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Hi all,

I won't be posting here on this Blogger site anymore. If anyone's looking for me, I've moved to wordpress, where my page doesn't look totally disgusting.

thecurvasud.wordpress.com

Good article, great video

There's a good article about Osvaldo's disallowed piece of genius here, on Four Four Two by James Horncastle.

Nuff said.

Four thoughts on Roma-Lecce

Distribution of play

Direction of attacks

Luis Enrique has weathered the storm 

After a summer of speculation and an underwhelming start to the season, Luis Enrique – and his ideas – have finally seemed to have taken hold at Roma. The performance against Lecce was wasteful and frustrating, but it showed progress. The players now seem to be on the same wavelength as their boss, and the positive to be taken from the fact that they only managed to scrape a 2-1 win against the third-from-bottom Salentini despite dominating is that they, well, dominated. 10 of the Giallorossi shots were wasted, but good things can only come of a team that can string together almost 700 successful passes and control 68% of the possession and 64% of the territory, regardless of the opposition. Enrique's style is different from that of Barcelona, and commentators who suggest otherwise are either lazy or just stupid, but the Spaniard has brought something of his previous employers with him, and if that Cruyffian magic can be imported to Rome from the Amsterdam of yesteryear via Catalonia and fused with the tactical astuteness and steely physicality embodied by local players like Daniele De Rossi, than Roma could really become a beautiful – and terrifying – thing.

“I am satisfied with both the performance and the result," the Spaniard said afterwards. "You have to put the ball in the net for it to count, but I saw the team is improving. Knowing how to suffer under pressure is also an important quality.

Disappointment should be tempered with optimism 

That fans and media alike could be a little underwhelmed about a 2-1 win in which Roma had a (gorgeous) goal incorrectly disallowed for off-side shows how high expectations are in the capital, and while it would be easy to lament the wasted chances or lambast those who wasted them, it should be noted that Roma won the game with only two recognised defenders (two and a half, if you give Rosi that much). The two centre backs were third and fourth choice, and the left-back was a converted winger.

Then there was that goal. "It’s a terrible shame for Osvaldo," said Luis Enrique of the forward's disallowed goal, "as he played a very complete game today and I am told the goal was valid. It was an incredible finish." In fact, it was a terrible shame for the whole side, as a 3-1 scoreline looks much more certain and would have done much to impress fans, media and perhaps even some future opposition.

Bojan needs to grow up – fast 

The comment about not lambasting those who wasted the chances being said, Bojan needs to impress quickly if he's to keep his place. Though his loan deal is quite convoluted, the value Barcelona have put on Krkic is a simple, round and rather large figure: €40 million. So far, he's done little to prove he's worth it. Setting club records – even at a powerhouse like Barca – will only get a player so far; eventually, he'll have to prove that he's able to adapt to Serie A, ready to be the sort of leading figure a €40 million price tag would suggest – and show all and sundry that he's capable of finishing. His squandered chances against Lecce drew derision from the Roma faithful on Sunday night and if he continues to squander goals it won't be too long before they're calling for him to be shown the door.

Julio Sergio is a liability that Lecce can ill-afford

One good season – even if it did include a key penalty save against fierce rivals Lazio – does not a good keeper make, and Roma fans were undoubtedly delighted that the Brazilian liability is no longer on their books. Gago's goal was an impressive piece of opportunism, but any keeper with a serious claim to being of top-flight quality should have done better. The former Roma stopper made a couple of good saves too, and that's part of his problem – you just don't know what Julio Sergio you're going to get. Lecce no doubt thought that taking a gamble on a player that had a lot of experience at European football's highest levels would be a boon in their battle at the bottom of the table, but now, in 18th position, they can ill-afford to ship the silly goals that he'll be responsible for. Little wonder that Lecce are the 33-year-old's 11th club.

WARNING: Serie A is full of job-stealing foreigners

Classic stuff from the Gazzetta dello Sport, which laments the death of Italian culture AND dramatically quotes Nietzsche – all because, for the first time in its history, Serie A now has more foreign players than Italian ones.

A little over 51% of the players who've started this season in Italian top flight were born outside of the peninsula, a dramatic increase from 30% in 2004.

Italians don't get a look in anymore, moans the paper, unlike the days when Serie A was the best league in the world and foreign numbers were limited.

This is in contrast to the Premier League, says la Gazzetta, where the "foreign stars are added to a robust British chassis". Well that's all well-and-good, except for the fact that it's complete bullshit. In 2010-2011, only 35% of the players who started in Premier League games were English. And while 223 shameless, money-grabbing, job-stealing millionaires have started in Serie A's first 10 games this season, according to the its official website "There are currently over 337 foreign players registered and eligible to play in the Barclays Premier League." How many over 337, it doesn't say – but you get the drift.

Even the paper points to flaws in its own logic, making the obvious statement that these imports mostly compete with Italians for their positions, saying: "Se Pazzini gioca, va in panchina Milito. Se Cassano gioca, va in panchina Pato. Se Matri gioca, va in panchina Vucinic" – "if Pazzini plays, Milito's on the bench. If Cassano plays, Pato's on the bench. If Matri plays ... blah blah".

It is true that, if left unchecked, this situation may hamper the development of Italian players in the future, but a higher proportion of foreign talent may be what's needed to drive Serie A back to the very highest standard. Who would say, for example, that La Liga in Spain is a better quality league than the English Premier? Sure, it has two dazzling super-teams, but even the third-wheel Valencia are nowhere near Barca or Real, and after the third placed Los Che, the league's quality takes a nose dive. In Spain, they claim 70% of the players are Spanish, compared to the English 35% in the Premier League.

Some would say that this stat proves that more foreign players hurts national teams, but that arguement is extremely syllogistic; for example, will Cesare Prandelli's current crop do any worse at the Euros than Giovanni Trapattoni's Italy's squad (when only 30% of Serie A's players were foreign)? And has a rise in foreign registrations in the Bundesliga done any harm to the German national side?

Obviously, no article on the state of a football league would be complete without a quote from a 19th century philosopher, and the pink paper finishes with this: "L’unica risposta possibile costringe alla classica citazione da Nietzsche, ciò che non ti uccide ti rende più forte"/"the only response to this problem is the classic quote from Nietzsche: what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

So be warned. A new crop of nihilistic, superhuman Italians are coming. Maybe.

Serie A's potential freebies

With only weeks to go before the winter transfer window opens, there's interesting list from Goal.com, which shows the number of Serie A players who could be available on a free.

Top of all shopping lists must be Italy duo Daniele De Rossi, who Roma are desperately trying to tie down, and Riccardo Montolivo, who seems to find minute silences pretty funny. The Fiorentina midfielder is surely a more likely mover than De Rossi, but the Roman's precarious situation is attracting a lot of attention none the less, with no shortage of wealthy suitors willing to offer Capitan Futuro "mad stacks".

There's some high-profile names on the list – especially at Inter – and no doubt there's a few of the smaller outfits on the peninsula who'll be only too happy to offer them a retirement home.

Speaking of retirement, Francesco Antonioli is on the list, who of course won the scudetto with Roma way back when. He's currently the oldest active player in Serie A, being born as he was way WAY back in 1969. Most of the current Roma squad weren't even alive when he made his debut for Monza in 1986 (the year Pablo Osvaldo was born). Here's hoping he can plug away for another little bit.

ATALANTA
Giorgio Frezzolini	21 Jan 1976	Goalkeeper
Ciro Polito	12 Apr 1979	Goalkeeper
Daniele Capelli	20 Jun 1986	Defender
Michele Ferri	29 May 1981	Defender
Federico Peluso	20 Jan 1984	Defender
Fabio Caserta	24 Sep 1978	Midfielder
Ezequiel Schelotto	23 May 1989	Midfielder
Simone Tiribocchi	31 Jan 1978	Attacker

BOLOGNA
Simone Loria	28 Oct 1976	Defender
Gaby Mudingayi	01 Oct 1981	Midfielder
Massimo Coda	10 Nov 1988	Attacker
Daniele Paponi	16 Apr 1988	Attacker

CAGLIARI
Vlada Avramov	05 Apr 1979	Goalkeeper
Mauro Vigorito	22 May 1990	Goalkeeper
Alessandro Agostini	23 Jul 1979	Defender
Davide Astori	07 Jan 1987	Defender
Michele Canini	05 Jun 1985	Defender
Francesco Pisano	29 Apr 1986	Defender
Davide Biondini	24 Jan 1983	Midfielder
Andrea Cossu	03 May 1980	Midfielder
Joaquin Larrivey	20 Aug 1984	Attacker

CATANIA
Andrea Campagnolo	17 Jun 1978	Goalkeeper
Ciro Capuano	10 Jul 1981	Defender
Gennaro Delvecchio	25 Mar 1978	Midfielder
Pablo Ledesma	04 Feb 1984	Midfielder
Adrian Ricchiuti	30 Jun 1978	Midfielder
David Suazo	05 Nov 1979	Attacker

CESENA
Francesco Antonioli	14 Sep 1969	Goalkeeper
Alex Calderoni	31 May 1976	Goalkeeper
Aldo Simoncini	30 Aug 1986	Goalkeeper
Luca Ceccarelli	24 Mar 1983	Defender
Steve von Bergen	10 Jun 1983	Defender
Erjon Bogdani	14 Apr 1977	Attacker

CHIEVO
Lorenzo Squizzi	20 Jun 1974	Goalkeeper
Nicholas Frey	06 Mar 1984	Defender
Davide Mandelli	28 Jun 1977	Defender
Luciano	03 Dec 1975	Midfielder

FIORENTINA
Nikola Gulan	24 Aug 1989	Defender
Per Kroldrup	31 Jul 1979	Defender
Cesare Natali	05 Apr 1979	Defender
Riccardo Montolivo	18 Jan 1985	Midfielder

GENOA
Cristian Lupatelli	21 Jun 1978	Goalkeeper
Alessio Scarpi	19 Apr 1973	Goalkeeper
Giandomenico Mesto	25 May 1982	Defender
Marco Rossi	01 Apr 1978	Midfielder
Bosko Jankovic	01 Mar 1984	Attacker

INTER
Luca Castellazzi	19 Jul 1975	Goalkeeper
Paolo Orlandoni	12 Aug 1972	Goalkeeper
Cristian Chivu	26 Oct 1980	Defender
Ivan Cordoba	11 Aug 1976	Defender
Walter Samuel	22 Mar 1978	Defender
Sulley Muntari	27 Aug 1984	Midfielder

JUVENTUS
Alex Manninger	04 Jun 1977	Goalkeeper
Fabio Grosso	28 Nov 1977	Defender
Amauri	03 Jun 1980	Attacker
Alessandro Del Piero	09 Nov 1974	Attacker
Luca Toni	26 May 1977	Attacker

LAZIO
Albano Bizzarri	09 Nov 1977	Goalkeeper
Giuseppe Biava	08 May 1977	Defender
Lionel Scaloni	16 May 1978	Defender
Luciano Zauri	20 Jan 1978	Defender
Cristian Brocchi	30 Jan 1976	Midfielder
Simone Del Nero	04 Aug 1981	Midfielder

LECCE
Massimiliano Benassi	11 Nov 1981	Goalkeeper
Davide Petrachi	14 Aug 1986	Goalkeeper
Moris Carrozzieri	16 Nov 1980	Defender
Massimo Oddo	14 Jun 1976	Defender
Djamel Mesbah	09 Oct 1984	Midfielder
David Di Michele	06 Jan 1976	Attacker

MILAN
Flavio Roma	21 Jun 1974	Goalkeeper
Alessandro Nesta	19 Mar 1976	Defender
Gianluca Zambrotta	19 Feb 1977	Defender
Massimo Ambrosini	29 May 1977	Midfielder
Mathieu Flamini	07 Mar 1984	Midfielder
Gennaro Gattuso	09 Jan 1978	Midfielder
Clarence Seedorf	01 Apr 1976	Midfielder
Mark van Bommel	22 Apr 1977	Midfielder
Filippo Inzaghi	09 Aug 1973	Attacker

NAPOLI
Roberto Colombo	24 Aug 1975	Goalkeeper
Salvatore Aronica	20 Jan 1978	Defender
Gianluca Grava	07 Mar 1977	Defender
Cristiano Lucarelli	04 Oct 1975	Attacker

NOVARA
Matteo Centurioni	08 May 1974	Defender
Massimo Paci	11 Jun 1979	Defender
Marco Rigoni	05 Jan 1980	Midfielder

PALERMO
Luca Di Matteo	25 Feb 1988	Midfielder
Fabrizio Miccoli	27 Jun 1979	Attacker

PARMA
Nicola Pavarini	24 Feb 1974	Goalkeeper
Alessandro Lucarelli	22 Jul 1977	Defender
Manuele Blasi	17 Aug 1980	Midfielder
Abderazak Jadid	01 Jun 1983	Midfielder
Stefano Morrone	26 Oct 1978	Midfielder
Francesco Valiani	29 Oct 1980	Midfielder
Hernan Crespo	05 Jul 1975	Attacker

ROMA
Marco Cassetti	29 May 1977	Defender
Cicinho	24 Jun 1980	Defender
Gabriel Heinze	19 Apr 1978	Defender
Ahmed Barusso	26 Oct 1984	Midfielder
Daniele De Rossi	24 Jul 1983	Midfielder
Leandro Greco	19 Jul 1986	Midfielder
Simone Perrotta	17 Sep 1977	Midfielder
Stefano Okaka	09 Aug 1989	Attacker

SIENA
Simone Farelli	19 Feb 1983	Goalkeeper
Luca Rossettini	09 May 1985	Defender
Andrea Rossi	07 Nov 1986	Defender
Paul Codrea	04 Apr 1981	Midfielder

UDINESE
Emanuele Belardi	09 Oct 1977	Goalkeeper
Andrea Coda	25 Apr 1985	Defender
Damiano Ferronetti	01 Nov 1984	Defender
Giampiero Pinzi	11 May 1981	Midfielder
Paulo Barreto	12 May 1985	Attacker

Unjust? Or undeserved?

"Il calcio a volte è ingiustissimo"

"Sometimes, football is really unjust". That was the post-match musing of Luis Enrique, who was no doubt as frustrated as anyone with his stuttering Roma side. Two goals from Genoa, against the run of play, meant that Fabio Borini's debut goal (the result of some good work from substitute Marco Boriello) counts for nothing.

But despite watching his team somehow let their dominance slip to defeat against Genoa, the Spaniard declared himself "soddisfatto" – satisfied.

"For the first time, it was the team that I want", said LE, before adding: "I wanted to win, until the last. This is our idea for football. Surely we need to improve but the team played the way I like. We had a great game and we deserved the three points, not only the tie."

The stats suggest he has a point: Roma's possession was at least 63% (the official Lega Serie A figure; as ever with Italy, is not the only figure available. Some fan sites quote as much as 68%) and they managed 16 shots compared to the hosts' tally of nine.

But then, stats can be used to prove pretty much anything ... as we can see if we change the direction of this discussion and use them to prove how wasteful Roma were. Only five of the 16 shots were on target, to Genoa's four. And no one shot more than Fernando Gago (four times), despite the fact he was playing behind Erik Lamela, Borini and Bojan Krkic.

This profligacy should be the main cause for concern at Trigoria.  Of Roma's serious rivals, only AC Milan – who beat Parma 4-1 this week and whom Roma will host on Saturday evening at the Stadio Olimpico – had more completed passes: an impressive 77% to Roma's 70%. Napoli and Juventus both secured victories with less possession and fewer successful passes. Juve beat Fiorentina 2-1 with just 55% possession and 67% of their passes completed, while Napoli beat Udinese 2-0 at the San Paolo with two impressive goals, despite completing less than 60% of their 490 passes. So the fact that Roma could not take more advantage of the kind of possession that nearly 490 completed balls allowed them is telling.

The midfield worked well, but the front line as wasteful and the defence wholly culpable for both goals. It was Heinze's incompetence against Rodrigo Palacio that allowed the former Boca man to set up Boško Janković for the first, but Nicolas Burdisso was shaky in defence throughout and typically bad-tempered. It's taken a couple of years, but many fans – and seemingly all of Italy's referees – are now beginning to tire of the Argentine's stroppy attitude to the game. No Serie A footballer was sent off more than Burdisso last season (three times) and only five players got more yellow cards (seven; Palermo's Cesare Bovo got an astonishing 14, or almost one in almost 50% of the games he played). He has built a reputation for illicit tackling and for being aggressive with referees, two traits that help only the opposition.

All that said, it's hardly panic stations just yet. The performance was only frustrating because it was, in parts, so promising. The return of Simon Kjaer from suspension and the inclusion of Juan should offer a much tighter, more level-headed back line and as the attackers get to know one another better and become more comfortable within their roles he goals should come – as long as they keep getting such great support from the midfield.

"We are studying our options,” Luis Enrique said post-match, “but I just want to score more goals than the opponent. I work every day for this and am not change my way [because of the defeat]. In football you can win a game playing defensively – it happened here. But I am convinced that ours is the right way for my team: I saw an excellent attitude, we have always tried to retrieve the ball when it was lost, pressed up. And that's what I want. That's why [the owners] brought me to Rome. If they wanted defensive football, there would be no need of me.”

So much for the "bitter" battle the media here wanted ...

After the news during the week that Franco Baldini and Francesco Totti had got together, the Giallorossi's new general manager has come out to call the number 10 "La nostra ricchezza" – "our treasure".

22/10/2011

He also promises that De Rossi will stay put. War didn't break out when he showed up, then. There are some journos here who'll me mighty disappointed.

Lazio – Roma: exciting times

Anti-capitalism protests in Rome give the city's amateur pyrotechnic enthusiasts time to practise on the day before the big game ... 

After a shaky start to the season, it seems as if the Romalution might just be back on track. That said, even if Lazio are without a win in the derby since April 2009, Roma have struggled for goals this season. And while wins against Parma and Atalanta hare no doubt inspired some confidence in the Giallorossi, Lazio are a better side than either i Crociati or the cheating Bergamaschi. In short, this is a hard tie to call, and should be an exciting one. Hopefully, beautiful football wins over the tension and mutual hatred, because Rome has seen a little too much of that this weekend.

Serious protest or just a good chance to wear some comic-book merch? You decide ...

Rather than joining my friends out burning cars and attacking churches, I spent this derby eve watching lots and lots of football. Highlights of the previous few derbies online and Sky Calcio all the day long. Before enjoying games from the continent's biggest leagues, I started the day with coffee and the full 90 minute replay of last night's game between Varese and Padova. The Lombardians won comfortably, 3-0, playing some beautiful football in the process. Perhaps I need to watch more Serie B ...

Anyway, back to the task at hand: the derby.

No Totti, no party?

Lazio, Gazetta dello Sport

Roma, Gazetta dello Sport

Not so fast. Obviously losing the captain is a blow, but it was bound to happen sooner or later and a leading role for young players like Bojan might be just what they need.

The Barcelona loanee has broken his duck now and should have a spring in his step, but he needs to keep scoring. As Pep Guardiola put it recently, "the success depends on him". If Bojan really believes that he's good enough for either the Roma or the Barca shirt long-term, then he needs to prove it, and what better opportunity that against Lazio? Someone needs to be the hero and it might as well be the diminutive Spaniard.

Another likely protagonist will be Miralem Pjanic, who for me has been Roma's most exciting player so far. He might be young, and he might not speak Italian yet, but the young Bosnian has shown flashes of brilliance in his exciting style of play and if he's played, as expected, higher up the pitch in the absence of il Capitano, then he should have even more space and time to express himself.

Also tantalising is the possibility of seeing Erik Lamela make his debut. Luis Enrique has called up the young Argentine to the squad, making him one of the 21 players from both sides who have never played in a Rome derby before. With so many fresh faces, who knows what could happen? Here's hoping it's a dominant Giallorossi performance that decides this one, rather than penalties.

The squads

Gazetta dello Sport

Technical difficulties ...

Hello dear readers, all three of you. Apologies for not posting in a while, but I've been away on my holidays/frustrated by some really annoying features in Blogger. As a result, a load of posts I wrote were never uploaded because the page wasn't working properly.

I think it's ok now. Fingers crossed.

Inter v Roma: who'll get the kickstart they need?

Surely anything Trabzonspor can do, Roma can do better? Their 0-1 win over the Nerazzuri was the first time a side from Turkey had beaten the Milan giants in 28 years, and the Trabzon side only made it into the competition because of Fenerbahce's implication in a match-fixing scandal. No disrespect, but compared to the opposition their Milanese neighbours faced this week, Inter were hardly up against football royalty. 


The shock loss piled more pressure on Gian Piero Gasperini, after the heavy 4-3 to Palermo in Sicily laid bare the myriad problems facing La Beneamata. It's Inter's worst start to a season in 89 years, and with all the media hype, fan pressure and less-than-encouraging comments coming from owner Massimo Moratti, something's going to give, soon.

INTEROMA: save yourselves ... if you can

A couple of weeks ago, the same sentence could have been written about Roma but now it seems that the players and the boardroom are all behind Enrique and his work in progress.

There was plenty to get behind in the Giallorossi's opening game, even if the result wasn't what anyone would have hoped for. Shots galore and 59% possession were the positives, that they failed to convert their dominance into a commanding lead and were punished on the counter were the negatives.

There was talent on show last Sunday, and even if Bojan had an unspectacular debut it seems likely that the Spanish coach will stick with the Barcelonan prodigy in a line-up that had a nice mix of experience and youthful exuberance. Without the suspended Jose Angel, Gabriel Heinze will deputise at left-back leaving Simon Kjaer a space in the centre beside Nicolas Burdisso. Pjanic and De Rossi were both effective in the midfield last week, and while Simone Perrotta's performance was not up to his usual standards, the Italian – who celebrates his 34th birthday – should have another chance to prove his worth should Enrique not opt for the returning David Pizarro. Up front, Totti and Bojan might be joined by Marco Borriello. Alternatively, reports in the Italian press suggest that young Fabio Borini will lead the line, so impressive has he been in training.

As for Inter: three or four at the back? And where will Wesley Sneijder be? He was the only chink of light for Inter fans watching the game against the Turks, but it remains to be seen how effectively Gasperini can shoe-horn him into his tactical ideas.

the squads

ROMA, from: Borini, Borriello, Burdisso, Cassetti, Curci, De Rossi, Gago, Heinze, Kjaer, Bojan, Osvaldo, Perrotta, Pizarro, Pjanic, Rosi, Stekelenburg, Taddei, Totti

INTER, from: Julio Cesar, Castellazzi, Orlandoni; Zanetti, Lucio, Ranocchia, Samuel, Faraoni, Jonathan, Bianchetti, Nagatomo; Sneijder, Alvarez, Cambiasso, Obi, Coutinho, Muntari; Pazzini, Forlan, Milito, Zarate, Castaignos

from Sky Italia

Roma 1 - 2 Cagliari

Not the result fans were hoping for. After a summer of new signings, much media hype, questions over the manager's suitability and worries about tensions inside the camp, Roma needed a win.

That they failed to secure one is no one's fault but their own. Rome's biggest sport's daily, Il Corriere dello Sport, called them "una squadra frenata", a blocked team that was "quasi paura di correre", almost afraid to run. And it's hard to argue. Cagliari spent just 15% of the match in Roma's final third and had just three shots on target, yet they managed to score twice. Roma, on the other hand, spent 49% in the middle of the park and 36% in front of goal, managing nine shots on goal but failing to score until the final play of the game, when it was already too late. At crucial moments they looked unsure of themselves, wasting the lion's share of possession and chance after chance.

The great shame in this is that Roma didn't play that poorly. With the exception of Bojan – who looked like a confused and lonely boy in a field of men – for the most part they played well, dominating possession and stringing together a lot of good passes.  Sure, Angel's idiotic tackle in the box spoilt an otherwise excellent afternoon for the Spaniard and put his team in jeopardy, and Perrotta, who was played in an unfamiliar role right of centre, did not (either by choice or by Luis Enrique's design) get forward in the manner most would expect him to and thus offered little,  but they weren't appalling performances. Even Osvaldo, who couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, showed pace and a positional sense that is encouraging.

Daniele De Rossi underlined his importance to the team with a solid performance. The Roman was imperious in defense, and when Gago came on late in the game offering some extra defensive cover in midfield, he was impressive going forward, too. His goal might have been too little, too late, but the 71 successful passes he made we fundamental to Roma's dominance in the centre of the park and on another day would have been enough to influence a different result.

Miralem Pjanic made an impressive debut, linking up well with his teammates – despite not speaking a word of Italian yet – and showing off some slick moves. Aside from De Rossi, the Bosnian completed more passes than any other and had as many shots as Francesco Totti – four.

The first surprise of the day was Gabriele Heinze, who took charge early on and even got forward on several occasions. At 33, he is not a long-term answer, but on the basis of this first performance he is a player that any team in the league would be lucky to have in its squad. With the Argentine as back-up for Burdisso, Simon Kjaer and Juan, Roma have a sturdy central defense – even if it will take some fans time to get over the loss of Philippe Mexes.

The second was Bojan. Surely no one expected him to be as ineffective. Unsurprisingly for a player fresh off the plane from Spain, he struggled with the direct physicality of the Cagliari back-line, but for a player of his potential he should have done much better. Some have mentioned his size as a factor that may hold him back, but at 1.7m he is the same height as Wesley Sneijder and Lionel Messi and just three centimetres shy of Sergio Aguero, all three of whom are walking proof that good things can come in small packages. The aforementioned trio have proven that with a mixture of speed, intelligence and guile a player's diminutive stature need not hold him back – the caveat being, of course, that the diminutive player in question must possess some speed, intelligence and guile. It would be foolish to write the Barca graduate off on the basis of his first league performance, but if he's to be a key figure in Enrique's Roma, then he'll have to improve.

The above graphic (borrowed from Il Corriere dello Sport ... ) of Roma's attacking frequency against Cagliari shows just how ineffective they were down the left with Bojan. De Rossi, Pjanic and Totti all combined well down the middle and as such the 64% is unsurprising, but that only 15% of the attacking pressure came from Bojan's territory – especially as he had, for most of the game anyway, Angel's impressive running to supply him – is damning. Even Osvaldo, unsure of himself and supported only sporadically by Rosi and Perrotta, managed better – more than 33% better than Bojan's figure, in fact.

Another surprise was Fabio Borini, the 20-year-old from the small town of Bentivoglio (just north of Bologna), who was signed by Parma from Chelsea this summer only to be loaned to i Lupi for the season, with an option to buy at the end of it. With his first touch in Serie A the Azzurini star had the ball in the back of the net, albiet after the linesman had flagged for Heinze's offside. Not quite the fairytale start, then, but one that shows plenty of promise and hints at a touch of magic to come.

Formation vs. avg pitch position






Roma's possession was congested in the middle of the park and stifled by an organised Cagliari side who set out to frustrate. Happy to defend in numbers and wait for their chance – taken again by Daniele Conti, son of Roma legend Bruno and perpetual thwarter of Roman desires – to strike. Perhaps against opposition more focused on getting forward, thus leaving space for Roma to work in, the giallorossi might have done better – but that's no excuse. A team of Roma's stature and quality should not have been so easily frustrated by such an obvious tactic. They will be offered more space in other games, certainly, but they will face tougher defenses too, and cleverer midfields.

With so many fresh faces, a new formation and a new emphasis on tiki-taka style passing, Luis Enrique probably tried to do too much, too fast. But disappointing as the result is, the season is long and there will be much time for redemption. La Gazzetta dello Sport described what we all saw as "una squadra in mezzo al guado: né bella né cinica" – a team mid-stream; neither beautiful or cynical. Let's hope that they can become the former before pressure from the media and the fans turns them into the latter.

Great expectations: the season begins with Cagliari

The previous season was not a classic by any means. After a change of coach mid-season, Roma stopped haemorrhaging points and clawed their way back to respectability, and now with some fresh faces, including two high-profile forwards to add flair and fresh ideas to a faltering front line, prospects are good. The coach has settled and much talk about the arrival of new owners fills the air with hope and expectation. Then the first game comes and goes and precious points are dropped against minnows. No longer are Roma the antidote to Milanese dominance, they're a shambles. And there's still 37 games to go.

This is not 2011, it's August 2010.

"Cesena spaventa l'Olimpico" screamed la Gazzetta dello Sport: Cesena scares the Olimpico. They did more than that. To anyone willing to watch, they pealed away the paper that had been thrown over the cracks, showing that Roma was anything but Scudetto material. With six debutants and Roma old-boy Francesco Antonioli in goal, coach Massimo Ficcadenti took on the title favourites and held his own – with a team that had been in Serie C two seasons previous. Experience required to be a success, indeed.

How much has changed since that drab 0-0 against Cesena on the opening day of last season? Well, a lot. But in Rome, the more things change the more they stay the same, and despite an influx of new players, new coaching ideas and new money, many of the same problems linger. The pressure to deliver now is palpable. Last season, the papers here had unanimously installed Roma as the only viable "Anti-Inter", but while this season it's Inter who are the "Anti-Milan", the press and the Roma faithful still expect the Giallorossi to figure heavily. If this doesn't happen right from the get-go, the classical Roman witch hunt will soon follow.

Ficcadenti is coming back to Olimpico – with another Roma old boy in the shape of Daniele Conti, leading his team – this weekend as Cagliari's new coach Can he repeat the trick? A draw in Rome would be a solid opening result for the Sardinians; no question. It would also be a disaster for Roma. An unmitigated disaster.

Daniele Conti: son of Lupi legend Bruno, graduate of the Roma academy and current Cagliari captain

For the new and inexperienced coach it would prove him unsuited to the highest level of the game. For the back-room staff and the new owners, it would make their gamble on such an untested talent look like a foolish one. For the new signings it would be used as a rod with which to beat them, and for the 34-four-year-old captain, it might be evidence that his powers in front of goal are not what they once were. Hard to complain about being benched if you can't score at home against Cagliari.

Of course, a good win would make Luis Enrique into Pep Guardiola version 2.0, allow the owners and technical staff to spend days slapping one another on the back, boost the confidence of the new signings and – should he be the protagonist – prove what everyone in Christendom has always known: Francesco Totti is not finished, he's only just getting started.

After a tedious summer of clubs playing Top-Trumps with their stars, you gotta love the return of fickle, fickle football.

So how will Roma go about this glorious win? Good question.

The likely line-up will be: Stekelenburg, Cassetti, N. Burdisso, Kjaer, J. Angel, Gago, De Rossi, Perrotta/Pjanic, Osvaldo, Totti and Bojan with Curci or Lobont (Eeewwww), Rosi, Heinze, Pjanic/Perrotta, Taddei, Borriello and Caprari or Okaka on the bench.

With Juan still recovering from injury, Kjaer looks set to line up alongside Burdisso, with Gabriele Heinze on the bench for cover. Cicinho is out too, meaning that Enrique will likely start with the veteran Cassetti on the right. With no real competition, Jose Angel is a sure starter at left-back, where hopefully his pace and craft can provide plenty of support to the forwards.

In the midfield, Gago and De Rossi should play beside one another, offering plenty of protection for the central defenders should Angel or even Cassetti go on a probing run forward. After a fine showing with Italy, hopefully De Rossi can do the same for Roma without sacrificing his defensive contribution. Certainly, with so many fresh faces, his experience, composure and confidence will be vital across the park for the start of this season.

Behind the three-pronged attack, Perrotta or Pjanic could start, as Lamela is still injured and likely still needs time to adjust to his surroundings anyway. Perrotta would be the safe bet, but while Pjanic is only back from international duty and hasn't had much time with his teammates, he is a player of real quality (as shown here against Real Madrid) and it would be great to see him at some point in the game.

Up front, Totti and Bojan will surely get the nod, in the start of what is potentially a devastating partnership. With Osvaldo on the right, the forward trio will be fluid and interchangeable, with the Italian roaming freely and creating space for the Argentinian and the Spaniard to exploit. The former Espanyol man will have a lot of convincing to do, especially as it will likely be he who has to fight Marco Borriello – already a fan favourite – for a starting birth over the season.

With only a couple of senior games to his name, it is far too soon to judge local boy Gianluca Caprari – who was born the same year Francesco Totti made his debut: 1993 – but coming on from the bench he might make a difference down the right side in the closing stages of the game. Compared to other Serie A coaches, the spaniard Luis Enrique is far more likely to give Roma's youth a chance, which is no bad thing considering how many of the academy's most recent crop are featuring for la Nazionale in the youth ranks.

So the season begins. Cagliari will be waiting, but for the first time in a long while, at the start of the campaign Roma seem up to the challenge. I can't wait.

Seats beside the pitch? What will they think of next?

Today, calcio history was made. And perhaps unsurprisingly, it was Juventus who made it.

The first team on the peninsula to own its own stadium, the Turin club opened the new "Casa Juve" with a friendly match against England's Notts County, the original (and best?) Bianconeri, who gave the Old Lady its club colours. Second paragraph, and I've run out of synonyms for Juventus. Nuts.

The idea to bring County – currently in League One, the third tier of football in England – oozed old school charm. Most other elite clubs would have Pep Guardiola's boys on the plane from Barcelona, because after all, it's not every day you open a stadium. But the juxtaposition of the English minnows with the fireworks, the state-of-the-art stadium and Juve's stars of past and present made the whole event seem like more than just a marketing exercise.

The media coverage has been a bit much – Tuttosport spent the day tweeting pictures of people in queues, people behind desks, road signs etc – but it is a turning point for Italian football. Though small at 41,000 seats, the fact that Juventus own the venue will mean massive financial benefits and a huge advantage over their rivals. And Juve's strength has always been that it is the most supported club across Italy – it's large fan base means lucrative TV deals and large away attendances, but not necessarily huge home crowds. Better to have 41,000-paying bums in seats than a theoretical capacity of 69,000 (like the old Del Alpi) with not a sinner in it.

Sky Italia are calling it "Lo stadio che cambia il calcio", the stadium that changes football. And while that's a little bit dramatic for my taste, it's not completely wrong. This is the future, and the ripples are bound to have wide-reaching affects. It's certainly made me jealous.

Media watch: the good, the bad and the ugly

Articles about Serie A in English are rare these days. But, disproving the popular saying, what's rare is not always beautiful. Most of the time it's anything but. With this in mind, there will be regular posts on this blog focusing on the best and worst of writing on Italian football. This time, let's start with the good ones.

The good 

Good stuff

For the cerebral football fan, the Swiss Ramble is a must-read blog. The posts are long, but this Brit's regular dissections of the financial side of the game (and how it applies to the on-field side of things) are fascinating. His latest post on SS Lazio (know your enemy, Roma fans) is typically well-researched and informative.


Elsewhere, James Horncastle of the Guardian and Four Four Two magazine is a fine writer who knows his stuff. This week, he has a rather good piece on Totti in Four Four Two. It's well worth reading and even features a nice link to a Cucchiaio (the captain's signature move, translates as "the spoon") compilation. 

The bad

Expect the world ... but not a calcio writer who knows what he's talking about ...

It is an unfair cliché oft-spouted by Europeans that Americans know nothing about "soccer", but those who do certainly don't work in the media. This week's cringe-fest of racial stereotype and silly comparison comes from Michael J. Agovino, a writer at that most august journal, the New York Times. 

"Dreading the Americanization of Romulus and Remus" is woeful. There's no other word for it. From ridiculous comparisons to US franchises moving cities to exploit new markets, to the stupid romanticisation of the city, the team and the previous owners – it's just awful. 


Why is it that when American writers talk about Italian football, they have to load the conversation with stupid "mama mia" crap? This article is talking about how the "family-run" AS Roma will be destroyed by American capitalisation. The Sensi were worthy owners but their Roma was not, to use an Americanism, a "Ma and Pop" set-up. Franco Sensi was an oil tycoon who bought a football team in a city that would be, were it in the US, the third most populous after New York and LA. Give the small town stuff a rest. 


Agovino is worried about Thomas DiBenedetto making sensible decisions. The hiring of Luis Enrique, he agonises, "feels like a corporate American one: find out who is the best and if he cannot be lured away, eyeball the masthead and poach his deputy." Wow. No other football teams ever try to find the best. What a novel idea. It might tarnish the romance of having a poor coach, though, so let's have one of those instead.  


This calcio expert also has some beef with the Stadio Olimpico. Mr Agovino: WE ALL DO. But they are not about the number of toilets or concessions, of which there are many. Had he said that the area around it was in disrepair, that the public transport links were chaotic or that the security barriers blocked his view, he might have given the impression he'd been there as a fan, rather than as a tourist with an over-active bladder. Anyway, the stadium is owned and operated by the national olympic committee, not AS Roma. 


The biggest laugh comes close to the end of this article. I wouldn't force anyone to sit through reading it, so I'll sum up: an American thinks it's worth mentioning (in an admirable sense, much as one would do when talking about how "wonderfully primative" the tribes of the Amazon are) that an Italian who lives and works in Italy doesn't speak English. "Totti," says Agovino, "speaks no English, does not even try, preferring the local Roman dialect."


Considering how well-known and well-regarded the NYT is, it's amazing how such poor content could make it onto its pages. There's hope for us all yet. 

The ugly

where football meets character and belief ... but not spell-check

This article from The Hard Tackle is the most bizarre football piece I've seen in a while, and I regularly read the websites of England's tabloids. I think the writer is trying to say that Serie A is knackered, but I can't be sure. Whatever point he's trying to make seems solely based on the fact that Pavel Nedved is gone, and so is Samuel Eto'o, who must have been put off by Italy and who would never have left a Spanish team. Oh, wait ...

The Hard Tackle is an Indian website, and as someone who regularly struggles with a foreign tongue, I would hate to take a pop at someone who speaks and writes English as a second language. But I do not know why an English-language site would employ someone with so tentative a grasp of the lingo. Surely someone in there knows what it's supposed to sound like? This is littered with spelling mistakes and wacky grammar, like this bee-ootiful "sentence":

"The preservation of the best talents hence, has become one of the most conspicuous points in question for the League and has thus far not been handled with the required levels of proficiency."

Then there's this belter:

"The adversities in Italian football henceforth, are quite deep rooted than that meets the eye and a few good signings here and there shall not serve the broader purpose of administering the League in the smoothest possible manner."

Exactly.