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.

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.

La nuova Magica? How Roma's new boys stack up

When Ronaldo arrived in the Netherlands to play for PSV, he was 18. Way back in 2001, Olympique Lyonnais didn't even blink before signing some unknown kid from Gremio called Ronaldinho, where before the age of 21 the buck-toothed genius had scored in almost every second game he played in.  Almost every time Gonzalo Higuaín touches the ball, Real Madrid is praised for having the foresight for bringing him from River Plate at the tender age of 19, and while hardly a football journo this side of the Atlantic knew who the 22-year old Javier Hernández was before Alex Ferguson signed him for Manchester United, they have all since applauded the whisky-nosed Scot for the coup.


So why the bloody hell is it that lazy hacks the football world over still insist on talking about “experience”? What would today's European football be like to watch if Thomas Muller, Wayne Rooney, Mezut Ozil or – heaven forbid – Lionel Messi had all been left on the reserves to "mature"?


Last season, Roma had the oldest squad in the league and absolutely no strength in depth. Now, the average age of the squad is 26.8, there's a young and hungry team of players at the coach's disposal and crucially, there's a spine of experienced class too.


Back when the Giallorossi last won the Scudetto in 2000/01, Walter Samuel, Vincent Candela, Damiano Tommasi, Francesco Totti and Vincenzo Montella were all at or below 25. But when combined with the knowledge and skill of players like Aldair, Cafu and Batistuta, they turned out just fine.


So what of the latest Romalution? Well, it is rather tempting to get excited and while this is not necessarily the team I'd pick, I've drawn it up to illustrate how many of these youngsters could be integrated into the team right away.

I chose this line-up simply to show how strong even a "young" Roma team might be. With the exception of Jose Angel, all of the above have senior international caps, and despite their age Pjanic, Bojan, Lamela and Angel have all featured heavily at club level, too. Simon Kjaer could prove an astute signing because despite a tough season in Germany, Roma will have a fine defender for the future – as long as the Dane rediscovers the form he showed at Palermo, where he made more than 60 league appearances before the age of 21.

This promise, coupled with seasoned players like Perrotta, Pizarro and Borriello on the bench, makes for a potentially intoxicating blend.

Stekelenburg in goal is a no-brainer. The mere thought of Bogdan Lobont ever pulling on a Roma shirt again fills me with terror. Gianluca Curci returns to his native Rome after being relegated with Sampdoria, and no longer looks like the future Italy number one many tipped him to be. That said, at just 26 he shouldn't be written off. Let's just hope the Dutchman settles in nicely and stays injury-free.

At 24, Aleandro Rosi is yet to develop into a grown-up player and many question if he will ever be truly good enough for that right back slot. Sometimes, his passing and crossing is just mental. Marco Cassetti is ten years older and not the speed demon he once was, but new-signing Loic Nego is too young to risk, having only a handful of club games with Nantes and some U-20 internationals to his name. I've never understood why anyone would rate Cicinho as a footballer, but we'll wait and see. 

Burdisso and Juan are sure to start in the centre, with Kjaer and Gabriel Heinze providing cover. The Argentine is 33, but he came free, and in fairness featured heavily over the last two years in a Marseilles team that won both league and cup honours. He might also provide cover for Jose Angel at left-back. The Spaniard has shone since breaking into the Sporting Gijon senior team, and many expect great things. He offers much, both in defence and attack.

The midfield and attack could be exciting. With Gago to cover the back four, De Rossi might be allowed to become that box-to-box midfielder he once was, influencing the play across the pitch rather than sitting in the deep position forced upon him by Claudio Ranieri's formation. 

The front four above are flexible, comfortable in several positions each and all blessed with intelligence and flair on the ball. Totti needs no introduction, and considering that at Barcelona he broke the records set by Messi, neither should Bojan Krkic. Going on his long, long record as a talent spotter, Walter Sabatini's gamble on Erik Lamela should pay off because he looks like a talented kid. The aforementioned Higuaín made a similar move from River Plate to Real Madrid aged 19, and despite the money spent on Galacticos 2.0, many still hail him as  Los Blancos best player.

One wonders where Borriello fits into coach Luis Enrique's philosophy, and plenty question the validity of Pablo Daniel Osvaldo's signing. Between 2006 and 2010, the Argentine played for four Italian teams in Serie B and the top flight, yet managed only 17 league goals in all that time. Admittedly, he has looked better since moving to Espanyol, but whether that's because of the Spanish league's dodgy defensive quality or because the striker matured is open for debate.

Anyone with any alternative line-ups/death threats, please feel free to comment.

Hurrah! Serie A's well and truly back

It's back, ladies and gentlemen. No, not the football. It's the madness of Palermo.

Everyone's favourite football despot Maurizio Zamparini hasn't even waited until the start of the season to fire Stefano Pioli. Looking for confirmation of this, I came across a little story on the Palermo website, which actually refers to Zamparini as "Il numero uno del club", which I doubt needs translation.

What a lunatic!

I wonder what Delio Rossi's up to? Third time lucky?

Serie A strike: what's behind it?

The major Italian sports papers all run strike stories on the front page,
"Own goal" screams the cover of La Gazzetta dello Sport

An own goal. That's what the papers here are calling it, and I can't disagree. It's difficult to see any winners in this latest butting of heads between the clubs and the players. In a dispute over the players' collective bargaining agreement that's been running for a long time now, the players have again gone on strike to make their point, despite knowing that it will damage the image of the league and annoy fans in the process.

Serie A fans might remember that strike action loomed last December, only to be averted at the 11^th hour thanks to some desperate negotiations. After those talks, a new version of the agreement was approved by the Italian Footballers' Association (AIC) and delivered to the clubs almost four months ago. Despite having the whole summer to mull over the terms, for some reason the owners then waited until just days before the beginning of the new term to announce that they wouldn't be signing it.

The owners say the sticking point is tax. The Italian government plans to impose a new levy on the country's highest earners, and the clubs say that the agreement doesn't outline who will pay these new taxes – the clubs or the players. According to one-time Roma star Damiano Tommasi (now the AIC's president), however, this is nonsense. The long-time curly hair enthusiast has said that the players will pay the tax in accordance with the law, and accuses the clubs of using this to discredit the players and avoid discussion on the main sticking point: segregated training.

Now, apartheid South Africa or 1950s Alabama this is not, but the AIC is staunchly opposed to what it says is the marginalisation of some of its members. Separation, it claims, damages the player's professional dignity and is nothing but a tool used as a powerful blackmail technique by clubs who wish to off-load players.

Goran Pandev, Antonio Cassano and Federico Marchetti are just three high-profile players who have been frozen out in this way and the AIC are adamant that it must stop. The clubs say that a clause guaranteeing the right to train as a group would impinge on the managers' control.

This is a struggle that has been fought for some time. It's true that the clubs use it as a way to force players out, but it's also true that segregated training is sometimes the only option for a disruptive player. One bad apple can spoil the barrel, as they say, and there's more than a few of them knocking around the peninsula's orchard.

Speaking for the clubs, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis pleaded: “We aren't trying to wage war on anyone. The agreement is out of date, something that belongs three decades ago. There's no point renewing it, we need to modernise it.” 

If these words sound a little bit sensible to be coming out of Serie A, don't worry. Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani chirped in: “there is a widely held intention to not hand victory to the players in this matter,” and warned, “If necessary we can wait till December.”

Let's hope it doesn't come to that.