#2

New post tomorrow, couple of exhausting days.

Since the day of his birth, Daniele De Rossi has bled yellow along with red. The son of a former player, now youth system coach, there has been absolutely no question as to the eventual heir of Totti, with leadership on and off the pitch and now, as one of the best players gracing the planet. There are so many players and people across all walks of life who get by on work, dedication and sheer passion. The number of people who are blessed with otherworldy talent is slim. The person who combines both of these qualities is a true gift by birth. In Daniele, we have that.

From very good player he’s transformed to great. There is little question he’ll walk out of the Oscar del Calcio awards with the title as Serie A’s best midfielder, and he certainly deserves consideration as both the best Italian and overall best player. His defensive cover is inexhaustible, and I don’t think it’s any great exaggerration to say he’s the best defender in Rome. Hell, he might be the best defender in Serie A. His timing, instincts and reactions are impeccable. His ability to read the game while sitting deep allows this club so many liberties others aren’t afforded.

Of course, that’s only half the story. At his disposal is a golden right foot which can lace perfect balls onto the tip of a needle. There has been so much comparison with Gattuso in terms of his drive, defending and passion, taking it a step further due to Daniele’s superior technical qualities (nickname of the year, Gattuso in Armani), but I still think the most apt comparison is of Pirlo and Gattuso all rolled into one. When David Pizarro isn’t on the field, Daniele can and often does operate as a playmaker, though he’s certainly far from prototypical. A playmaker with similar qualities often is babysat by a hard-nosed, hard-charging defensive mid to make up for defensive inefficiencies. Daniele is both. What an absolute luxury for a coach to have.

There were so many critical tackles, beautiful passes and passionate charges this season that they all seem to blur together. My favorite was Milan at home, perhaps because it was my favorite game of the season, but those are just details. I went back to see what I’d written in the post game review, and found this little overzealous nugget:

Immense. Simply immense. Gattuso dressed in Armani laced out with diamonds and jewels. A 24 year old legend of indescribable qualities; and when he is done, without a doubt in my mind, the best Italian of his generation. I think they should hand out diapers when he plays – he’s just that good. No number can quantify Daniele De Rossi right now.

For how many games this year could we have plugged that into the review? Start talking double digits. His consistency, no doubt driven by his will, was something to behold, and it’s possible no one had fewer poor games in calcio this year. (And by “poor” I mean “above average”.)

Every single Roma fan dreads the day Francesco walks away, no question; but the future of Roma is in great hands. There’s hardly a higher compliment than that. Best midfielder, best player, best everyman for Roma this year. Without a doubt, he’s already ascended to legendary status. Make sure you sit up and pay attention for the next decade, it’s going to beautiful.

I hate the fact that they quit, but having put in 10+ months of excruciating work and having the season won the way it was, nearly all of you would’ve done the same. There is nothing more frustrating than having your ultimate fate decided, and decided unfavorably, by someone else. I hated the last 15 minutes of the ManU first leg infinitely more than I’ll ever hate the last 20+ against Catania.

Not the finest hour, but it was about more than just Roma v Catania. Circumstances.

On Brazilians: After the Champions League run had effectively ended, I believed the only way forward was to show two tantalizingly talented, wildly inconsistent Brazilians to be shown the exit door. A couple weeks ago rumors arose saying that Roma was interested in a Doni replacement and a highly gifted vice-Doni, and at the time I wouldn’t change my tune regarding the intellectually comatose Brazilian netminder. Last week Doni signed a four year extension, putting my cardiologist on call during weekends and occasionally midweek until at least 2012, and putting me on the lookout for a psychologist to talk through his performances with on Mondays. Safe to say I wasn’t thrilled.

I’m ready to change my tune. Sort of. Now only one tantalizingly talented, wildly inconsistent Brazilian needs to be shown the door. I can’t in good consciousness say that Doni is the keeper of the present and future, and that i lupi can reach the promised land between now and 2012 with Alex in between the sticks. His reflexes are fantastic and his skill is evident. It’s the lapses in concentration which can turn fortune into despair in the blink of an eye. All it takes is one game. One half. One shot. One set piece. One Livorno. (I still…just…god.)

Undoubtedly he’s made strides in knocking on the door of “world class” this year. Actually, he’s been flat out majestic at times. There are days when I wouldn’t trade him for Gigi Buffon & Lev Yashin’s lovechild. There are also days when I’d trade him for half of half of Pietro Pipolo & Carlo Zotti’s unloved bastard.

For now, he’s won me over. I’ll live contently with Doni as Roma’s starting keeper for 2008-09, and truly believe that if he takes another stride of the length that he did this year, he’ll be a world class keeper. However, if he reverts back to Old/Bad Doni, it’ll be time to blow it up. I still pray nightly that Gianluca Curci comes to fulfill 50% of the hype and turns out to be a good, solid worthy Serie A keeper who won’t cause me heart ailments and/or death. Thus I reserve the right to change course once Curci actually wanders out on loan and Doni has another full season of growth underneath his belt.

As far as Mancini goes, the day we see the back of him cannot come too soon. His performance was abysmal yesterday and, unfortunately, that’s become par for the course. The way I see it, we’ve had two Brazilian wingers this season out of form. Their origins are probably different – Mancini was hurt before the year, but this doesn’t appear to be a valid excuse, while Taddei has gone down a few times now and appears to be suffering from an injury-plagued year – but their contributions have been vastly different. When Taddei’s technique and skill fails him, as it has during stretches and understandably so, he makes up for it with his workrate, tenacity and will. When Mancini’s technique and skill fail him, not exactly a rare occurrence, Mancini accentuates it by dropping a figurative turd on the field. Roma might as well be handed a red card, because it’s X v XI.

I find it hard to believe which such big money floating around Mancini will be in red & yellow Kappa next season. His backside walking out of Trigoria for good this summer seems to be a matter of when, not if. And, depending on whether or not he loves Roma just as much as he says he does, it’ll probably be for a cut rate price. So we thank you, Andy Webster, for completely screwing up the sport for your selfish wants, you useless prick.

And Grazie Mancini, there were certainly some great times, but some things just run their course.

On De Rossi: 100% correct to say what he said, and I find it downright laughable anyone, especially Inter fans, whose team is being coached by the most classless man in calcio with some players equally devoid of class, would say otherwise. This has nothing to do with class or grace or anything of the type. Actually, scratch that. It does. I don’t want anyone with class or grace in defeat anywhere near my team. It’s all a bunch of bullshit.

“Show me a good and gracious loser and I’ll show you a failure.”

-Knute Rockne

Truer than true. This isn’t a fucking bake sale, Sally.

Also, Daniele’s right, which helps the argument.

On Mexes: In the most heated, most important game of the year, I think he was the calmest person on the pitch. My eyes must have been fooling me. The man is more Roman than half of Rome (the baby blue half). Couldn’t be.

On Brighi & Aquilani: There was a little question at the end of an interview yesterday with The Poobah on the contributions of Vucinic, and he quickly answered but made a point to mention the contributions of two others: Brighi & Aquilani. Matteo coming in after so many years on loan and becoming something of a defensively-inclined Simone and late game specialist. His workrate and grinding play is a huge boon late in games and allows Roma to close out when the legs are tired and in need of a crutch. Wouldn’t say he’s indispensable, but perhaps his contributions are underappreciated, much like that Simone guy. And who the hell knows, maybe one year in the system and next year we’ll see him fulfill that massive hype (and transfer fee) which came after he was named Serie A Young Player of the Year.

As for Aquilani, Spal mentioned the difference of healthy Aquilani in the lineup. The loss of Taddei obviosly forced a shift in the lineup, Simone over to the wing and KA up top, a position he’s less familiar with in the Spalletti system. I think we all see – along with Real, Barca, Juve, Inter, Arsenal, Chelsea, ManU, etc. etc. etc. – the insane qualities he possesses and that his future is mighty bright. An untouchable key piece of the puzzle, another year of maturation and, hopefully, major tournament experience, will do nothing to add to the experience and core of the Giallorossi next season. My heart always sides with the present, but my mind has always said 2008-09. One more year for Daniele De Rossi, now the best midfielder in Serie A, and one more year for Aquilani, a phenom oozing with technical qualities, means great things for the Roman midfield, and the whole of Rome, in 08-09.

* – And he’s not going anywhere. End of.

On Vucinic: I’m sorry I ever said comparing him to Zlatan was a bit exaggerated. It’s not. Vuci is just that good, and has proven himself to be a world class player. I have a hard time saying a guy who’s scored 19 games in a season before just had a “breakout year”, but he at least broke through to another universe. His goal-to-big game ratio is simply something to behold, and the fact that he creates just as much for his teammates as he does for himself leads us to believe there’s much more on the horizon when he and Totti get more familiar with each other as on-the-pitch colleagues as opposed to Jesus and backup striker waiting for Jesus to go down. That left wing is his, and we hope for many, many years.

As far as the negotiations with Lecce go, he will be in Rome next season and that is that. As high as his price may have soared, they can’t afford not to buy him; after all the work they’ve put in developing him to sync with the system and the subsequent time they’d need to spend on a lesser replacement to fill his massive, yellow shoes it’d be simply foolish. This is as good as gold for the summer, because he’s not a new buy who will need an assimilation period. Mirko is a break-the-glass, ready-to-use world class player for a unique system. Those are absolutely priceless and extraordinarily rare. The hierarchy will pay whatever, though I doubt it’ll be a ton. More likely we’ll see some fringe Giallorossi heading south for either a new Serie A struggle or a renewed promotion campaign down in B. One of the benefits of a world class youth system. Sometimes it isn’t all about the money.

But regardless of what happens this summer, Grazie Mirko. There are only a handful of people on the planet who could make a sans-Totti Roma squad continue along the road of calcio so smoothly. Daniele De Rossi was easily the most important part of the equation this season, but Vucigol wasn’t far behind. And can we all agree? He’s got It. Whatever the hell It is, he’s got it. You don’t show up in that many important games with that much quality without it.

Now if he’d kindly bag a triple in the Coppa final I’ll name my first born Francesco De Aquivucigol.

* – My thoughts are, joining Mexes and Taddei, he’ll become the next non-Italian Romanista. Like Philou, the man was born for this shirt.

On Zlatan: I can separate my in-season self with my out-of-season self quite well, which will allow me to appreciate Ibra for the month of June during the Euros. Whether or not the game was reffed unfairly yesterday was only irrelevant in the sense that he walked onto the pitch after a lengthy layoff and pushed that team over the hump when they were heading towards second place. And we all know how absurd he was during the first half of the year when Inter was so dominant. Starting in 03-04, when with Ajax, through this year he has ended the season with a title. The guy is a walking, talking championship. Pray he gets sold to Real or Chelsea this summer. Whatever credit Inter deserves goes to him.

On Totti: Soon enough, Francesco. Soon enough that trophy will be yours.

On Luciano: I’ve had more doubts than I’ll ever let on. Tactically never a question, but the way this team operates sometime really brings to question his ability to extract the right mentality from this team, the first and foremost quality for any great coach, teacher, leader, etc. in any aspect of life. His football mind is top of the mountain, maybe a bit higher, but otherwise, I can’t honestly say I’m sure he’s a coach that can lead a team to greatness. That overwhelming sense to will themselves to a win. To defeat regardless of tactics, blow up the gameplan and just win.

What I am confident of is that Spalletti as a coach, much like the team, is still absorbing, growing and progressing. This is also a learning process for him, and sometimes I, perhaps others, forget that. He is by no means a finished product, and is in some ways representative of the team. Heralded for his workings in Udine, but not yet considered world class. Experienced, but not experienced enough on the largest stage. His rise has coincided with the rise of Roma. After all, he’s just 49, still but a pup in the world of big game coaching.

My feeling is next year is it in terms of assessing Spalletti’s impact on this team. If they can grow mentally, I will fully believe and plan four plus children just so that I can spell out The Grand Imperial Poobah on Christmas cards. (I’ll feel might bad for “The”, but he/she will have to deal with it.) I do think they will grow mentally, and that’s not more hope than belief. I do believe that. Spalletti and the core has more experience now, more failures and successes to guide them in the right direction. This will be invaluable, and in the end I believe Spalletti will be invaluable. The journey continues.

On Serie A 2007-08: I can’t really do a proper assessment on the whole season until next week, and I do want to break down the season a lot more in-depth, but I figure there are a few things to be said.

It was a very good, borderline great season. 82 points in a difficult competition – Parma was in the UEFA Cup last year, Empoli this year….and they both got relegated, that says something – is nothing, absolutely nothing, for the boys to hang their heads about. Internazionale FC +1 has what was once called by then Chelsea-gaffer The Not So Special One “the biggest squad in the world”. From top to bottom they are a payroll. Period. End of. And when the coach of @#$%in’ Chelsea says that, it shows the the true depth of that team up north.

Roma is not that team. On paper, they have absolutely no business competing with a half-billion dollar team. And they did, right down to the final weekend, in a campaign marred by injury after injury after injury. When Inter lost Cordoba, Samuel and Materazzi, they simply plugged in Rivas and Chivu, two big money signings. When Roma needed an extra defender, they were forced to plug in two 30+ right backs. Roma has nowhere near the roster Inter does. On paper, the scudetto should have been handed out in August.

But what they did do was play better, and anyone not in bed with the Nerazzurri will agree. Inter was extraordinarily fortunate, if that’s what you want to call it, to get the results that they did. Roma was rarely, if ever, so fortunate. Nor were any other teams. Read into that how you will.

I’m not sure people understand how many injuries this team endured with a squad which is still fairly thin in certain spots. Juan, Taddei, Perrotta, Aquilani and Jesus, all key members of the first team, went down on more than one occasion and missed significant time. Matteo Ferrari, Juan and the Pizaman all had a late start to the season which didn’t help matters – especially not the first two, who couldn’t get healthy the entire year. Marco Cassetti, arguably the best RB in the peninsula during the first half of the year (yes, I said that, and it’s hard to argue with it – he was fricken’ fantastic and oh so underappreciated), went down more than once in the second half and lost his stride. Marco Andreolli never saw a minute in the shirt, forcing a 35 year old full back to play in central defense much of the year. This was far from a full team at any point in the season.

What I don’t buy is that Roma botched it will the small teams. When competing seriously on three fronts, you’re bound to drop some games you should win. Every team does it. Every champion does it. Real Madrid lost to Espanyol, Almeria, Real Betis and Getafe, while they drew with Murcia, Valladolid and Zaragoza. That sounds about the same as draws with Livorno (twice – they’re the bogey team), Empoli, Torino, Catania and Cagliari while losing to Siena. Actually, sounds awfully similar.

The difference is I don’t think Roma has the versatility in tactics or squad to break down lower-end table teams who park themselves in the back with a goalkeeper having a good day. When a team like Real can throw different looks at you, Roma is stuck in the 4-2-3-1. That, for me, was the most frustrating aspect going into the season, and is the most frustrating aspect going out. System is great, fabulous, wonderful, but it needs to be rotated every now and again.

That old boxing adage can still apply to so many sports: “Styles make fights”. Sometimes it’s just not about talent. Sometimes the counter methods just work. This is what needs to be changed; more than the level of talent, more than the salary cap, more than the ownership. Versatility within the system is nice, as evidenced by Giuly v Taddei or Cicinho v Panucci, but at the end of the day you need to be able to counter your downfalls. Roma could not do that. My greatest hope for this summer, even more so than any transfer target, is that Spal adopts a tactical alternative which can operate and change gears fluidly. I honestly believe that is a major key to a scudetto.

Two games kill me to this day from that list, however. One is Empoli. Roma beat them up and down the pitch like it was public slaughtering for most of the game, before Vannucchi got too much space and struck a wondergoal, and before Giovinco scored the luckiest goal of his career – now and through the end of his days it will stay the luckiest goal of his career. Roma had so many chances to close that game out, yet they were brutally inefficient in front of the net. Still can’t believe that was the same Mirko Vucinic who now could have a golden statue erected at Trigoria. The guy scores bullshit goals regularly these days, and back then he was missing bunnies against Empoli.

They had that game won; it was an easy 3 points in the bag. How Empoli managed a draw I’ll never understand. Never.

The second is the home game against Livorno. Mostly because of Doni’s absolutely criminal positioning on that free kick, giving one of the premier free kick takers these days in calcio the side of a barn to aim at. It’s the number one reasoning I can’t feel comfortable with Alex in net. For all his obvious feline talents, it’s the basic mental aspects of the game which fail him when needed most.

Worst of all, that game needed to be about Totti. When Francesco fell down taking that shot and Brozzi walked over to him on the ground, looking down before motioning immediately for a sub my stomach turned. Can’t say it was an obvious 6 month injury, but when a player goes down in that manner and is carted off the field immediately, you didn’t need to be a doctor to know the outlook was grim. That game should’ve held more, for Francesco and the news that was about to follow.

All in all it was a very good year. Milan. Madrid. Madrid. Udinese. Four games which I could watch over and over and over. Four glorious occasions. But what’s more is that all of this is something to really build on; and make no mistake about it, this is a building process which will continue to grow and progress. Spal:

“I must compliment my team on the way they worked this season. We have grown a great deal, have a project to continue and everyone did their duty.”

I don’t doubt for a second Spal has had one eye towards this year and another towards next at times during this campaign. This was certainly a project, more in the urban, undesired housing sense, when he rode in on his horse, saving the day a few years back, but now it is a great project and so much more. There will be better results to come and a brighter future for the Giallorossi. I’m prepared to say I hold absolutely no doubt in my mind or heart in saying that in the next two years, Roma will lift the scudetto deservedly. This club has always held something special off the pitch and in the stands; well now it’s on the pitch and giving notice to the world. As a team, as a system, they are still young. Their day will come.

For now, they have every right to be proud. If all was fair in love and calcio, we’d be still drenched in tears of joy, singing Grazie Roma to the hilltops and peppering the globe with an unforeseen slew of newborns named “Daniele, Francesco, Philippe, Alberto, Vucigol and The Grand Imperial Poobah”. Alas, not all is fair. Yet we can still sing Grazie Roma, because they deserve every bit of it, but perhaps saving our loudest voices for Mai Sola Mai.

I can honestly say no season in recent time has made me prouder to be a Roma fan. I can also say the same for next season, and the season after that, and the season after that.

As Roma goes, so do we. With an undying passion, bleeding yellow along with red, and the knowledge that we love the greatest club in the world. So Grazie Roma, for the good times we were lucky enough to experience and for the giallorosso dawn on the horizon. But also for the bad times, allowing us to realize that great sorrow comes only from great love. Grazie a thousand times over, for a club that is so much more. The whole is more than the sum of its trophies.

But for now…

…there’s still a game left to win. Time to show everyone who the best team in Italia really is.

FORZA ROMA

Never has this collection of athletes faced a larger game with more on the line than they will experience when stepping onto the pitch in Sicily, and I am completely convinced that tomorrow we will see a level of ferocity unseen from Roma thus far this season.

Unfortunately, it’s not all in Roma’s hands, and Parma has become everyone’s second team. You would never bet against Inter to lose or even draw, but the Gialloblu proved themselves worth adversaries in January and the new unrest in Milan this week, along with Inter’s history of choking, allows for a modicum of hope. And with that hope comes a little bit of Forza Parma, a lot of prayer and karma with the weight of the world on its shoulders. Quite frankly, a Roma scudetto win is the only thing which can convince me all is right in the world.

As for the Elephanti, Catania is nowhere near Roma’s class. That’s not really up for discussion, and has been on display on three separate occasions this year – even with one draw thrown in, a draw that, for all intents and purposes, was an exhibition. They had a decent first half of the season and a stunning run in the Coppa Italia, but this is a relegation-quality team. On a normal day, we can say 9 out of 10 would go to Roma, yet this is anything but a normal day.

One could almost consider these games with these circumstances akin to a derby in that form and skill are irrelevant. What matters is desire, the “will to win”. Teams in Catania’s position often play well above and beyond when facing survival. In this case I’m not sure you can completely throw talent, class and form out the window – especially with Roma having more than 3 points at stake – but their effect is certainly watered down. The Sicilians will scrap, they will fight and they will attempt to claw their way above the relegation mire and onto the ledge containing another year with much of the same. Their problem becomes Roma has just as much to fight for, if not more. Do these desires cancel each other out and leave us back at square one with talent v talent? Could be. Could very well be. We’ll only know once the game is over.

For now, without getting into tactics and matchups, of which there are very few, if any, relevant ones, the greatest worry is Roma scoring a goal. Catania has conceded the second fewest goals at home in the league this season – thirteen – and we don’t exactly need to unveil a lengthy presentation detailing Roma’s struggles with finishing. No great secret, it’s their Achilles heel. Of course, this doesn’t seem to be the case since the loss of The Jesus. Averaging a solid three goals per game against a higher caliber of opposition, would a couple be two much to ask during what will be the biggest game of nearly every player’s life? I don’t think so.

If we do want to look back at the three games against Catania this season, one thing is completely evident: they’re exposed even when they aren’t pushing numbers forward. The problem becomes even if Parma loses, they can be relegated because Empoli has the tie-breaker. So really, with each game being played at the same time, they have to play for the win – or at least play for the draw. Even though they’ve built something of a fortress down there in Catania, I find it impossible to believe Roma won’t will itself to at least one goal. Meaning I’d be utterly shocked to see a nil-nil draw, and I doubt I’m the only one.

What becomes mighty dangerous in the event that Catania opens up with a goal. At which point we’d see a Livorno-esque team picture in the back. So as much is this game is about emotion and heart and desire and all those clichéd things which make up Hollywood’s archives, it’s just as much about wits and tactics when the scoreline comes into play. Would you rather have Spalletti or Walter Zenga making decisions on the fly? That’s what I thought.

On the other hand, if Roma opens up for a goal, Catania will be forced to open up the back and perhaps consequently, the floodgates for the boys. Which may allow us to to turn our attention to the Tardini. Well, at least we hope…

The overwhelming feeling for me is that Roma will come flying out of the gate and play to a level we don’t often get to see. I’ve spent some time this week thinking about which was the game of the year, I actually came up with three in three different categories, and I couldn’t help but to compare the feeling of this game to Udinese. Yes, Udinese was nearly tailor-made for Roma tactically, but it wasn’t the opening efforts or domination which was most impressive. It was the reaction after the goal. It was the first time a Roma team gave the impression that we were watching champions. Calmly and coolly they absorbed the pressure of the goal, stepped their game up just one notch and proceeded to conquer Udinese as though it was their destiny. This will be another display of champions. This team has matured immeasurably, and it’s become quite clear at hand is not the same old Roma. They deserve this scudetto, whether they get it or not, and they’ll prove it in Sicily.

But most importantly of all? This one’s for Francesco. Bring it home for him.

Standings

1. Inter 82 points
2. Roma 81 points
.
.
.
17. Catania 36pts (-12)
18. Parma 34pts (-18)
19. Empoli 33pts (-24)

Domestic Five

Roma: WDWWW

Catania: LWLLD

Catania’s last five at home: DLWWL

They’re certainly not unbeatable at home, are they. Especially when considering the draw was with Siena and the two losses via Torino and Reggina, two teams which just assured safety last weekend. So while they may concede few goals, it’s easily a result for the taking.

Squads

Roma:

ANTUNES Gabriel

AQUILANI Alberto

BERTAGNOLI J. Sergio

BRIGHI Matteo

CASSETTI Marco

CICINHO

CURCI Gianluca

DE ROSSI Daniele

DONI Alexander

ESPOSITO Mauro

JUAN

GIULY Ludovic

MANCINI

MEXES Philippe

PANUCCI Christian

PERROTTA Simone

PIZARRO David

TONETTO Max

VUCINIC Mirko

ZOTTI Carlo

Catania:

Portieri –
1 Bizzarri, 16 Polito, 18 Rossi.
Difensori –
22 Alvarez, 3 Sabato, 2 Sardo, 5 Silvestre, 21 Silvestri, 4 Sottil, 6 Stovini,
23 Terlizzi.
Centrocampisti –
17 Baiocco, 27 Biagianti, 9 Colucci, 8 Edusei, 20 Gazzola, 13 Izco, 19 Tedesco,
7 Vargas.
Attaccanti –
25 Martinez, 10 Mascara, 15 Morimoto, 11 Pià, 24 Spinesi.
Non convocati:
Iannelli, Ioime, Lasagna, Sciacca.


Key Injuries

• Juan is available, but I strongly doubt we’ll see him in the starting lineup. Though fantastic, OMR has been solid for nearly the entire year while throwing in the odd goal. There’s really no need to risk another injury to Juan and a needless substitution when the drop-off to OMR is negligible. On the bench for reserve use at best, I’d say.

• Doni is going, I’d bet my bottom dollar he plays.

Probable XI

Doni;
Cicinho, Panucci, Mexes, Tonetto;
DDR, Pizarro;
Mancini, Aquilani, Perrotta;
Vucinic.

It works, simple as that. Highly doubt Spal will mess with it.

* – If Panucci is any type of captain, he’ll give the armband to DDR.

Matchups

There is but one.

Daniele De Rossi v The World: It’s doubtful we would get few arguments against the notion that DDR has been Roma’s best player this season. He’s also been the best midfielder in the league and a candidate for best player. This has been the season where we’ve seen the full bloom of DDR; at a time when it was desperately needed with the injuries to Il Capatino. They needed him to rise to another level and he did. It’s that simple. And consequently, in the absence of Francesco, this has become his team. Whether he gets the arm band or not is irrelevant. The man bleeds red and yellow, and his heart beats as Roma’s heart beats.

This is, without a doubt, a must win game. Roma has Daniele De Rossi leading them into battle, Catania does not. The man cares more than any of us could imagine. That is your difference maker.

Predictions

God help us all.

Score: 1-0 Roma
Goals: Vucinic (34)
MOTM: DDR

When: 1500 CET, 0900 EST
Where: Stadio Angelo Massimino
Forecast: Sunny, 25°C.

Streaming: Here.

FORZA PARMA

FORZA ROMA

Tis the first game in the sans-Totti stretch we’re about to endure; unfortunately, the boys in red & yellow have had a lot of experience dealing without their captain this season. Now, though, they’ll have to march on knowing it’s about them and only them, because Francesco won’t be making any miraculous recoveries, walking up the stairs and onto the pitch for the rest of the season. It’s time to form the team around themselves and without Him. The leadership will be fine in the form of Daniele De Rossi, but they need to start finishing much, much better as a whole. That is unless Mirko goes bananas, which is altogether possible.

Could there be a better team to kick of this stretch with than Torino? In the standings, very few, but this team knows how to grind out draws away from home – and we know how well Roma can gloriously flub finishing at times – with 2 wins, 6 losses and 9 sister smooches. They’ve also got Gianni De Biasi back in the fold, and have a rush of adrenaline as they attempt to avoid relegation, sitting just four points off the zone.

Luckily for Roma, they’ve had severe difficulties scoring goals against anyone (4 goals in their last 9 games, held scoreless 7 out of those 9), much less a team of Roma’s defensive capabilities; so to say they’d be lucky getting just one would be the understatement of the century. Actually, if they get 2+ goals I’ll fly to Rome and disembowel Doni myself. That’s a promise. (One I probably won’t keep but I’d at least think about it, so that’s something.)

And thus it begins. There is still a mathematical chance the season isn’t effectively over, but that’s simply numbers. I have no doubt Spal will play for the full three points every week for the rest of the season, but the question becomes who will see minutes that hasn’t seen all that many so far. The first name which pops to mind is Antunes. His playing time has basically come in the Coppa and a meaningless CL game, and his status for next year could still be up in the air – loan looks likely, but one never knows.

Adrian Pit? Perhaps? Strange to see him on the squad the full year with zero time on the pitch outside of the Coppa. Then there are guys like Mauro Esposito and Gianluca Curci, both of whom are almost certainly headed elsewhere in the summer (Espo sold, Curci on co-ownership/loan), and could do well to bump up their pricetags/sex appeal a bit.

But those are likely for the coming weeks. For this week, should be standard. The one overwhelming question I have is what happens when Vucigol comes off (he’s not playing every minute from here on out, that’s for damn sure). Ludovicious? Sure, but he’s less than ideal. Taddei? Mancini? Alright, but those are emergency band-aids. There is one guy I’ve felt for a while (I said it in the beginning here) on the roster who could potentially take Totti’s prima punta spot in the future when Francesco’s time is up: Alberto Aquilani. They aren’t like-for-like, but start thinking about Alberto’s first touch, finishing and passing qualities in that spot and……………

Last Five

Roma: WDWWD

Torino: LWLLL

I think both clubs would like a couple “do-overs”. Roma two, precisely.

Squads

Roma:

ANTUNES

AQUILANI

BERTAGNOLI

BRIGHI

CASSETTI

CICINHO

CURCI

DE ROSSI

DONI

ESPOSITO

GIULY

JUAN

MANCINI

MEXES

PANUCCI

PERROTTA

PIZARRO

TADDEI

TONETTO

VUCINIC

Torino:

Portieri: Fontana, Gomis.

Difensori: Dellafiore, Di Loreto, Franceschini, Lanna, Motta, Pisano, Rubin.

Centrocampisti: Asamoah Kwadwo (n. 24), Barone, Corini, Diana, Grella, Lazetic, Rosina.

Attaccanti: Bjelanovic, Di Michele, Recoba, Stellone, Ventola.

Key Injuries

Jesus.

Torino lost Matteo Sereni, which means Fontana in net being backed up by a 12 year old. Corini and Bottone are suspended. And Gianluca Comotto is out for the year, though his mouth isn’t.

Probable XI

Roma:

Doni;
Cicinho, Juan, Mexes, Tonetto;
DDR, Pizarro;
Taddei, Simone, Mancini;
Vucinic.

Seems pretty straight forward, though expect Marco Cassetti to come in later to rightfully reclaim his old spot and Alberto Aquilani to do the same. Pray they don’t get injured.

Torino:

Fontana;
Motta, Di Loreto, Dellafiore, Pisano;
Diana, Grella, Barone, Lazetic;
Rosina, Stellone.

Started out with similar last week, seemed to work alright….

Predictions

Let’s see, Roma got manhandled in Torino 3-1 and snuck down to the level for a sister smooching in the Serie A encounter over a few weeks in December. Then, in January, Roma put on a 45 minute clinic in the Coppa at the Olimpico. Where will this one end up? Somewhere in between.

Score: 2-0 Roma
Goals: De Rossi (21), Vucinic (36)
MOTM: Mirko
Mancini Give-A-Shit Factor: π

When: 1500 CET, 0900 EST
Where: Stadio Olimpico
Forecast: Sunny, 21°C.

Streaming: Here.

FORZA ROMA

I stumbled upon the lineup from another 1-0 loss in England which played a large part in showing Roma the exit door from a European competition, this one just 24 months ago in the 2005-06 UEFA Cup. Just for kicks, take a look:

1 Gianluca Curci
2 Christian Panucci
5 Philippe Mexes
4 Samuel Kuffour
25 Leandro Cufre
30 Alessandro Amantino
15 Olivier Dacourt
11 Rodrigo Taddei
17 Damiano Tommasi
14 Houssine Kharja
20 Simone Perrotta

Quite frankly, we had no business expecting Roma to make two straight quarter final Champions League runs on limited resources just two years after that lineup took the field, but they did. We have no business expecting that lineup, over the course of two years, to transition into a scudetto contender, but they are. A solid team it was, no doubt; but now, to take the same field as megamillionaires and Mercenaries R’ Us Internazionale and Manchester United and feel like they can not only compete, but win? Nigh unbelievable.

In two years this team has gone from a UEFA Cup also-ran to one of the most highly spoken of teams on the continent, with a core of players and a coach who could walk onto any team in the world. A constant focus of boyish gushing for the brightest minds in the sport, and the blueprint for, a term which may be a bit premature but still apt, world-beaters Manchester United. Roma has come a long way in a short time.

Much of the team is still in or entering its prime (minus Il Capitano, a harrowing thought, but not the end of the world – or maybe it is), and new superstars are emerging almost weekly. Mirko Vucinic has transformed into our wildest dreams, and the Balkans Maradona tag seems immensely appropriate. Juan has been, when available, a stunning addition to the side, and surely one of the biggest steals of last summer’s mercato on the continent – not to mention making the Chivu sale look like smart business. Alberto Aquilani, also an unfortunate victim of injury, has at the very least given glimpses of something extraordinarily special, and who knows what an injury-free year would provide.

Then there’s Daniele De Rossi. In short, he’s everything you hope for in an athlete. He eats, sleeps and breathes AS Roma. Pure class, pure passion. It will be a difficult day when Roma loses its icon, talisman, and captain, but how many teams can say they’d lose a Francesco Totti and have a wildly gifted, breathtakingly passionate, hometown player waiting in the wings, ready to keep things running in stride? Zero? Or perhaps that’s too high a number. Roma is lucky to have Totti, but it’s equally as lucky to have De Rossi. He comes to define why Roma is known as La Magica, and why it is so beloved.

There’s a saying in boxing which says “styles make fights”, and it can be applied across the board in sports. Unfortunately in Manchester they employ a similar style, and simply have more resources and a higher degree of talent at their disposal. It was an impossible mission from the start. But all in all, it’s hard to call this anything but a successful run. It’s been a long time since Roma fans have enjoyed the heights of the win in Madrid, a massive result against the richest team in the world, and one which is still the top team in the top league, according to UEFA. They went deeper than any Italian team, and still have much to build on. The squad, the system and the team mentality will be tweaked and strengthened before next year. Adaption will be key, and the more time in the system and under Spalletti, the better the team will be.

This was never going to be an overnight process. As has been said here many times, “it’s a journey, not a destination”. Simply part of the journey, and another “experience”. The core will regroup and ready itself for another challenge, almost assuredly with a few fresh faces looking to upgrade the quality of the squad, and use these experiences as they fight for the chance to defend their home fortress in next year’s final.

Two years ago, it would’ve been hard to imagine a missed penalty in the 30th minute of a Champions League quarter final against the best team in the world striking such a resounding blow simply because there was so much belief Roma could actually win the game. That, in itself, is simply remarkable.

There will be a good deal of time for 20/20 hindsight vision, and chalkboard lessons on what went wrong where, but for now, it was a great run, and here’s to next year – and, perhaps, maybe even a bit of destiny.

It’s only supposed to be played during wins, but it seems more than worthy of run in the jukebox right now.

Udinese

Unquestionably the most difficult game remaining this year, and I think – “think” being written hesitantly, perhaps with even a hint of tremble – that’s a good thing. I’m glad they don’t have time to think about Manchester, or keep it in the back of their minds as though Catania was coming to town over the weekend. If they want to stay focused and stay in the hunt for major silverware, they need to focus 100% on the Udinese game. I suspect they know this. (And if Udinese wins, you can feel free to call me an idiot.)

The great decider is, of course, what the squad list looks like come the weekend, and whether or not we’ll be graced with the presence of one Il Capitano. Even if he is back, it’s unlikely he’ll be in vintage form, and at best they’ll have to do with a less than fully fit Totti. Of course, Totti at 75% is still better than 100% of the players on the pitch, so the only gauge will be about 15 minutes after the opening whistle. Til then, we pray.*

* – Roma news says there’s been improvement, let’s hope that continues.

As far as Udinese goes, they’re in a pretty good run of form right now, not having lost since February. It’ll take a minor miracle for them to nab the almighty fourth champions league spot, but they won’t play with any less urgency. Fab Quags and Toto, the two unquestioned dangermen, were on form tag team style during March. A huge worry because, as I’m sure everyone’s seen once or twice, you almost need a defender to slap handcuffs on Quags as soon as he enters the opposition’s half because he can score from the second deck. A true exercise in playing 90 minutes, as the last game displayed (and let’s hope for the sake of a result Udinese doesn’t go down 3 men this time and score a quad in six minutes).

It’ll be a big test of their mettle. Today they looked as though they were running on adrenaline and panic for the first segment of the game before settling down and fighting for their European lives. It didn’t work against ManU, but Udinese is no ManU. A similar outlook will be very welcome, and quite probably successful, this weekend in Udine.

News stuffs tomorrow, tonight it’s just:

Grazie Roma