I prefer to see Totti slotted behind the striker(s). It’s true that he can be effective in either spot, but I think that Roma need him feeding balls to VuciBeast.

yes, Mexi is Legolas.

there was some good discussion about Aqui and his consistency. he has had some problems on and off, but many of these have been because of where he has been played.

he does not play well out on the wing and yet that is where he has been on occasion.

it made me think for a minute what a team without him might be like.

i have noticed that il Romanista publishes the line-up as 4-1-4-1, even though Chris breaks it down into 4-2-3-1

the 4-2-3-1 really helps stretch the team out so that the passing game can work fluidly. when it is more compact, such as a 4-1-4-1, the connexion between the back to middle to front is not as good and DeRossi becomes more of a gate-keeper than play-maker. we also loose him being able to move further up and take more of those long range shots.

but say, against a team like Bordeaux who was jamming up the midfield until we concentrated more men up front, we used a 4-4-2 where the front 4 were a mix of passers (Taddei & Perrotta) and dribblers (Vuci & Menez)

like so….

4-1-4-1

Cici—Juan—Mexi—Pannuci
———-DeRoma———–
Taddi–Menez–Perrotta–Vuci
——–the Beast———–

or with Totti

Cici—Juan—Mexi—Pannuci
———-DeRoma———–
Taddi–Menez–the Beast–Vuci
———–Totti———-

we loose the passing game but get a team with a strong rear and strong front.

any thoughts?