Serie A 2012/13

[Toon Hoser]

JS, what's your take on Bradley? As a Roma faithful.

 

Epic cranium.

[Deuce]

He does have a sizable dome piece

[Guest JS]

JS, what's your take on Bradley? As a Roma faithful.

 

In all honesty I haven't had the chance to properly see him and study his game this year, which is a shame. I was rather underwhelmed when he signed and actually didn't want him, as I thought a more established, higher level stronger signing was needed, but I guess he's doing alright.

 

I still worry for the future slightly, I still think the golden opportunity to really cement the club as a top team has been and gone now. Although the Sensi family bled the club and put it into debt (sound familiar?) they would have been a few solid signings and a good manager away from success, instead of fritting the money away on some absolute shite and not having proper talented understudies to the older players at the time (sound familiar again?)

 

The american ownership was a first in Italy and I remember thinking at the time there would be money and potential but now I'm really not sure. I guess we'll see this season how things progress - summer is going to be very important

 

 

[pedro111]

Udinese robbed there like. Ridiculous penalty decision.

[ponsaelius]

Since assuming power in 2002 Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini has gone through 25 managers. 

[Mole_Toonfan]

Zamp is a f*cking nutter like.

 

I remember when he threatened castrate the players on his team and use their testicles as toppings in his salad 

 

One of the reasons i love Italian football though, some of the characters make it a f*cking laugh.

[Toon Hoser]

The dramatics and theatrics are off the charts. 

[Guest JS]

May as well update. Zeman sacked a few days ago 

 

Now f***ing bring back Montella!

 

Actually a decent article on Totti if people fancy a read -

 

There's a great line in Inverting the Pyramid by Jonathan Wilson in which the author refers to the Argentine playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme as a glorious anachronism. The description conjures images of the enganche supreme raging against the dying of the light. But while Riquelme has stuttered in recent years, a familiar figure continues to prevail in Europe.

 

Francesco Totti is two years older than Riquelme and, superficially at least, every bit the man out of time. With the socks rolled down to the ankles and the requisite swagger, it often seems a pity that he doesn't get to use the Adidas Telstar ball of days gone by, or perhaps for his every move to be accompanied by 1978-style ticker-tape.

 

But Totti endures. Totti thrives.

 

There are plenty of reasons why he shouldn't. "Look at the sides occupying the top positions in Serie A, and finding a classic trequartista is difficult - even Francesco Totti has been shifted to a deep, left-sided forward role in a 4-3-3," explains Michael Cox for ESPN. Italian football may have largely dispensed with the traditional No.10 in favour of hard-running athletes but Totti has succeeded in finding a role.

 

In this respect, he has perhaps been fortunate to operate under the aegis of veteran coach Zdenek Zeman so far this season - a man often accused of refusing to grow up himself. The Czech retains a childlike love of attacking football and, more importantly, a love of Totti. Asked to name the three best Italian players, he once famously replied: "Totti, Totti and Totti."

 

Saying his name three times doesn't change the facts. It's clear Totti is a one-off. And the demise of his role and players of his ilk only serves to accentuate the majesty of a true creator. As expected, Totti ranks among the top dozen players in Europe in terms of chances created. But when it comes to his trademark - the defence-splitting pass apropos of nothing - he is out all on his own.

 

Totti has played an outrageous 36 through-balls so far this season. That's just one short of Andrea Pirlo and Santi Cazorla - the talented midfielders third and fourth on the list of Europe's through-ball exponents - combined. The stats cannot recreate the joy of seeing the man in action. But they do hint at the extraordinary vision of the 36-year-old playmaker.

 

Zeman certainly indulged Totti's creativity. As a result, Roma are the current top scorers in Serie A. But it has come at a defensive cost. The Giallorossi are languishing down in eighth place with no team in the division having conceded as many goals. The 4-2 home defeat to Cagliari on Friday evening proved decisive for the 65-year-old coach and the axe finally fell.

 

"Zeman has turned a perceived problem into his greatest asset," wrote Paolo Bandini in The Score back in December. But the subsequent failure, even as Totti continues to shine, will have some questioning the wisdom of playing to the strengths of a man approaching the twilight of his career. What will the future hold for Totti without Zeman? Life under Argentine coach Carlos Bianchi was fraught for Er Pupone as a youngster, while Claudio Ranieri had difficulties more recently in accommodating the player in a 4-4-2 formation.

 

In contrast, Zeman's enthusiasm for Rome's prince showed no sign of abating. And yet, not all will mourn the manager's exit. Perhaps not midfielder Daniele De Rossi who was linked with a move to Manchester City in August and had been forced to accept a role of diminished significance under Zeman. "Do you want to end up like Totti? A great player who has never won anything," Roberto Mancini is reported to have told De Rossi, according to Italian broadcaster Mediaset.

 

It is not an entirely accurate assessment given the Serie A title that Totti won in 2001 and, of course, the small matter of that World Cup winners' medal in 2006. But it also overlooks something very different - something De Rossi might well aspire to even more than silverware.

 

"The modern game has changed a lot, but I think it is essential for a club to have a player who represents it like Totti does in Rome," Pep Guardiola told Spanish newspaper El Pais. "Money is important in football, but there are other things of more important value to an entity."

 

You see, it's not just about the trequartista with the socks round the ankles. There is the remarkable loyalty too. Totti remains an anachronism. And with his supportive manager gone, perhaps he has taken a step closer to the end of the journey this week. But just as Zeman was willing to do, there's a lot to be said for cherishing him in the here and now.

 

[Toon Hoser]

Montella's found himself a nice gig in Florence these days.

[Guest JS]

Montella's found himself a nice gig in Florence these days.

 

I know. It pains me. He looked so good as our intrim, then the board peddled him for fucking Ranieri. Ranieri ffs.

[ponsaelius]

Wasn't he at Roma in 2011? So they peddled him for Luis Enrique rather than Ranieri.

[Disco]

Bit of a general question but are any Italian teams going to build new stadiums any time soon? Think I read about a new one in Udine but pretty much every team could do with one.

[ponsaelius]

Difficult to, there has meant to have been a law passed in parliament for years to make it easier for clubs to build stadiums but it has never happened. They're pretty much all leased off the council at the moment, and the councils don't want to give up the revenue streams and be left with big white elephants to deal with.

 

It's one big stand off and is a massive chain around the neck of the league's progress.

[ponsaelius]

Found this; http://www.footballitaliano.co.uk/p6_66_6262_gaining-ground-in-serie-as-stadium-situation.html#.URF_8fKYiSo

 

From 2011 but explains the situation quite well.

[KDT]

I know it's unrealistic at the moment but Roma with Laudrup would be pretty tasty.

[Mole_Toonfan]

Bit of a general question but are any Italian teams going to build new stadiums any time soon? Think I read about a new one in Udine but pretty much every team could do with one.

 

http://football-italia.net/28926/new-roma-stadium-2016

 

That's about it for the moment though, there's a lot of red tape they have to by pass apparently.

 

Heard Inter are in talks with lots of designers and Milan would have full ownership of San Siro if that happened, and Napoli have presented their plans to the City but no work has actually begun.

 

Tbh Serie A needs this to happen because the more fully owned stadiums the better for the clubs.

[Deuce]

May as well update. Zeman sacked a few days ago 

 

Now f***ing bring back Montella!

 

Actually a decent article on Totti if people fancy a read -

 

There's a great line in Inverting the Pyramid by Jonathan Wilson in which the author refers to the Argentine playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme as a glorious anachronism. The description conjures images of the enganche supreme raging against the dying of the light. But while Riquelme has stuttered in recent years, a familiar figure continues to prevail in Europe.

 

Francesco Totti is two years older than Riquelme and, superficially at least, every bit the man out of time. With the socks rolled down to the ankles and the requisite swagger, it often seems a pity that he doesn't get to use the Adidas Telstar ball of days gone by, or perhaps for his every move to be accompanied by 1978-style ticker-tape.

 

But Totti endures. Totti thrives.

 

There are plenty of reasons why he shouldn't. "Look at the sides occupying the top positions in Serie A, and finding a classic trequartista is difficult - even Francesco Totti has been shifted to a deep, left-sided forward role in a 4-3-3," explains Michael Cox for ESPN. Italian football may have largely dispensed with the traditional No.10 in favour of hard-running athletes but Totti has succeeded in finding a role.

 

In this respect, he has perhaps been fortunate to operate under the aegis of veteran coach Zdenek Zeman so far this season - a man often accused of refusing to grow up himself. The Czech retains a childlike love of attacking football and, more importantly, a love of Totti. Asked to name the three best Italian players, he once famously replied: "Totti, Totti and Totti."

 

Saying his name three times doesn't change the facts. It's clear Totti is a one-off. And the demise of his role and players of his ilk only serves to accentuate the majesty of a true creator. As expected, Totti ranks among the top dozen players in Europe in terms of chances created. But when it comes to his trademark - the defence-splitting pass apropos of nothing - he is out all on his own.

 

Totti has played an outrageous 36 through-balls so far this season. That's just one short of Andrea Pirlo and Santi Cazorla - the talented midfielders third and fourth on the list of Europe's through-ball exponents - combined. The stats cannot recreate the joy of seeing the man in action. But they do hint at the extraordinary vision of the 36-year-old playmaker.

 

Zeman certainly indulged Totti's creativity. As a result, Roma are the current top scorers in Serie A. But it has come at a defensive cost. The Giallorossi are languishing down in eighth place with no team in the division having conceded as many goals. The 4-2 home defeat to Cagliari on Friday evening proved decisive for the 65-year-old coach and the axe finally fell.

 

"Zeman has turned a perceived problem into his greatest asset," wrote Paolo Bandini in The Score back in December. But the subsequent failure, even as Totti continues to shine, will have some questioning the wisdom of playing to the strengths of a man approaching the twilight of his career. What will the future hold for Totti without Zeman? Life under Argentine coach Carlos Bianchi was fraught for Er Pupone as a youngster, while Claudio Ranieri had difficulties more recently in accommodating the player in a 4-4-2 formation.

 

In contrast, Zeman's enthusiasm for Rome's prince showed no sign of abating. And yet, not all will mourn the manager's exit. Perhaps not midfielder Daniele De Rossi who was linked with a move to Manchester City in August and had been forced to accept a role of diminished significance under Zeman. "Do you want to end up like Totti? A great player who has never won anything," Roberto Mancini is reported to have told De Rossi, according to Italian broadcaster Mediaset.

 

It is not an entirely accurate assessment given the Serie A title that Totti won in 2001 and, of course, the small matter of that World Cup winners' medal in 2006. But it also overlooks something very different - something De Rossi might well aspire to even more than silverware.

 

"The modern game has changed a lot, but I think it is essential for a club to have a player who represents it like Totti does in Rome," Pep Guardiola told Spanish newspaper El Pais. "Money is important in football, but there are other things of more important value to an entity."

 

You see, it's not just about the trequartista with the socks round the ankles. There is the remarkable loyalty too. Totti remains an anachronism. And with his supportive manager gone, perhaps he has taken a step closer to the end of the journey this week. But just as Zeman was willing to do, there's a lot to be said for cherishing him in the here and now.

 

 

Nice read, cheers

[Guest JS]

Wasn't he at Roma in 2011? So they peddled him for Luis Enrique rather than Ranieri.

 

Aye  :blush:

[Village Idiot]

Milan AC linked with the doping scandal currently on trial in Spain "Operación Puerto".

 

The "evidence" is tenuous at best at this point, tbf, the guy selling the medicals wrote down "MILAN" as the destination of some Growth Hormone he trafficked with.

 

Milan have obviously come quickly to deny any relationship.

[Tooj]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/feb/16/milan-lab-premier-league

[Deuce]

Good article from Michael Cox (Zonal Marking) on Fiorentina's Jovetic.

 

http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/tacticsandanalysis/id/902?cc=5901

[Mole_Toonfan]

Loved Jovetic ever since he exploded on the CL scene and destroyed Liverpool

 

That injury he had held him back a bit but he seems to be back on the right track again, unfortunately for Fiorentina i don't think he will be there for much longer and quite frankly i think they know it too with all the money they spent on Giuseppi Rossi.

 

My bet is he ends up at Juventus, i wonder if the reaction would be the same as when they sold Baggio to Juventus.

[Guest JS]

The king strikes again 

[Kaizero]

John Carew apparently having a medical at Inter today.

[Deuce]

OK, hands up, who remembers Serie A? After a fortnight where the major talking point has been the Bundesliga's dominance over La Liga -- with the Premier League chipping in with some end-of-season awards -- Italian football has taken a backseat.

 

It's a position Italy has increasingly become accustomed to. Once revered as the finest league in Europe, there's still much to recommend Serie A -- but the UEFA coefficients now firmly rank it as the fourth-best league in Europe. Serie A boasts no semifinalists in either the Champions League or the Europa League, and it has featured an exciting title fight. Juventus have been on course for the title throughout the campaign, effectively ending the contest with their 1-1 draw away at closest challengers Napoli, who will finish second. Instead, attention has turned to the battle for third.

 

Of course, even the 'battle for third' rather sums up Italian football's current malaise. In England, Spain and Germany it's the battle for fourth -- these days, only three Serie A sides qualify for the Champions League. However, at least there's genuine excitement, with Milan and Fiorentina challenging for the final slot in Europe's premier competition.

 

It's been an unusual battle for third this season. Inter were impressive early on but have fallen away, while semi-regular challengers like Roma and Udinese have struggled to keep pace. Instead, Milan have recovered from a disastrous start -- when Max Allegri seemed days away from the sack -- while Fiorentina have fulfilled their potential with a strong challenge, an excellent turnaround from last season, then they were more concerned about relegation.

 

So this is it: Milan vs. Fiorentina for that all-important third place. We're used to this kind of situation at this point of the season -- newspapers setting out each side's fixtures side-by-side, with an inevitable debate about which club has the more favourable run-in.

 

But here's the strange thing about Milan and Fiorentina's run-ins: They're almost identical. With four games left, both sides have three matching fixtures: Roma at home, Siena away, Pescara away. The other match couldn't be more similar: Milan are at home to 16th-placed Torino, Fiorentina at home to 17th-placed Palermo.

 

However, these are fundamentally different sides. Allegri has finally stumbled upon a strategy that suits his players, but Milan remain a collection of individuals vaguely assembled into a useful system, rather than a genuinely cohesive group of players. Allegri depended upon the sudden rise of left-sided attacker Stephan El Shaarawy to save his job, while Mario Balotelli's arrival late in January has continued the momentum as El Shaarawy has faded.

 

There's a lack of definitiveness about the way Milan play -- sometimes their deepest midfielder is a pure scrapper like Massimo Ambrosini, sometimes it's a regista like Riccardo Montolivo. Kevin-Prince Boateng has complained about playing three positions -- on the left of a midfield three, as a number 10 then as a right-sided forward. Giampaolo Pazzini, a deputy for the suspended Balotelli, is a different type of player to the ex-Manchester City striker. You're never entirely sure whether Allegri's switches are because of tactics, or simply to keep everyone happy -- in fairness, even his league title in 2010-11 was something similar.

 

Fiorentina's rise owes much to the recruitment of talented footballers, but it's a system-first team. Even as Vincenzo Montella has switched between 4-3-3 and 3-5-2, it's easy to identify Fiorentina's first XI -- there are familiar relationships across the pitch, and the midfield trio of David Pizarro, Borja Valero and Alberto Aquilani has worked brilliantly.

 

“Here, we want to play football and entertain the fans,” Montella said. Barcelona have been a clear influence.

 

There are obvious patterns of play -- Pizarro spreads the play wide to the wing-backs regularly, Valero motors forward unnoticed from a left-of-centre to the edge of the box, playmaker Adem Ljajic moves wide to overload the flanks. The defenders are proactive with their positioning and positive with their passing. Fiorentina don't have a star like Balotelli, they lost Montolivo to Milan as the Italian international wanted to move to a bigger club, they can't afford Robinho as a supersub -- but Montella has done a better job than Allegri at squeezing the most out of his squad.

 

Montella has triumphed, too, in his direct battles with Allegri. Fiorentina's 3-1 victory at the San Siro in November was an impressive tactical triumph that proved Fiorentina's quality, but equally impressive was Montella's decision-making in Fiorentina's 2-2 draw with Milan at the Artemio Franchi.

 

Fiorentina had centre-back Nenad Tomovic rather harshly dismissed for a perceived elbow on El Shaarawy, and also lost star forward Stevan Jovetic to injury. Already 1-0 down, Montella replaced Jovetic with a defender to complete his back four, and Fiorentina played the game without a striker. They conceded a second, but dominated possession and eventually won two penalties to get it back to 2-2. If Fiorentina do pip Milan to third place -- they remain outsiders, starting from one point back -- Montella's intelligent tactics during that match will be a huge reason.

 

For Italian football as a whole, the progress of both clubs is encouraging. Milan lost a wealth of experience last summer -- Thiago Silva, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Rino Gattuso, Pippo Inzaghi and Alessandro Nesta all departed -- and they've built a younger, fresher, more dynamic squad.

 

“We are on the right track by focusing on youth. We are building a new Milan, so this is an achievement that takes time,” Allegri said.

 

Fiorentina, meanwhile, have constructed arguably the most technical side in Serie A, and will freshen their squad again this summer with talented attackers -- although Jovetic is likely to depart.

 

“The team is doing very well, but I think it's evident we can grow a great deal,” Montella said of his project. “You cannot do everything in a year, but this is a start.”

 

For both sides, long-term planning is obvious.

 

Too few clubs in Italy have adjusted successfully to the technical and tactical revolution that has happened elsewhere in Europe over the past few years. Gradually, the green shoots of recovery are emerging -- Milan and Fiorentina have enjoyed impressive campaigns, and one will get the opportunity to re-establish Italy in continental competition next season.

 

http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/tacticsandanalysis/id/1271?cc=5901