Giù e Su
February 7, 2008 1:42 am(Down and Up)
Aaaaaand we’re back.
Since my last post, it looks like quite a bit has happened - at both ends of the spectrum. First, there was the low point of Roma slipping back a bit (ow!), and now we’ve reached the high point of a convincing Azzurri win in yesterday’s Zurich friendly. Let’s take a look at both, starting with this Roma ridiculousness.
So… what the hell happened to Roma?
Friggin’ Siena happened, that’s what. See… some of us knew it was going to be a touch match. Hell; I’ve been saying that Siena are nasty since October. That said, in all fairness, I did not think that Roma would lose. I was banking on the Giallorossi winning by a single goal, but the result was far from it.
At this point, it should be clear that Roma need to sign somebody who can finish. In a perfect world, I’d take Luca Toni or Quagliarella with a side of Di Natale, and watch ‘em run Inter down, but we’ll have to wait for the summer to see any signings at all, let alone the insane pipe-dream ones I just mentioned. In the meantime, Roma have terrible Reggina to contend with, and the Giallorossi should be raring to go. Actually, coming off of a loss like the one against Siena, I wish the next round were against Inter, as motivation is half the match. Look for Roma to bounce back, destroying Reggina by a healthy margin.
Speaking of motivation, that’s something I usually talk about in relation to the Azzurri. Where they found motivation to perform like they did at yesterday’s friggin’ friendly, I don’t know. I’m guessing it has something to do with the ragazzi pulling out all the stops in an effort to get a Euro 2008 call up. Then again, maybe The Don gave a fire-lighting pre-match speech. (That would be something, right?) Who knows? Either way, they ran through Portugal (yes, Portugal… seriously good Portugal featuring C. Ronaldo) like a hot knife through butter. Check this out, and tell me it doesn’t make you smile:
In Portugal’s defense, they had some decent chances, and their one goal was very nice. Outside of that however, they were under consistent attack by the whole Azzurri team picture. Oh… and speaking of attack, in case you’re wondering why The Don left out Del Piero in favor of Palladino (despite Del Piero’s nine Serie A goals versus Palladino’s one), you need only know two things to understand: 1) Del Piero won’t play anywhere but up front without throwing a hissy-fit, as I’ve mentioned many times, while 2) Palladino is willing to play where he’s needed. READ: on the friggin’ wing.
Yeah… wings. Quagliarella. Palladino. Hell yes. Suddenly, it appears as though the Azzurri have real options out wide (besides Camoranesi), and enough can’t be said about the way these two guys hassled Portugal. Outstanding.
Also a monster for the Azzurri was Pirlo. What a presence on the ball! Meanwhile, Toni was his usual sacrificial self, and although his goal was somewhat of a poach… someone should tell Portugal that if you’re going to mark Luca Toni like that, you might as well not mark him at all. And Di Natale… the guy was everywhere. I don’t care how old he is, Roma need to sign this guy. Now.
If you’re interested in reading more about the match, Marco has a thorough write-up.
2 Responses to “Giù e Su”
Your comment on Del Piero was both harsh and taken out of context.
He only complained because people criticised his form for the Azzurri when he was constantly being played out of position. Its like putting Cristiano Ronaldo in a central midfield holding role and complaining that he’s not playing well. He would have every right to complain about where he’s being played in that situation. If you play someone in a position thats not their best, how can you possibly criticise them so harshly? It defies logic.
Not to mention that his age has robbed him of his pace, which wingers frankly NEED. If anyone should come under scrutiny, its Donadoni. Del Piero still has enough class to warrant a bench spot surely, he can change games when he replaces a forward late in the game, as we have seen before.
Aside from that though, you’re right. Donadoni looks to be going for versatility, so Quagliarella (and pretty much any younger forward) would be more useful than il fenomeno vero. Especially since he seems to enjoy using wide players more than Italy have traditionally. So I can understand and accept my idol’s omission….as much as it annoys me.
We’ll have to agree to disagree regarding ADP, Benni.
I was making light of his comments when I called it a hissy-fit, but in truth, he definitely voiced his desire to *only* play in front:
http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/sep18o.html
Regardless of how diplomatically he states his case, he’s still calling out a preference and giving a coach an ultimatum… which is something a player should not do.
I want to like Del Piero, and I respect what he’s done with his career - and I screamed my head off when he scored that goal against Germany - but sometimes the stuff that comes out of the guy’s mouth is just wacky.
Del Piero is a great player, but Italy has plenty of talent to field a team and fill a bench, so understandably, there’s more competition to get on the squad. With that many players to choose from, The Don can be more picky, so it makes sense that he would choose a player willing to play in multiple positions over a player only willing to play in one position. ADP is a seasoned player, so he should understand that the competition is stiff, and there’s no room for picky players.
Care to comment?