Mancini! Siete paura?
December 1, 2007 4:39 pm(Mancini! Are you afraid?)
Woah, woah, woah! What’s with all of the high-profile matches in Week 14? With each of the top five squads facing each other (or Milan), you’d think that we were in some kind of a knockout stage!
Tonight, it’s Juventus at Milan, while tomorrow, Inter visit Fiorentina and Udinese travel to Roma. Now - with those fixtures in mind - take a peek at the upper quarter of the table:
- Inter - 28 pts
- Roma - 25 pts
- Juventus - 25 pts
- Udinese - 25 pts
- Fiorentina - 24 pts
(That’s how it looks as of today, prior to tonight’s Juve - Milan match.)
As you can see, Inter’s situation is a little… shall we say… tight?
It wouldn’t be surprising then, if the Nerazzurri coach, Roberto Mancini, was feeling a bit of pressure.
What is be a surprise, however, is the fact that he has decided to verbally undermine Fiorentina’s credentials as a Scudetto contender.
Yep. His exact words were as follows:
“It will be a very difficult match and we need a great performance to overcome this obstacle.”
“Over the years they will become a great side. Although not Scudetto contenders now because with a lot of young players there can be a lack of consistency, if they remain united for a number of years then they can create a winning cycle.”
Roberto, you do realize that up until two weeks ago, Fiorentina were the only squad undefeated in Serie A play (other than Inter, of course), right?
At least he acknowledges that Inter face a difficult test, but his suggestion that Fiorentina “will become a great side… if they remain united for a number of years” doesn’t quite sit right with me.
News flash: Fiorentina are one of the best sides in Calcio, Mancini, and they’re “great” enough to be right on your a**.
His comments make even less sense on the eve of a match in which Inter will be without Vieira, Toldo, and Figo, while the Viola are getting back Ujfalusi, Gamberini, and Pasqual. Not only that, but it’s an away match for Inter, and as of late, when Inter doesn’t win, it’s been outside the protection of the San Siro.
So, is Mancini just trying to wind Fiorentina up, or is this how his fear of finally losing has manifested itself? I say it’s the latter, and I truly hope the Viola can bring the Nerazzurri down a notch.
By the way, I would just like to point out that I didn’t call them ArgentInter anywhere in the post above… but now I need to get it out of my system, so here goes: ArgentInter! A-R-G-E-N-T-I-N-T-E-R, as in Argentina + Inter = ArgentInter! Now go out and get some Italian players, damnit! Freakin’ ArgentInter! Damn!
Now I feel better.
Categories: Fiorentina, Inter
2 Responses to “Mancini! Siete paura?”
Now why would we want Inter to get any Italian players? It just makes them easier to hate.
Mancio is one of the dumbest people alive, but I have to agree here. Fiorentina is not scudetto material yet. They can have too many holes on the back end, especially the back end of midfield, and are often saved by Frey (very often). You can only tiptoe for so long. They’ve been on a nice run, but they still have a lot to prove in demanding times. (Plus, if not for David Pizarro’s penchant for passing to anybody but those on his own team, they would’ve lost at least twice by now. That and their UEFA Cup record is piss poor for a scudetto contender - aside from Elfsborg.)
I don’t know, Chris… Check out last season’s results, and sort them by goals against; Fiorentina did pretty well. Granted, A LOT of it is Frey, as you pointed out, but Pasqual and co. are quite solid. Up front, they haven’t taken the hit I expected following the loss of Toni. They even have some depth. (When Mutu is out, that kid Osvaldo or whatever his name is steps in and does a good job. Plus, they have Bobo.) Semioli and Montolivio are good in midfield, although otherwise, I think they have a hole or two in that area.
In truth, I don’t think they’re as good as Roma or Inter, but as you know, in calcio, sometimes the best team doesn’t win. Here Mancini’s making it sound as though they’re not even contenders, but look at the numbers; they’re only four points back with plenty of season left. I call that contending. The Viola are in the thick of it, as are Roma and Udine.
As for their *meh* UEFA record, remember what we saw with Roma last CL campaign; a squad can kick a** in its own league, only to be cr*pped on in a European tourney… and vice versa (Milan).
Care to comment?