injury. Momo looks to back in form, and I think Serie A would be perfect for Alonso (and Momo). Much slower, and Xabi has a lot more time to display his skills. And whatever you may say, Xabi is not that much behind Pirlo. A full form Xabi, IMO, is the 2nd best playmaker (of their type) in the world behind a full form Pirlo.

So, we can talk about the tactics, and the shape of the team, but the most important thing, the chemsitry, is already there between Momo and Xabi

Obviously, I'd rather we not sell Alonso all together

Oh, and btw, Udinese manager says the Liverpool deal is almost done for Dossena. 8M is a lot of money for a left back. I've been raving about him in Liverpool forums after what you told me, so he better be good. Otherwise it's your fault :-pp

Wouldn't mind if was a level or two below the level Evra is in now

 

[Sabac Red]

Re: Serie A Thread

Serie A would suit Alonso's game more as he will have more time on the
ball. Defensively I don't rate Alonso, yes he's not afraid to put a tackle
in but there are times where he goes in with a half-hearted attempts(see Barnsleys FA Cup winning goal) and I think he is better off left deep
due to lack of pace.


edusei playmaker? Seen him twice thought he was
a dirty worker type midfielder?

 

[lo zio]

Re: Serie A Thread

But Mellberg is coming in. He may not be among the top 10 cb's in the world....

neither among the top 20... or 30 i'd say :-pp

I agree that Pirlo is a better player, but let's not go over the top

Certainly not a 1 thousand time better player anyways. Maybe a level or two below where Pirlo is.

it's just a matter of semantics, my friend . i have an huge respect for alonso, but i think pirlo is that kind of player that born just once in an entire generation (as rivera, redondo, zidane or baggio).

about the alonso-sissoko chemistry, u definitely made a good point, and u're right, i actually didn't consider it (as i should have).

Oh, and btw, Udinese manager says the Liverpool deal is almost done for Dossena. 8M is a lot of money for a left back. I've been raving about him in Liverpool forums after what you told me, so he better be good. Otherwise it's your fault

Wouldn't mind if was a level or two below the level Evra is in now

lol
well, just to save my ass in case of failure, i'll remind u i also wrote this

...he had a continuous growth in the last 3 years, but i don't know if he can become even better than he is now.

wich means that he's definitely a very, very good player, but i'm not sure if he can keep growing and reach a "top class" level.

however i would be very surprised if pozzo (udinese president) and leonardi(sporting director) would sell dossena this summer.... anyway, u never know

edusei playmaker? Seen him twice thought he was
a dirty worker type midfielder?

and actually u're right, that's his real nature. but this season, with baldini in charge at catania, he was told to take care of the "plays construction" too (in many matches). and i have to say, he was better than many pure playmakers (at times).
he's like cambiasso, not an artist, a structural playmaker. he can't do what liverani, corini, d'agostino, alonso do; but he proved he can do (almost) what ledesma can do.
he's nowhere near as good as the players i just mentioned, of course, but still what he did this season deserves credit.

guidolin tried to do the same thing with simplicio (who is extremely more talented and classy than edusei), since this season we lost corini. simplicio is different from edusei, he's an offensive midfielder, but still (like edusei) he's not a playmaker..... Nontheless, unlike edusei, when asked to become palermo's lighthouse, simplicio failed.

however, on second thought, u're right, edusei shouldn't be mentioned as a playmaker. he just had playmaking duties for this season (and not even in every match) and definitely he's a completely different player from the likes of conti, volpi, cigarini, corini, d'agostino, etc...

 

[MadbaLL]

Re: Serie A Thread

there was no such thing as a most accurate starting 11 indeed, as both di carlo and cuper changed the line up almost every week (and this definitely didn't help parma at all).
however this one should be close to it.

--------------------------lucarelli
--------------------------(or budan)
---------------------------------------reginaldo
--gasbarroni

------------dessena------cigarini------morrone

castellini-----------rossi--------falcone---------coly

--------------------------bucci

tnx! is gasbarroni always playing on the left side of middlefiled? and what about pisanu? i thought he's their first choice left side middlefielder... and is cigarini first choice (along with morrone) in the central middlefiled over paraviccini?

 

[Aboutreika18]

Re: Serie A Thread

But Mellberg is coming in. He may not be among the top 10 cb's in the world, but i'm sure he'll be a very good addition in the middle. Experienced, coolheaded and good physical qualities. Maybe Chiellini and Mellberg's athletic abilities can mask the (small) lack of talent. :lol:

I know he is not one of the best defenders in the world but he makes a good squad player for Juve as he can also play at RB, where he played almost of all of this season, without moaning at the manager for being out of position. He is a consistent performer as well and has a professional attitude that can only benefit Juve.

 

[lo zio]

Re: Serie A Thread

yep bash it, i agree with your portrait: a good professional, a squad player, and a very versatile defender

....Chiellini will continue to grow in his role and i'm sure he can become one of europe's topdefenders....

i don't know. definitely he has room for improvements and he might actually become a good cb, even for the italian standards... but a top class cb? i honestly don't think so.
tbh i think his role change was really a shame as he was already on his way to become a world class left back (and that's for sure), and i can't help thinking he's wasting his talent playing in the centre.

just look at his situation in italy national team, for example. in italy's depth chart cannavaro, barzagli, materazzi, panucci....are already ahead of him, and i can already see gamberini jumping all over him next season..... not to mention canini, who lost his place just coz of his injury (talking about technique, as a cb canini is already miles ahead of chiellini).

as a left back instead, just grosso would be ahead of him, as pasqual still has to prove himself and dossena and modesto are still a bit behind him.....
and if u consider grosso didn't have really a great season, chiellini could already be a starter (maybe) :-ll

tnx! is gasbarroni always playing on the left side of middlefiled? and what about pisanu? i thought he's their first choice left side middlefielder... and is cigarini first choice (along with morrone) in the central middlefiled over paraviccini?

gasba can play on both sides (he used to play on the right in palermo.... with great results!) but he always played on the left this season, as reginaldo is the starter on the right.
pisanu played many matches too this season, but i think gasba played a bit more (however i might be wrong).
anyway when pisanu plays on the left, he's lined up on the same spot of reginaldo (but on the other side, of course), while gasbarroni usually plays a bit behind (between the midfield and reginaldo), as u can see in my previous post.

cigarini is absolutely parma's first choice. i heard villareal are making a bid for him..... tbh i would be sad if he would leave italy....
the thing is though, he's too good to be a backup in a top team, but he's also too expensive to be a starter in a mid-class team (napoli offered 10 millions euros for the 50% of cigarini in jannuary... and it still wasn't enough!!!).

roma - inter tonite.... i have the feeling the giallorossi will tear apart the nerazzurri. however it's nice to have finally a proper single leg final match.

 

[MadbaLL]

Re: Serie A Thread

@lo zio

tnx buddy, you helped me a lot.

 

[Aboutreika18]

Re: Serie A Thread

Well done Roma for retaining the Coppa Italia! Great goals all round as well. Mexes did well to score from a tight angle, Perrotta finished off a fine counter attacking move and Pele's goal was one of the cleanest hits of a football that I have ever seen. :w00t:

 

[Revan]

Re: Serie A Thread

That is that guy that Scolari didn't called for the EURO

 

[Milanista]

Re: Serie A Thread

Borriello renews with Milan until 2013. We're also bidding to buy his half for 6 million euros.

I think our campaign will be:

Lloris 8m
Borriello 6m
Zambrotta 7-10m
Eto'o/Drogba - 15-25m
Defender - I think Matteo Ferrari on a free is coming.

I'm talking Euros. I think those will be our signings.

 

[dutty_nose111]

Re: Serie A Thread

there are no news here too about bianchi's future. he did pretty well, anyway.




there was no such thing as a most accurate starting 11 indeed, as both di carlo and cuper changed the line up almost every week (and this definitely didn't help parma at all).
however this one should be close to it.

--------------------------lucarelli
--------------------------(or budan)
---------------------------------------reginaldo
--gasbarroni

------------dessena------cigarini------morrone

castellini-----------rossi--------falcone---------coly

--------------------------bucci

Hey Ben, havent been around here for a while but i should be able to post abit more in the coming weeks. I was wondering whether you could post Lazio's formation and Startin XI like you did with Parma above?

 

[vojkan]

Re: Serie A Thread

Borriello renews with Milan until 2013. We're also bidding to buy his half for 6 million euros.

I think our campaign will be:

Lloris 8m
Borriello 6m
Zambrotta 7-10m
Eto'o/Drogba - 15-25m
Defender - I think Matteo Ferrari on a free is coming.

I'm talking Euros. I think those will be our signings.

What about Flamini, Ronaldinho, Shevchenko...?

 

[lo zio]

Re: Serie A Thread

Hey Ben, havent been around here for a while but i should be able to post abit more in the coming weeks. I was wondering whether you could post Lazio's formation and Startin XI like you did with Parma above?

hey Satty, nice to see you here again, mate :beer:
and nice to read u'll be posting here more frequently in the next weeks. i'm looking foward to read your thoughts

if a parma's starting 11 would be hard to find.... lazio's starting formation would be absolutely impossible to find, as rossi wasn't able to line up the same formation for more than 2 consecutive matches (and this was one of the reasons of lazio's disappointing season).

the defensive line should have been
mauri - cribari - siviglia - de silvestri
but both cribari and siviglia (who were one of the best cb couples in serie a last season) never played together until jannuary (!), coz of their injuries. siviglia's situation was almost tragic. he went through a 2 months injury, and then, once he was able to play again, he got injured again... for 1 month more.
as a consequence rossi had to alternate zauri (a left back!), youth team players and stendardo to form a decent defensive line
zauri too had many injury problems this season, and coz of this, kolarov (til jannuary) and radu (from jannuary on) took his place in the starting 11.
finally de silvestri too was often subbed (always coz of injuries) by behrami (and that's why valon wasn't able to play in his proper role, at midfield.

at midfield rossi had often to change formation (a 3 or 4 men line up) and players. the only constant has been ledesma (of course). with the 3 men system mutarelli and mudingay\firmani\behrami\mauri\manfredini were the possible starters (but also maghni, and del nero played many a few matches).

in attack rossi lined up a 2 fowards system (rocchi and pandev), a 2 foward plus 1 advanced midfielder system (rocchi, pandev and mauri\del nero\meghni behind them) or a 3 men system (from jannuary on he lined up this attack almost always)
----------------------bianchi
-----------rocchi
-----------------------------------pandev.

it's quite a mess, as u can see.

 

[cfdh_edmundo]

Re: Serie A Thread

Also it looks like Muslera will start next season instead of Balotta in goal.

 

[Milanista]

Re: Serie A Thread

Juan Pablo Carrizo will start.

 

[dutty_nose111]

Re: Serie A Thread

the defensive line should have been
mauri - cribari - siviglia - de silvestri

Thanks for the post Ben, however for once you can be proven wrong. The left back is Zauri :-pp.
In related Lazio news, I heard that last year Lotito rejected Giovinco because he was "too small", and Amelia as well. I just have the feeling that these rejections may hurt the Biancelesti. As a Roma fan, this makes me smile

Seeing as it is transfer season, I might as well discuss the areas Roma need improving in. I think the main priority lies in getting a new back-up right back and starting left back, as Paucci and Tonetto are both well into their 30's, and despite their obvious qualities, Roma is competing in 3 competitions - all of the highest level (maybe less the Coppa Italia), and they need players with more pace, fitness and verve. Cassetti is excellent back-up, but he too is in his 30's, so I feel Roma definitely need another option. Vargas on the left would be terrific, although I fear I maybe dreaming about the possibility of him in a Roma shirt Next up is the wings. IMO Mancini needs to leave. I genuinely hate that player. I hear commentators raging about his match-winning capabilities, and I want to shoot them. When? When in the recent past has Mancini even slightly influenced a match, let alone turn it around? He infuriates me so much as he is essentialy a liability, only getting starts due to his reputation I feel. It's good that he has played less recently. But throughtout the season, Giuly has had so much more of an impact yet has played less? Taddei needs a back-up, or someone that he can really compete with on the Right-flank. He has showed lax performances this season (i appreciate he has had some very good ones as well) and I think it's because on the Wing, he doesn't have many people that can be preferred ahead of him, so maybe subconsciosuly he has become complacent. He also has had a season with injuries, and whilst this is unfortunate, Roma can't take these risks, so definitely two wingers are needed I feel. Robben would be perfect in terms of playing style, however he unfortunately has Taddei's injury problems & Mancini's inconstencies! Add to that his huge price tag, and I think it would be wise for the Sensi's not to look more into this purchase. My desired player is Hatem Ben Arfa of Lyon Strikers. My opinion, contrary to popular opinion, is that we don't need another striker. Totti is back next season, and Vucinic's form is stunning. In fact, it's not form, he's just a terrific player Roma need to remember this, as I would hate for him to drift out of the side if another striker is bought. Thankfully, Juve have beaten us to Amauri. This may sound a strange comment, but Amauri's qualities are similar to Vucinic's, and I feared that Vucinic would play less merely based on Amauri's reputation. Perhaps, perhaps we do need a 3rd choice striker, but I dont see it as a necessity. Maybe a striker/winger like Adrian Mutu (of course he isn't coming sadly:-pp) would be wise? This would certainly save the board money, but a player like this - with sufficient quality - is hard to find, and when you have found them they usually have a large price tag. Di Natale would be excellent now, but he is either 30 or turning 30 soon and, as much a fan I am of Di Natale, I fear that his play may decrease - however Mr. Toni has proved that 30 year old's can stil be a bit special :-pp So I hope I am wrong if we are to buy him.

Well enough about Roma Fiorentina (a team whom I have a soft spot for, surprising for a Roma fan have done brilliantly so far in the Transfer Market, with Barzagli and Gilardino set to sign soon. I just have the feeling that Gilardino will score a lot next season, and Barzagli & Gamberini. Well that just says it all However, they have lost the irreplaceable Ujfalusi, and finding a Right-Back with anywhere near as much quality, passion and influence as him will be a job well done for Fiorentina. I really want the Viola to continue their renaissance, and be able to compete for the Scudetto - whilst still do well in the Champions League. No doubt, it's going to be very tough - and a whole new challenge - but this Fiorentina team reminds me a lot of Sevilla (don't ask why lol) from the 06/07 season who did so brilliantly, and I hope, I hope that Fiorentina can do the same.

Also, Euro 2008 soon What do people think of Donadoni's selection? And what about his tactics? What team will he play? What team do you want him to play? And what about Italy's main rivals?

Personally, I'm just hyper about the inclusion of a one Mr. Cassano .....

 

[lo zio]

Re: Serie A Thread

Thanks for the post Ben, however for once you can be proven wrong. The left back is Zauri .

lol i wrote an "m" instead of a "z". :-pp

didn't know about amelia and giovinco being close to lazio in the past. however giovinco is almost unreachable, has juve has huge expectations on the boy, of course. let's just hope the boy will be able to play in his proper role... honestly i don't think this will happen, and that's the reason why i think giovinco shouldn't have come back to juve this season
talking about amelia, lazio firmly believe in carrizo. both peruzzi and ballotta watched hours of tapes of the argentinian and kept saying he was the right man to protect lazio's net. up until now it was a disgraceful decision, as carrizo still wasn't able to reach lazio (he has not an eu passport yet)... we'll see...
amelia was really close to palermo, but now it seems we're going to get abbiati (with amelia taking abbiati's spot at madrid).... i'd rather get amelia but abbiati wouldn't be bad either.

talking about roma, i completely share your points. about the striker point, i really can't understand why roma is looking for another foward. the only striker who might coming handy would be iaquinta, coz he (like vucinic) could also play on the flank.
so, after selling mancini (completely agree with u about amantino), they could buy iaquinta, to have 3 valid options for the left flank (vucinic, giuly and perrotta), the right flank (taddei, giuly and iaquinta) and the foward (totti, vucinic and iaquinta). this would be a wise move. but borriello (who is the other player, together with di natale, they're looking for) wouldn't be useful at all for roma imo.
so iaquinta would definitely be a good buy..... but i'd rather get di natale, who is a pure left footed and could replace mancini better than anyone else (even better than mancini himself.... a lot better).

i also agree with u about the fullbacks. both cassetti and tonetto had injury problems this season, but while cassetti was subbed by panucci (who was fantastic this season, as a rb and as a cb) tonetto had no backups and was forced to play despite his backs problems (wich effected his performances).

and tonetto's problems effected taddei too, who had to sacrifice himself a lot to help tonetto.
last season with a fit tonetto, taddei had more freedom on the pitch, and roma was extremely dangerous on the left. now they need someone who can give some rest to tonetto; mathieu? pasqual? they would be good buys imo. also modesto would have been a very good buy, but it seems he's reaching an agreement with sampdoria.

about the taddei point, as i said, i think his main problem this season was..... tonetto (infact when tonetto was fit, taddei was great too). moreover taddei had to face a very long injury, wich of course had an effect on his performances too. so i'd say that if the sensi would find another good left back, taddei would be free to express his abilities more easily. besides taddei already has some good backups (giuly, perrotta and vucinic too can play in his position).
finally u also have to consider taddei is extremely hard to replace and i think both robben and ben arfa wouldn't be able to do what taddei does.
rodrigo is not just a fantastic winger, who can use both foot. his main feature infact is his tactical awareness and his work rate. taddei moves backwards when the opponents get the ball, helps the 2 central midfielders, helps the left back and has a fantastic "central midfielder-like" vision. robben and ben arfa wouldn't be able to do what rodrigo does. they play just upfront and they're also quite expensive, too expensive for roma.
there's just one winger who could do exactly what taddei does: camoranesi.... but of course he's unreachable as juve won't ever sell him.

gotta go now, as soon as i'll have 5 minutes to spend on the pc, i'll reply to your fiorentina and italy points, mate.

p.s. moratti fired mancini, stronati fired beretta and cellino fired ballardini.... how clueless are theese 3 presidents!!!
i really feel for inter, siena and cagliari fans