delucasoccerblog

Lippi calls up team for Germany friendly

2006-02-26T23:10:00.000-05:00

Goalkeepers: Buffon (Juventus), Amelia (Livorno) De Sanctis (Udinese);

Defenders: Barzagli (Palermo), Cannavaro (Juventus), Grosso (Palermo), Materazzi (Inter), Nesta (Milan), Oddo (Lazio), Pasqual (Fiorentina), Zaccardo (Palermo);

Midfielders: Barone (Palermo), Camoranesi (Juventus), De Rossi (Roma), Diana (Sampdoria), Gattuso (Milan), Perrotta (Roma), Pirlo (Milan);

Attackers: Del Piero (Juventus), Gilardino (Milan), Iaquinta (Udinese), Toni (Fiorentina), Vieri (Monaco).

Why might have Lippi selected this team?

With Totti out for now and possibly for the World Cup as well, Lippi has to go to Plan B.  Italy has no replacement for Totti in a 4-3-1-2 or 3-4-1-2.  Del Piero has tried and is simply not as effective in that role.  Fiore can do a decent job but is not at Totti’s overall level and is wildly inconsistent.  Liverani is playing well for Lazio but is seen as a more classic midfielder. (Note Liverani and Fiore were not even called to the team).

Thus I expect the formation to be either a 4-3-3 or, more likely based on the selections made, a 4-4-2.

I believe based on the players selected that Lippi is leaning towards a 4-4-2 primarily because of the selection of Vieri over Inzaghi and because of the selection of Pasqual, which, at this late stage in the game, is a clear sign that Lippi is worried about the left side of the line-up (note Zambrotta is hurt therefore Grosso would likely line-up in his spot in the left-back side making Grosso unavailable to play left midfield).

Pasqual and Grosso are excellent crossers from the left.  Camoranesi (right mid) and Oddo (right back) are excellent crossers from the right.  It looks like Lippi will try to generate a lot of the offense from the wings to the target man Toni.  I say this because why else would Vieri be called up over Inzaghi?  Vieri, in my mind, can only be viewed as Toni’s “pure” back-up.

Perrotta is back on the team and deservedly so.  It will be interesting to see if Lippi rides the hot hand of De Rossi and Perrotta in central midfield or prefers to go with the Gattuso and Pirlo duo.  The advantage of playing the Roma duo is that they are clearly in superior form right now carrying Roma to 11 wins in Serie A along with Coppa Italia and UEFA success.  In addition, if and when Totti comes back, the heart of the Italian team will consist of three romanisti (could be four if Panucci made it also – oh that’s right Lippi hates him from the Inter days…nevermind).
I view this unlikely though.  Pirlo and Gattuso have had more success recently with the national team and, in addition, unless Del Piero starts, Pirlo will need to be on the field for set pieces around the box.

Camoranesi’s start shouldn’t be in discussion.  Very unlikely that Diana takes his spot away.  The only other two question marks might be who starts at right-back (Oddo or Zaccardo) and who starts with Toni upfront (Del Piero or Gilardino).  I would personally prefer to see Del Piero over Gilardino at this point only because Del Piero seems to be in better form and Gilardino and Toni have, at times, had trouble spacing themselves with both heavily attracted to the center of the 18-yard box.  At right-back Oddo is clearly the superior offensive player whereas Zaccardo provides more balance.  I can see Zaccardo starting as Camoranesi should provide sufficient offense down the right side.

Let’s speculate with this line-up for now (4-4-2):

Toni & Del Piero upfront.

Pasqual – Pirlo – Gattuso – Camoranesi in midfield

Grosso – Nesta – Cannavaro – Zaccardo in defense.

Buffon

If Lippi goes with a 4-3-3 I would imagine Pasqual disappears and Gilardino joins Toni and Del Piero upfront.

World Cup Draw Ready to GO!!!!

2005-12-06T16:04:00.000-05:00

FIFA has determined the eight seeds (seeds have the luxury of not being drawn in a group with another seed) and the make-up for the four “pots” that will be used for the World Cup draw this Friday. The calculation to determine the eight seeds can be found on this link.

The eight seeds in POT 1 are:

Brazil (Defending Champions)
England
Spain
Germany (Host)
Mexico
France
Argentina
Italy

Narrowly missing was the U.S.A.

POT 2

Australia, Angola, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Tunisia, Ecuador, Paraguay

POT 3

Croatia, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine

POT 4

Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Costa Rica, Trinidad & Tobago, United States

Special POT: Serbia & Montenegro

How the draw will work:

The eight seeded teams will be drawn into eight different groups. Germany have already been allocated Group A and Brazil Group F.

The eight unseeded European sides, in POT 3, will be drawn.

The lowest-ranked European side, Serbia and Montenegro, will be allocated to one of the groups containing either Brazil, Argentina or Mexico to ensure there is no more than two European sides in any group.

The pot containing the five African countries, Australia and the two remaining South American sides, pot two, will be drawn.

The pot containing the four Asian countries, the USA, Costa Rica and Trinidad, pot four, will be drawn.

The draw is expected to take place at approximately 9:00 PM local time in Leipzig, Germany this Friday, December the 9th.

Serie A 05/06 - Week #14

2005-12-06T14:29:00.000-05:00

The Serie A season has been a good one so far…especially if you are a Juventus fan. The match between Fiorentina and Juventus this past Sunday was a great one – especially the first half. I’m a romanista at heart but if there is one team that has won me over this year it has to be Fiorentina. In my Serie A preview I had Fiorentina finishing around 7th this year based on the fact that it had a relatively bad 04/05 season but had made significant additions such as Fiore, Toni and Prandelli. Toni, of course, has been simply incredible. But the team as a whole plays some really entertaining full field soccer. Fiorentina wasn’t the least bit scared to be up against Juventus and were incredibly unlucky to have hit two posts and a crossbar. I like the way Fiorentina isn’t afraid to rotate the ball to any side of the field and really spread the other team’s defense apart. In fact, Fiorentina seemed to have a better “game” for most of the Juventus match. Many times I saw Juventus hoofing the ball from defense up field. This is not a knock against Juventus. Quite the opposite. Juventus seems to be doing whatever it takes to get the win and wins are exactly what La Vecchia Signora is doing.

Fiorentina’s goal was a real work of art. Four players involved in a textbook soccer play that is simply indefensible when worked to the perfection. Fiore made a gorgeous flick to Pasqual (I believe it was him) who crossed a picture perfect ball across the field where Pazzini nailed a header under a diving Abbiati. Fiore was taken off early and it’s something that I’ve noticed many times with him before…he never seems to play through a whole game…even when he was on the national team I noticed him getting subbed off a lot. I wonder if he lacks the endurance to play hard for a whole 90 minutes.

For Juve the story at the beginning of the season was how Emerson and Vieira controlled the midfield. But lately the story seems to be increasingly that of Ibrahimovic and his ability to pull a rabbit out of a hat. Trezeguet is his quiet sidekick who you only notice when it’s time to close off the play for a goal. Trezeguet will silently end up as one of the highest goal scorers in Serie A history at this pace. It would be interesting to see Ibrahimovic play on a team with a 4-3-1-2 or 3-4-1-2 formation in the same role that Totti plays.

Juve looks to be in a very dominating position heading into the Christmas season having opened up an eight point lead which is quite large considering that only 14 matches have been played to date. Milan is just way too inconsistent right now to be considered in the hunt to come back. I do think Juve will falter a little at some point. As I spelled out in the season preview if there is one thing that can cause Juve to slow down is its lack of depth – particularly when the injuries start to mount up and the pressures of Champions League escalate. But right now the pressure in Serie A is being ratcheted down a notch for Juventus (playing Cagliari this week) while Milan goes against Inter.

Chievo 2 – AC Milan 1
Inter 1 – Ascoli 0
Fiorentina 1 – Juventus 2
Lazio 3 – Siena 2
Palermo 2 – Cagliari 2
Reggina 2 – Parma 1
Sampdoria 2 – Empoli 0
Treviso 0 – Messina 0
Udinese 0 – Livorno 2
Lecce 2 – Roma 2

Serie A 05/06 - Week #13

2005-12-01T16:19:00.000-05:00

Livorno 0 – Chievo 0
Milan 2 – Lecce 1
Ascoli 1 – Palermo 1
Cagliari 2 – Sampdoria 0
Empoli 2 – Lazio 3
Juventus 3 – Treviso 1
Messina 1 – Inter 2
Parma 1 – Udinese 2
Siena 0 – Reggina 0
Roma 1 – Fiorentina 1

Serie A - Week#12 Review

2005-11-21T17:44:00.000-05:00

Juve won big at Roma this weekend.  Roma had the better of the first 30 minutes but failed to capitalize and this omission came back to haunt it dearly.  Nedved struck with a header just before the end of the first half and this was plain and simple demoralizing.  Ibrahimovic scored an absolutely beautiful goal in the second half and Trezeguet added two others to make it 4-0 before Totti got on the scoreboard for Roma to make it 4-1 on a penalty kick.

Give Juventus credit for being so clinical on almost every single opportunity it had.  This aspect of its game is firmly intact.  On the other hand I was surprised to see Roma win the midfield battle at all in the first half.  In part this had to due with Roma’s highly industrious midfield of: Perrotta, Dacourt, De Rossi and Taddei.  But finishing on the team remains spotty.  Montella looks way too isolated by himself and without a big man to play off of.  Totti is in the play making role and can not advance himself too far forward to help Montella, otherwise the team lacks any ability to link the defensive players to the attackers.  Dacourt had to start in place of an injured Mancini and Dacourt isn’t much of an offensive player.

Juve is back on track in terms of the standings, opening up a more comfortable lead now that Milan lost.  Milan had some real favorable inertia heading into the week but now that is gone.  Juve is still looking more beatable than earlier in the year in my mind.  Teams don’t seem as intimidated with the midfield after Gattuso beat Emerson and Vieira at their own game with physicality.  Camoranesi is also slightly more inconsistent than earlier in the year.  The defenders looked a little shaky in the first half against Roma but the team as whole plays great defense as a general rule.  Regardless of whether Juve is as strong or not the team nevertheless is plain and simple effective - the forwards are devastating at times and as a team Juve is still finding ways to pull off victories with surgical precision.

Milan had a chance to ride the momentum train but unfortunately they faced a team and, in particular, a player that is just way too hot right now.  Toni has provided such an influential presence both literally and figuratively that Fiorentina is producing, objectively, above its means right now.  Milan can only hope that Fiorentina plays as well against Juve in December.  Milan has the talent to recoup the deficit with Juventus and can play exceptionally effective football at times as was seen in the recent game against Udinese.  But it is also a little more likely to fall asleep on any given Sunday (or Saturday) and will have to avoid losses or draws to the “minnows” (Lecce, Chievo, Messina, Livorno, Parma) before the mid-way point of the season.  Note that some of these teams are doing very well in the classifications to date – nonetheless these are teams that Milan should be able to steamroll with the abundance of talent it has.  Only the match against Inter and perhaps, to a lesser extent, the match on the road to Roma should be in question at all.  As bad as my Roma is playing I still believe that for the big teams they prove to be a very risky proposition at all times.  The rest should be outright victories if Milan has any chance of staying close before the first half (19 matches) are complete.

Juve’s schedule is at home versus Treviso before heading on the road to Fiorentina before taking on Cagliari (at home), Lazio on the road, Siena at home, Palermo on the road and then Reggina at home.  The match against Juventus will be Fiorentina’s chance to make the leap of Scudetto pretender to the “real thing”.  While I’ll be rooting for Fiorentina I don’t think it will happen that they can replicate what happened to Milan.  I think Palermo has the ability to pull off an upset.  Juve may actually feel like they are at home since Palermo is home to so many Juventus fans.  Palermo – while being inconsistent this year – is also home to many Italian Nationals and has a coach in Del Neri that really makes use of wingers in which Palermo has some good ones.

Inter managed to get a win.  Still has an outside chance to get back in the race but it had better start a string of victories soon – especially against Milan in the upcoming derby.

Italy vs. Ivory Coast today + Serie A talk

2005-11-16T11:28:00.000-05:00

Probably starting line-up:

Forward: Gilardino, Iaquinta, Del Piero
Midfield: De Rossi, Pirlo, Barone
Defense: Grosso, Materazzi, Barzagli, Zaccardo
Keeper:   Abbiati

As you can see – plenty of turnover from Saturday’s game.  There are FOUR Palermo players in the line-up including three on defense.  This is somewhat of an experimental line-up and will give many of the individuals a chance to show their stuff.  I’m keen to see Iaquinta do well as this will then give Lippi a great option to leave Vieri off the team going forward as Iaquinta can be the back-up to Toni.  I’m also keen to see what kind of job the Italian defense does on Drogba – the Ivory Coast attacker enjoying plenty of success with Chelsea.  I suspect Materazzi will get the nod to neutralize him because of Drogba’s strength.

In Serie A news Totti is really making a stir predicting victory against Juve this weekend.  Roma hosts Juve at home.  These are bitter rivals and the insults between Totti and Capello still fly.  This should be a great match-up.

Inter is rumored to be making a serious bid for Ballack.  Moratti is talking a big game and some large $ amounts are being tossed around.  Ballack is an exceptional player.  He’s not dazzling like a Ronaldinho but he really has a great presence in the middle of the field and had a knack of scoring goals with his head.  I think this is an acquisition that would really make a difference on Inter (unlike many others that seem like they will help on the surface but then totally backfire).

Possible World Cup Seeds

2005-11-15T13:34:00.000-05:00

Curious to know which teams might be seeded at the World Cup? Check outthis post on another website – an individual seems to have a pretty good system to handicap the teams likely to be seeded.

Netherlands 1 - Italy 3

2005-11-15T11:36:00.000-05:00

What a great way for the Azzurri to make a statement by going to Amsterdam and pulling off a 3 to 1 victory.

The Dutch were certainly missing some top talent and fielded a rather youngish side.  Nevertheless, it is no easy task to beat any Dutch team as the Netherlands is one of those amongst a handful of countries that can go very deep into its active roster of available players and still put out a competitive side.

Players that really impressed me for the Italian team were:  Nesta, Gattuso, Gilardino, Toni and Abbiati.

Nesta, who tends to be more of the silent and effective type, was more of the omnipresent and highly visible and efficacious type on this particular night.  Excellent one-on-one defending, help-defense and offensive dribbling break-outs from the back were all visible from this world class defender.

Gattuso seemed to run more in the first half than others did in the entire game.  He really seems to be playing at his top recently and the only question I have with him is whether he can sustain it through the remainder of the year and into the tournament.  Gattuso has really worked on his offensive game over the years and although he is far from fluid he does seem to be improved sufficiently to the extent that teams can not leave him totally unmarked as they may have previously.

Gilardino is getting back into the rhythm of things that made him the most consistent Italian striker of the two previous seasons.  He moves very well and has a good knack for finding room to make himself available.  His conversion rate on good chances is also pretty high.  As long as he continues to learn how to play with Toni he will be fine for the squad at the World Cup.

Anybody following Serie A knows how dominant Toni has been this year.  He was so physically impressive against the Dutch defender who tried to slow him on his goal that I can assure you every team matched up against Italy in the World Cup will have that clip on the scouting tape.

Abbiati made some real nice saves.  There was one instance where he coughed up the ball and a Dutch goal was disallowed because of an offside ruling but aside from that he seems to have had a near-flawless game.  The Dutch seemed keen to take long shots from outside.  I’m not sure whether this was because they were looking to test Abbiati at any opportunity or because the Italian defense was dropping back into the box instead of aggressively marking the midfield Dutch players.

My biggest concerns in watching the game continued to be recurring themes.  Firstly, the issue around balance in the midfield remains.  I saw Pirlo, Del Piero and Camoranesi get out muscled on a few occasions throughout the match.  Italy fans need to acknowledge that our midfield is smallish and that this is a real risk – we may lose the trench battles against stronger more physical teams in midfield.

Camoranesi seemed testy and almost too aggressive at times.  Whereas an opposing player can lean and push against Camoranesi to win a ball, Camoranesi will often tackle aggressively to do the same.  The opposing method is generally tolerated and sustainable whereas Camoranesi is prone to getting a foul.  It can be said that Gattuso is the same way but I think Gattuso is a bit more defensively savvy and less inclined to erupt or retaliate when he is fouled hard.  Gattuso still remains one of the players “most likely to put Italy down a man” (along with the Materazzi!).   Pirlo did not impress me defensively.  I love Pirlo when he has the ball because he is patient, can buy himself time with his exceptional dribbling and can put a ball of any passing length and with any needed swerve of flight path right on a teammate’s foot.  But his “presence” without the ball is still work in progress.  Pirlo and Gattuso are good together though – they really tend to balance each other out and have plenty of experience together.  Camoranesi can be real dangerous offensively, has a great cross and is one of the few Italian players that is willing to take a player on one-on-one in the offensive area.  I find it hard to argue that any of the three shouldn’t start – I just think Lippi has to make this calculated decision to run with these three and Totti as trequartista knowing that certain midfield battles may be lost and adjust elsewhere.

Grosso is another question mark – at least against certain players.  I love Grosso – definitely more than Zaccardo.  He’s a great offensive player from the back.  Very comfortable dribbling and taking his man on 1-on-1 and always seems to be able to get off his often very dangerous cross.  But defensively the Dutch winger Castelan tore him to shreds.  I can see him getting eaten alive by a Robinho (Brazil) or Wright-Phillips (England) or C. Ronaldo (Portugal) come the World Cup.  That is, against a quick winger with fast feet and moves Grosso may prove to be more of a liability.  Although the rest of the world may not acknowledge this yet Italy right now is much more of an offensively biased team than a defensive one.  Dare I say it but it might be nice to have Maldini come back.

Del Piero was influential on the outcome with a nice corner and a nice cross that set-up two goals.  Tactically he is useful because he can play either as a midfielder or a forward but compared to Totti he does not have the same overall effect on a match.  Against the Netherlands much of the Italian offense was being generated from the wings and with crosses whereas Totti creates from all over the field.  Totti is much stronger on the ball than Del Piero and can hold off defensive opponents a bit better.  Del Piero provides better defensive coverage though and I think his position on the team is becoming increasingly safe because of Del Piero’s versatility and as Cassano continues to get farther from the team.

On the balance Italy is looking really good heading into the tournament especially compared to other recent tournaments.  The team is scoring a lot more and is playing with much more confidence and producing more victories than we are used to experiencing.  It’s impossible to gage the team’s chances at World Cup 2006.  There will be some outstanding teams there this year.  Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, the Czech Republic, England and France all come to mind.  The only prediction I’m willing to make is that Italy will score (and possibly allow) more goals than usual.

Tomorrow Italy plays Ivory Coast in Geneva.

Netherlands - Italy (friendly) Preview

2005-11-11T19:09:00.000-05:00

What a great game the match Netherlands vs. Italy should be tomorrow night in Amsterdam (good chance of precipitation last time I checked).

It is impossible to not to think of that great semi-final match in the Euro 2000 when a young Zambrotta got a red card in the first half of the game only to see Italy hold on to a 0-0 tie and make it through on penalty kicks.  Toldo was a giant playing in net that game and Italy was finally on the right end of a penalty-kick decided outcome (the Netherlands continued their poor streak at penalty kicks)

The preliminary starting formation seems to be (4-4-2):

Keeper:  Abbiati
Defense:  Zambrotta, Nesta, Cannavaro, Grosso
Midfield:  Camoranesi, Pirlo, Gattuso, Del Piero
Forwards:  Gilardino, Toni

The bench players available consist of: Zaccardo, Barzagli, Materazzi, Oddo (defense); Diana, De Rossi, Barone (midfield); Iaquinta (forward).

Alternatively, Del Piero could shift farther forward and play as a left forward (a more natural position for him), Toni as the “punta” and Gilardino on the right side as Italy goes with a 4-3-3.  Being on the road I suspect the 4-4-2 would be a little more practical and would certainly provide more cover for a Dutch outfit that has historically relished playing all-out “total” attacking soccer.

Totti is hurt in case you are wondering why he isn’t starting.  Ditto for Vieri although I suspect he would be riding the pine if he were healthy anyways.  Peruzzi the keeper is also hurt and the team has really gone far down the list (due to numerous injuries) in starting Abbiati and having Amelia (Livorno keeper for heaven’s sake!) as the back-up.

There are no real surprises in terms of the called up players and the time for experimenting looks to be over (good thing as Italy’s remaining games are few before the start of the World Cup tournament).  Oddo is back with the team and assures the team of plenty of offensive options from the back along with Zambrotta and Grosso.

There are some who are a little upset that more Fiorentina players aren’t on the team given the incredible start that that outfit has had to date.  I personally am not in favor of changing the team too often for the sake of capturing the Italian players on the hottest team.  Also, Fiorentina is really a Toni story by-and-large and he’s on the Azzurri team.  Yes, Fiore could be there also but he’s a bit of a: hot one season, cold the next player.  And he’s really an offensive midfielder that the Azzurri aren’t lacking.

Lippi has gone on the record as saying he wants Italy to impose its game on the Netherlands.  If this is true and Italy tries aggressively to score we should see a lot of goals.

Coach Van Basten of the Dutch side has injury problems of his own to deal with.  Robben, Van Persie, Castelan and Van Nistelrooy are all either hurt or out altogether.

Nevertheless, some really solid and fun to watch players will still be available including Cocu, Van de Vaart, van Bronckhorst, and keeper Van de Saar.

I was particularly looking forward to seeing Van Persie who has shown some amazing touches the few times I’ve seen him play with Arsenal.

My prediction for the game is that 3 or more goals are scored tomorrow.  Unless of course it rains too much!

The Limey

2005-11-08T12:48:00.000-05:00

Interesting column that covers some English football news, the history of the Bosman, and George Best including a great anecdote.

Fabio Grosso & Michael Dell

2005-11-07T10:59:00.000-05:00

Is it just me or does Grosso look like Michael Dell a few pounds lighter?

Serie A - Week #11

2005-11-06T20:54:00.000-05:00

Lazio 0 – Inter 0
Empoli 3 – Reggina 0
Messina 0 – Roma 2
Siena 0 – Chievo 1
Ascoli 0 – Fiorentina 2
Parma 2 – Lecce 0
Juventus 3 – Livorno 0
Palermo 0 – Sampdoria 2
Cagliari 0 – Treviso 0
Milan 5 – Udinese 1

(Many sincere apologies for being absent from posting to the blog the last couple of weeks.  Between travel, work and personal events I have not found the time to properly devote myself to penning some soccer related thoughts.)

In general I have not had the ability to watch as many games as I would have liked.  I did make an effort to catch as much of the “big” games or highlights as possible.

Firstly a word on the Scudetto race.  Unless you are a Juventus fan the 3-1 Milan victory over Juve was the best thing that could have happened to the Serie A.  A Juve victory would have put Milan far behind in terms of points and psychologically beyond domestic repair.  A tie would have been only mildly better.  The Milan victory has instead created what should be a great battle over the winter.  Juve still has a two-point lead after today’s games but the momentum has shifted to Milan.  Juve had an air of invincibility before its loss to Bayern and then to Milan.  The Milan victory was not only resounding but also a bit surprising in that Milan won with a lot of the elements I’m used to seeing in Juventus’ victories:  midfield command, toughness, and opportunism.  There are not enough words to describe what Gattuso did that day.  When Emerson and Vieira look they are being out hustled and looking over their shoulders you know Juventus are beatable.  Even the rest of the Milan midfield was committed to running hard and playing physically.  Juventus missed Buffon but I’m not sure that would have changed who ended up with the three points.  Milan’s depth is starting to show.  Even Inzaghi has gotten into the act.

Fiorentina is in third place!  While this will be a great story if this team can keep it up I have to tell you that I’m skeptical.  Toni – Serie A’s MVP thus far – has scored 13 goals in 11 games which works out to over half of the team’s 24 goals.  At this pace Toni would end up the season with approximately 45 goals.  That isn’t bound to happen.  The game plans to take Toni out of the matches will be intensified (along with Fiore who aside from being Toni’s set-up man has scored 4 goals himself).  I’m not convinced with the defense as well as I mentioned in my pre-season report.  Fiorentina has allowed 12 goals in 11 games.  I can see its defensive record get blemished with a little more frequency going forward.  The schedule toughens itself up very quickly as well; the next three games are against Milan, Roma and Juventus.  Fiorentina does have the benefit of not having any European action to speak of – turnover is not generally an issue.

Inter has reverted to its historical ways in Serie A.  At least it looks healthy enough (for now) in the Champions League.

Roma is battling back to challenge for a Champions League spot.  Totti’s is finally getting on the score sheet again and has put in some real classics lately (what a chip shot again in the game against Inter).  But the main strikers must do better.  It is totally unacceptable when two defenders are scoring more than the two main strikers: defenders Panucci and Mexes have 3 and 2 goals respectively while strikers Nonda and Montella have 2 and 1 respectively.

Chievo is working small miracles.  Incredible how this team has survived despite repeated losses in personnel out of financial necessity year after year.  I remember fondly that great run they had a few seasons ago when they led Serie A for a while despite being newly promoted.  Good old Del Neri working his wings (including Eriberto err Luciano) at his best!

Udinese is suffering domestically.  This may be a case of the team being a victim of its own (past) success.  As a provincial team Udinese was great last year.  With significant changes (specifically the losses of Spalletti, Pizarro & Jankulovski) and the added Champions League responsibility this team may be simply overwhelmed.  The Iaquinta drama obviously didn’t help either.  In Champions League the team has realistically only a modest chance.  With games away to Panathinaikos and at home to Barcelona, Udinese will need a little something extra (including luck) to break the three-way tie for second (Barca looks to be through in first).

Cagliari is winless.  Unexplainable.  With all the offensive talent they have only Suazo seems able to score.

Serie A - Week #10

2005-11-06T19:50:00.000-05:00

Sampdoria 2 – Inter 2
Milan 3 – Juventus 1
Roma 2 – Ascoli 1
Fiorentina 2 – Cagliari 1
Chievo 2 – Empoli 2
Reggina 1 – Lazio 0
Lecce 0 – Messina 2
Udinese 0 – Palermo 0
Livorno 2 – Parma 0
Treviso 0 – Siena 1

Serie A - Week #9

2005-11-06T19:48:00.000-05:00

Empoli 1 – Milan 3
Inter 2 – Roma 3
Lazio 2 – Chievo 2
Siena 0 – Fiorentina 2
Palermo 3 – Lecce 0
Cagliari 1 – Livorno 1
Parma 1 – Messina 1
Juventus 2 – Sampdoria 0
Reggina 1 – Treviso 2
Ascoli 1 – Udinese 1

Serie A - Week #8

2005-11-06T19:45:00.000-05:00

Messina 1 – Ascoli 1
Fiorentina 4 – Parma 1
Chievo 2 – Cagliari 1
Treviso 1 – Empoli 2
Udinese 0 – Internazionale 1
Lecce 0 – Juventus 3
Roma 1 – Lazio 1
Milan 2 – Palermo 1
Livorno 1 – Reggina 0
Sampdoria 3 – Siena 3

Serie A - Week#7 Round-up

2005-10-18T12:17:00.000-04:00

Ascoli 2 – Sampdoria 1
Cagliari 0 – Milan 2
Empoli 1 – Roma 0
Inter 5 – Livorno 0
Juventus 1 – Messina 0
Lazio 1 – Fiorentina 0
Palermo 2 – Chievo 2
Parma 1 – Treviso 1
Reggina 2 – Lecce 0
Siena 2 – Udinese 3

Del Piero is in a current period of greatness (a place he’s been a handful of times before in his career only to return to mediocrity) where his confidence level is high and some of the plays he is making are truly outstanding.  Confidence is one of those talismanic properties that can charge a player – especially a forward or striker – to greatness.  The goal he scored against Messina was a classic combination of defensive hustle (stealing the ball), decisiveness (sprinting forward right away) and skill (dribbling around the defender and curving the ball around the goalie).

Roma is in danger of spiraling towards near disaster like last year if it doesn’t start to produce results.  How this team is struggling to score goals is a bit of a mystery.  I don’t like the fact the team doesn’t have a dominating physical presence up top but this is ridiculous on a team that should have Totti, Cassano and Montella all playing well. The Cassano contract dispute isn’t helping and the distraction to this team is seemingly never ending.  De Rossi, once the promised midfield savior, is having trouble finding any sort of consistently strong play.

Inter showed it can win without Adriano and scored 5 goals against a normally solid defensive team in Livorno.

Ascoli is doing wonders for a team that was picked by many to be relegated this year.  But the team producing the most shocking display to date has to be Lazio.  This is a team that has been losing its best players year after year due to financial difficulties.

Lazio has won 4 games out of 4 at home this weekend and is on the “road” to Roma this weekend for the Derby.  If Roma has a chance to turn its fortunes around and start making a run for that 4th spot in Serie A then this would be the perfect time to do it.

In Champions League action this week all three of the “Big” Italian teams look to be in good shape to qualify (still four out of six games to play however) for the next round although Milan would be in some danger with a poor result against PSV which was a tough opponent for it last year.  Udinese will be in a tough battle for that second spot in a race that is destined to be tight with Panathinaikos and Werder Bremen.

Italia 2 - Moldova 1

2005-10-13T15:57:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately I did not have a chance to catch the Italia – Moldova match but I did review the game log of plays live online and the Italian newspapers.

On the balance, even though the game was nothing spectacular and the team was not at its best (remembering of course that these are primarily the substitutes) from what I’m reading Del Piero had a good game and displayed the type of yeoman effort which really scored some points with Lippi. Vieri and Gilardino both got on the score sheet. And Italy won. Not a bad outcome and really some good answers to some of the question marks that the team had in filling out the team.

Some great friendly games are already planned between now and the World Cup. Namely: Italy will be playing the Netherlands next month and a planned match against Germany in the spring is in the works.

Anybody see the Moldova game?

Del Piero & Cassano to Battle for Spot

2005-10-10T12:58:00.000-04:00

There’s an interesting assumption working its way through all the Italian papers.  In short, the bottom line right now is that Del Piero is on the Italian national team only because Cassano’s not playing consistently and not playing well and certainly not playing consistently well!

Totti, Toni, Gilardino are all on the team barring some major unforeseen event.  Iaquinta and Vieri also look to be safe.  Del Piero’s spot is much less certain because Cassano is seen as a superior player once he’s on his game.  I’m not expressing my opinion here – this is just what I’m reading online.

The situation regarding Del Piero has really turned around over the years.  From 1998 to 2002 he was the chosen one by Cesare Maldini and Giovanni Trapattoni even though Baggio was the one the rest of the country wanted to see and who was certainly viewed as a more skilled player.

Del Piero has a way of sticking around because at the end of the day he is a hard working classy player who’s had some incredible spells during his career.  Unfortunately he hasn’t really lived up to his promise at the National level (although he did prove instrumental in the game against Mexico in World Cup 2002).

It’s interesting that Lippi would keep the possibility of Cassano joining the team so open to the media (which will of course run and speculate to death) since Lippi coached Baggio and had an absolutely horrible relationship with him at Inter (Baggio spends at least a chapter of his autobiography trashing Lippi’s methods).  Lippi must realize the cancerous impact Cassano could have to the National team or the distractions to some of the current players (especially Del Piero) if this uncertainty continues.  On the other hand I’m sure he noticed that Cassano was one of the most dynamic players on the squad for Italy in its brief three-game spell at Euro 2004.

Personally, I like Cassano to be on the squad but only if he is reasonably behaved this season.  Cassano is one of those players who’s hard to match-up against because his movements and play are so unpredictable.  And as a player to come off the bench to make a difference when the score is tied late in the match he’s the perfect fit.

Italia 1 - Slovenia 0

2005-10-08T23:02:00.000-04:00

After I repeatedly went on the record suggesting Zaccardo didn’t deserve to start on the National team he comes off the bench and goes out and scores the only and winning goal of the game that officially sends Italy to the World Cup next year.  Notice how I didn’t say he proved me wrong.  I still think he shouldn’t start (more on that later).

This was the second consecutive game where Italy utterly dominated its opponent.  The score line may not reflect it today (1-0 looks like a tight game at first glance doesn’t it?) but there was a clear difference between the two sides out in Palermo this Saturday.

Nesta and Cannavaro were solid but generally untested.  Goalkeeper Peruzzi was so untested he could have read a novel while the game was being played.  At the defensive wing positions Grosso, Zambrotta and Zaccardo were all effective in getting up and down.  For all those Italy bashers who continually want to mistakenly portray the team as overly defensive (perhaps true in the past) Zaccardo comes all the way from the right back position to head in the ball from the 6-yard line in open play (excellent cross from Palermo team mate Grosso and unselfish pass from Camoranesi to Grosso where Camoranesi had an open shot from outside the penalty area).

In midfield Pirlo, Gattuso and Camoranesi were all effective and keen to get involved in the offense.  Slovenia really didn’t have much play or actions to defend against and all three players were able to get far up the field.  Even Gattuso was roaming around the 18-yard box on a few dangerous plays.

Totti’s passing touch and dribble tonight was absolutely extraordinary.  He made a couple of his looping one-time-right-footed passes to streaking forwards after receiving a pass from the right wing.  It is his signature pass amongst many others in his arsenal.  Toni, Gilardino and Vieri wasted at least 4 or 5 clear opportunities in aggregate from Totti alone tonight.  Totti was also looking to aggressively shoot but his touch in this area (including a couple of clear free kick opportunities) was not quite up to the rest of his game or he would have had two goals at a minimum.

The strikers were generally disappointing.  Toni was great at making himself available and definitely a presence all night although his finishing was outright atrocious on a few occasions. He made a nice play on an assist to Gilardino for a goal that was called off and should still be a key part of the World Cup movement as a central figure the team can refer to during games.  Gilardino perhaps had less chances than Toni and was somewhat crowded out of his usual spot by the big man but still wasn’t quite up to the incredible string of success he’s had the past two seasons and that got him on the team in the first place.  Notwithstanding what happened tonight the Toni & Gilardino project is worth investing in.  These are young, strong, unselfish players who provide the perfect tonic for Totti’s, Pirlo’s, and Camoranesi’s creative wizardry.  Throw Grosso into that playmaking group also if he continues to nail crosses like he has shown recently.

Even though Italy didn’t score until Zaccardo came on to right back and Grosso was moved up to left midfield (from left defense wing) with Zambrotta switching from right to left, I still believe this formation needs Zaccardo off the field.  Grosso seems more fluid and skilled than Zaccardo and with Grosso and Zambrotta at the wing back positions this National team has inventive attacking options from all parts of the field (deep from Pirlo and up front from Totti).

I can’t objectively say how Italy will do at the World Cup but I really do expect this team to attack a lot more than they have in recent tournaments and hopefully score more goals.

Congratulations on qualifying Azzurri!  It should be an entertaining tournament.

Totti Serie A Goals Website

2005-10-07T22:52:00.000-04:00

A reader, Francesco, was kind enough to confirm that Totti in fact did score his chip goal against Lazio:

“The season Totti performed that chip was in 2001-2002, when Roma were defending their scudetto. The goal can be seen on www.francesco-totti.it “
Going through the rest of the goals on the website I notice Totti’s scored at least one other goal like that. It’s a useful site if you want to catch any of Totti’s Serie A goals. I’ll add it to the links on the left margin also.

Italy - Slovenia preview

2005-10-07T17:40:00.000-04:00

So tomorrow it looks like Lippi will go with Zambrotta on the right side and Grosso on the left side. Bravo Lippi!

This gives Italy a great offensive push down the wings on an already offensively strong line-up. I couldn’t find a more definitive version of the rest of the planned line-up but my best guess is that Gattuso, Pirlo and Camoranesi will be the midfielders with Totti behind Toni and Gilardino on attack. I don’t want to underestimate Slovenia too much (this is after all the team that handed Italy its only loss in the group to date) but Italy should put forth a fluid positive display tomorrow. As I’ve written previously Italy might find itself a little short of substance and defense at times - especially in the middle of the park – but a team like this at home should score 2 goals even if they allow 1.

The keys to look out for to ensure the Azzurri have at least some balance in the line-up are:

Is Totti playing any defense? With three midfielders only he really needs to contribute more in terms of running and backtracking than his normal ¾ role at Roma or past Italian teams.

Is Camoranesi playing centrally enough and is he generally in a retreated position compared to where he plays at Juve.

Can the Azzurri hold on to possession? There are plenty of skilled dribblers on the team with Pirlo, Totti and Camoranesi to name a few. When you have this skill level you need to force the other team to run a little to neutralize any advantage they may have in terms of physical presence or hustle.

Are Toni and Gilardino pressing?

Notice I don’t mention Gattuso….the most reliable ball of hustle on Italy time and time again.

If Italy clinches an entry tomorrow with either a tie or a win I wouldn’t be surprised if Lippi experiments a bit more on Wednesday for the next clash. There are not a lot of games left to “try out” any fringe players. Besides qualification it is important that Italy continues with its winning ways with the goal of increasing its chances at being seeded for the World Cup. If there was ever a World Cup where you didn’t want to be stuck in a group with a powerhouse group this might be the one. Brazil, Argentina, France and Germany are all teams you absolutely wouldn’t want to be matched up against early on. Italy can avoid this by being seeded which looks to be a real tough battle this time out.

The Azzurri R Back and on to the Deutschland?

2005-10-05T17:40:00.000-04:00

The Azzurri are back together again this week preparing for the next two games in which they should be able to garner one point in aggregate (read – anything but not lose both games!) at home to secure an advance to Germany for WC2006.

Not a whole lot of new faces or surprises regarding those called to the team.  By now its pretty obvious who’s established themselves as mainstays on the National team and to a certain degree also, starters.  Some decisions are being simplified for Lippi with the exceptional play of players and teams at the start of the Serie A season.

Here are the names called up:

Goalkeepers: De Sanctis (Udinese), Peruzzi (Lazio)

Defenders: Zaccardo (Palermo), Nesta (Milan), Cannavaro (Juve), Zambrotta (Juve),
Grosso (Palermo), Bonera (Parma), Materazzi (Inter),

Midfielders:  Pirlo (Milan), Gattuso (Milan), De Rossi (Roma), Barone (Palermo), Diana (Sampdoria), Camoranesi (Juve), Blasi (Juve)

Attackers:  Totti (Roma), Gilardino (Milan), Toni (Fiorentina), Iaquinta (Udinese), Vieri (Milan), Del Piero (Juve)

Toni had been dominating so it looks like he’s cornering the big man forward spot.  Gilardino has been lukewarm so his once secure starting position is slowly starting to fade.  Totti is a lock because at the end of the day he’s still the most dangerous player Italy can field at any point in time.

Also, look no further than the strength of Juventus’ strong start to see the impact to the team.  Blasi got called up now.  I’d be surprised if Camoranesi hasn’t earned a more secure starting spot also.  I would have to think Abbiati would have gotten a call too except for the fact that Lippi would later have to drop him once Buffon got regular playing time back at Juve (not to mention the starting spot on the national team also).

Del Piero has another chance (if only in practice) to stake out a spot on the team while Cassano is still not in playing form to be called.  But a betting man would have to think that he is the first person gone when and if Cassano does in fact come back.

Blasi makes the team for his versatility and the fact that Lippi remembers him so well from his Juve days.  He’s also holding that right back spot quite nicely for Juve lately.

I’m not sure I understand the Bonera call-up.  How well exactly is he playing that Lippi would choose him over the more experienced Oddo and Panucci?  Oddo and Panucci both have their own issues but wouldn’t they be better fits as reserves for a team that is only months away from the big contest given their past caps with the team and the fact that they’ve played significantly more high profile soccer matches to date?

Never mind that for a second…my real beef will be if Zaccardo gets another start for the team.  Zaccardo has really been rather uninspiring and his Palermo performances haven’t been all that great.  He really had a bad game against Lazio (a game incidentally where Oddo played well) and Grosso has seemed to be the better player both for Palermo and the Azzurri recently.  I say start Grosso on the left and move the Zambrotta machine to the right.

More thoughts on the line-up as the week progresses and Lippi reveals some of his possibilities in the scrimmages.

Serie A - Week#6 Wrap-Up

2005-10-03T11:35:00.000-04:00

Udinese 3 – Lazio 0
Chievo 0 – Treviso 0
Lecce 3 – Cagliari 0
Palermo 2 – Empoli 2
Juventus 2 – Inter 0
Fiorentina 3 – Livorno 2
Ascoli 3 – Parma 1
Milan 2 – Reggina 1
Messina 1 – Sampdoria 4
Roma 2 – Siena 3

Juventus earned another notch on its belt today against the most difficult opponent it has faced this season in Inter.  The win is huge on so many levels: it continues the unbeaten streak this year; it increases its lead over next best team in the standings (now Milan); it comes against one of the two legitimate challengers to the Scudetto this year; it comes before a break in the National team duties; and it breaks Inter’s recent record of success against Juve particularly at the Stadio delle Alpi.

Inter had an ominous sign when Veron couldn’t start the game (fever).  Pizarro isn’t normally much of a downgrade from playing Veron but this wasn’t a normal game by any stretch.  Pizarro is new and still integrating with Inter.  Pizarro is tiny (especially against Emerson and the giant Vieira).  Pizarro hasn’t played in many games of this significance in Italy.  Pizarro looked intimidated.

Cambiasso tried his best to neutralize the physical presence of the Vieira & Emerson combination but he seemed totally isolated.  The lost battle in midfield and Pizarro’s inability to even provide an offensive streak when Inter had the ball was quite evident especially in the first half.  Particularly affected was Adriano who kept dropping into midfield looking for the ball.  This is not meant as an excuse for Adriano who, by his high standards, had a poor performance.  Martins looked ready to play and his pace was troublesome for the Juve defense but service was desperately lacking especially on two balls from Adriano that were just too fast even for the speed demon.  I expect Adriano to come out with more of a mean streak in the next game against Juve.  Getting out-muscled by Cannavaro and Zambrotta was something that should never happen to Adriano.  He will learn from this.

The game in general was extremely choppy and overall quite disappointing from an entertainment perspective.  The mindset of both teams out of the gate was to play physical and allow little continuity of movement to other team’s offense.  Juve was able to convert its free kicks and Inter wasn’t along with many corner kicks earned. This ultimately proved to be the difference in the match.

Tactically Juve seemed a little more prepared.  Materazzi was chosen to man mark Ibrahimovic (size on size?) but Juve responded letting Ibrahimovic drop back deeper into the midfield forcing Materazzi to venture into areas that aren’t quite his strengths and letting Ibrahimovic take him on with the dribble.

Mancini had no answer for the lost battles in midfield and to be fair, without Veron and the grittier workman-like C. Zanetti available (injured), he didn’t have much to choose from.  Once he went with four attackers at the end of the game he looked plain desperate.

Until Juve is forced to go to its bench it looks to be an increasing favorite to win the Scudetto.

This Paolo De Luca is quite disappointed with Roma’s result yesterday but the other Paolo De Luca – president of the Siena football club – is obviously quite happy.  Siena came away with a controversial victory on the road to Roma.  With the game tied 2-2 Roma was denied a penalty shot on a clear handball violation by Legrottaglie that could have allowed Roma to take control of the game and shut it down in the second half.  Regardless of the bad non-call by the referee Roma should never have been in that position to begin with.  Roma allowing 3 goals to a mediocre team at home is unacceptable.

Ascoli and Lecce both came away with decisive victories at home.  Ascoli is looking to be tougher than first anticipated at the start of the season.  Lecce is under new coaching so it may be have a small turn around story in the works.

Fiorentina looks to have one of the strongest offenses in the league this year.  A questionable defense may keep it out of Champions League qualifications however.

Udinese 3 - Lazio 0

2005-10-01T23:10:00.000-04:00

Based on Udinese’s record this season it seems that its success is almost entirely dependent on whether Iaquinta is playing for it or not.  Iaquinta was responsible for earning and scoring the first goal and played a nice little header back to Di Natale on the second as Udinese took Lazio to school with a 3-0 victory at home.  You know Lazio was getting desperate when they were playing four forwards at a time towards the end…very desperate when you consider one of them was Simone Inzaghi who picked the wrong sport when he was a kid – he would have done much better in Olympic diving.

Candela scored an absolutely perfect touch chip goal over Peruzzi towards the end to make it 3-0 over Lazio.  This goal is very similar to the one Totti scored a couple of years ago (the season escapes me) against (I believe it was at least) Lazio also.  An interesting little tidbit of trivia here…Candela and Totti were best friends at Roma when Candela was there also and supposedly they always had great chemistry practicing and playing together…looks like they practiced these little chip shots together as well.

Treviso finally got its first point of the season with a 0-0 tie on the road to Chievo.

Juve-Inter.  Liverpool-Chelsea Part II for the week.  What a great day tomorrow should be.

Betting note:
Juve to win is paying 1.90
Juve-Inter to draw is paying 3.00
Inter to win is paying 3.75

Friday preview of the Derby d'Italia

2005-09-30T17:29:00.000-04:00

So after a week of European action the Italian teams are, on the balance, doing quite well.  Juventus, Inter and Milan are all well positioned to advance with Udinese having a decent opportunity to capturing the second spot in the group which most likely will be headed by Barcelona.

In UEFA cup action Roma, Sampdoria and Palermo all advanced to the group stage of the UEFA Cup tournament.  The group stage is somewhat different than that used in the Champions League.  8 groups of 5 teams will see each team play two of its games on the road and two at home – each of the games obviously with different team of one of the 4 others in the group.  To see how controversial the UEFA seeding system is that will be used for the group draw for the UEFA Cup look no further than where Roma has been seeded compared to Palermo and Sampdoria:

http://www.uefa.com/competitions/UEFACup/news/Kind=1/newsId=347593.html

Roma certainly would be considered one of the better teams in the UEFA Cup but the ranking makes it seem decisively stronger than other reputable teams.  And Roma with a rating of 73 compared to 20 for Sampdoria and Palermo seems a bit exaggerated.  Sampdoria and Palermo are teams that both finished ahead of Roma last year and both look to be at similar strength again.  In UEFA’s defense, the co-efficient system is quantitatively calculated and probably not a bad system overall in determining seedings when the alternative would be to introduce more qualitative factors and committees which would certainly bring about conspiracy theories and the usual like (especially in Italy with its fascinations of dietrologie).

All eyes are on the big game between Juventus at home to Inter this weekend as expected.  Lost in the hoopla are interesting match-ups such as Fiorentina (great offense) at home to Livorno (very tight defense).  Livorno is drawing attention for staying near the top of the Serie A table.  I suspect the run of good results might come to an end this weekend as Fiorentina will be hungry to get back on track after the Inter loss last week.

Udinese at home to Lazio is also a nice little match-up as Lazio is making a claim again for the best team out of Rome with its sensational start considering the team wasn’t expected to do much this year.  Udinese has been riding a very bad period as of late but a positive catalyst in Iaquinta returning should make a big difference.

But let’s turn to the big game for a moment.  There are all sorts of interesting match-ups that we could break down but two of my favorites are:

Cambiasso & Veron (Inter) vs. Emerson & Vieira (Juventus) in central midfield

Inter strikers: Adriano & Martins vs. Juve defense pairing: Cannavaro & Thurman.

Cambiasso and Veron have the benefit of both playing for the Argentine national team and had an absolutely great spell of play for Inter last season.  They have the continuity and chemistry that should serve them well – Cambiasso being the more retreated and defensive player and Veron the roaming offensive playmaker.  Emerson and Vieira, on the other hand, may have not been playing together very long but they individually represent the epitome of what I would look for in two-way midfield players.  They are: tough defensively; they cover all parts of the field; they can pass and start the offense and get involved with a big goal when the occasion requires it; they are well seasoned (both key players on two of the most successful National teams in the world in Brazil and France respectively); and they have an incredible presence on the field in almost every game they play.  What a great battle this will be on Sunday.

The Adriano & Martins match-up against Cannavaro and Thurman is interesting because, just like Emerson and Vieira, Cannavaro and Thurman represent two of the best players at their positions for the last decade.  But they are also getting long in the tooth.  And Adriano and Martins are physical specimens in their early 20s that may be able to impose themselves physically on this Juventus duo.  Juventus has great strikers also but in my mind they don’t have the same ability to impose a physical advantage on their opponents like Adriano (strong and skilled) and Martins (explosive first couple of steps) can.  Martins in particular has been a thorn in the Juventus side for years (I can remember how he repeatedly embarrassed Montero in successive games with his first step) and has sharp unpredictable movements that can leave even the most experienced defenders (such as Cannavaro and Thurman) on their heels.

Juve has been playing incredibly effective (and offensive too) soccer this year and looks like a very well oiled high performance machine.  But they haven’t faced a really tough opponent yet.  Inter has been given a warning with its loss to Palermo and will be ready to battle.  Inter also took 4 points out of 6 against Juve last year so it will not be intimidated as some other teams might.

I think most of Italy is going to expect Juve to take this game at home.

I smell an upset.

Big game in CL today

2005-09-28T13:52:00.000-04:00

Juve wins big yesterday against Rapid Vienna (3-0) and Udinese loses big against Barcelona (4-1).  Sometimes things go just as everyone expects them to.

Inter is resting Adriano today (good move) against Rangers.  Aside from this I’ve heard that Inter will replace Veron (suspended) with Pizarro and Favalli with Wome.  Otherwise the team will be the same as that against Fiorentina on Sunday.  Why not rest more?  Inter will be able to overcome a poor result against Rangers later on in the CL competition whereas a loss to Juventus on Sunday would be much more crippling to the Scudetto chances.

Liverpool is at home to Chelsea today in the CL match-up of the day.  Today might be the best chance someone has to throw Chelsea off its course this year.  Liverpool is a team that seems to under perform in certain situations (generally the Premier League) while reaching dizzying heights in others (most of the CL last season).  Chelsea will have a chip on its shoulder after being tossed out by Liverpool in last year’s semi-finals.  What a great story it would be if Liverpool could hold Chelsea again – the psychological significance would be resounding.

Tuesday Talk

2005-09-27T12:59:00.000-04:00

Lecce’s head coach Gregucci became an early casualty after being let go yesterday – he will be replaced by Silvio Baldini.  I like the message that was sent by upper management to the team, namely that the reason Gregucci was replaced was “to take away all excuses (of losing) from the team”.  Because of course players, not coaches or formations, ultimately decide football contests.  Lecce has looked quite bad at times so far this season and only has one tie to show for 5 games played.

Lazio’s right wing-back Oddo is rumored to be heading back to the National team soon.  Oddo has been playing very well lately and certainly outplayed Zaccardo (who currently is favored by Lippi) in Lazio’s 4-2 win on Sunday.  Oddo is a very useful attacking player from the back with superb long-distance crossing skills and has recently become Lazio’s designated penalty-kick taker (“rigorista”) as well as a top choice to take free kicks as well.

Cassano is supposedly healthy again but Roma won’t let him play unless he signs a new contract…this sounds like a bad broken record by now…I hope this story goes away soon because it’s becoming quite tiresome.

There are a few stories already surfacing in anticipation of the Juve-Inter game this weekend on the fact that Mancini and Capello don’t like each other very much.  Supposedly it goes as far back to the time when Capello was coaching Milan and Mancini was at Sampdoria as a player.  The bad blood could only worsen when they coached at Derby rivals Lazio and Roma two seasons ago.

And of course the incident that “determined the Scudetto” is brought up time and time again when these two teams meet.  The incident in question was an Iuliano foul on Ronaldo in the penalty area that was not called in April of 1998.  That was the season that Ronaldo was at his absolute best – I remember him taking two or more defenders on without hesitation. He’s still a good player but not quite like his peak back then.

Capello has been quoted saying he’s going to dress his best team against Rapid Vienna tonight in CL.  Inter plays tomorrow against Rangers and at least one major substitution is planned with Pizarro taking Veron’s spot.

Udinese gets a taste of Barcelona at the Nou Camp tonight.  I hope it doesn’t turn ugly for the Italians.

Serie A - Week#5 Wrap-up

2005-09-26T23:09:00.000-04:00

Parma 1 – Juventus 2
Reggina 2 – Udinese 0
Treviso 0 – AC Milan 2
Cagliari 0 – Roma 0
Livorno 2 – Ascoli 0
Sampdoria 1 – Chievo 2
Inter 1 – Fiorentina 0
Empoli 1 – Lecce 0
Siena 4 – Messina 2
Lazio 4 – Palermo 2

The Inter-Fiorentina game was just as I had foreseen with the exception that Inter did a horrible job of closing out its chances and, ironically enough, only finished on a play that should have been called offside to begin with.  Samuel and Materazzi started in central defense to neutralize Toni’s presence and to say that the give-and-take physical play re: Toni was high is to understate.  Toni was called for 9 fouls and opposing players were called for 9 fouls on Toni.   While Totti usually wins the most fouled player statistic in Serie A - or at least is consistently at the top year after year - I am going to speculate that Toni takes the award this Serie A season after his incredibly strong start.

Lazio and Chievo both came away with tremendous wins.  Both these clubs seem to be sapped by the transfer market of much of their strength year after year and I would be lying if I thought they both wouldn’t be battling in the bottom half of the table by now.  Lazio came back from a 0-2 deficit at home to Palermo to score four unanswered goals and currently reside in 5th position.  Chievo attacked Sampdoria on the road and scored a 1-2 away victory.  The first few minutes of the match really set the tone, as Chievo did not look intimidated or conservative despite playing a high quality team in a tough stadium.  Chievo currently finds itself in 8th just one spot out of an UEFA Cup entry.

Roma played reasonably well on the road visiting Cagliari but couldn’t finish. The theme for Roma this year has been a vastly improved defense (allowing only two goals all season which is tied for second best with Juve and behind only Livorno with one goal) but with a propensity to be highly inconsistent from game to game in converting its opportunities on offense. Totti, despite having a good game, was a major contributor of squandering opportunities for the team.

Although this is a CL week the news these next few days (especially after Wednesday) will be on the “Derby d’Italia” between Juventus (home) and Inter (away).  Inter actually came away with four points (versus Juventus’ one) in the two-game series against Juve last season and also won the pre-season Super Coppa this past August between the two teams.  It will be important to see whom Mancini and Capello play in the CL games for turnover reasons in anticipation of the Sunday tie.

Parma 1 - Juventus 2

2005-09-24T23:19:00.000-04:00

I’m sure Capello was hoping Juventus could handle Parma easily with a line-up excluding some of his first choice players.  With Champions League this week as well as a fixture against Inter it is no wonder why Capello made this calculated move to leave out some of his most talented starters.  Parma scored first today off of the strength of its most high profile players: its forwards, specifically Corradi who assisted Del Vecchio.

Juventus came back before the half ended with an incredible little goal from Camoranesi who received a square pass from Vieira and took a ¾ strength, outward-curving right-footed shot from a few yards outside the penalty area and placed it in the top corner of the net.  The shot was so perfect that it seemed as if it was the only place the goalie wouldn’t have been able to save it.

Parma managed to have a decent time battling Juventus in the first half but Juventus was missing three of its largest names in Nedved, Emerson (who Capello has almost never left out of the starting line-up going back to their days at Roma also) and Ibrahamovic.  All three were put in the match in the second half.

Not surprisingly Juventus took over the game and created opportunities with Vieira finally converting a chance for Juventus off an Ibrahamovic feed in the 82nd minute.  Vieira looks like the Juventus MVP to date with his impressive two-way play and knack for scoring in the air.

Juventus’ starting eleven looks highly effective on both ends of play – possibly the best in the world right now at the club level.  And 6 straight victories in Serie A and CL play combined is obviously a strong statement for them to be making.  But there may be a chink in the armor.  And it goes back to a theme that I started before the year began…that Juventus has a great starting eleven and in my mind the most dominating starting midfield in the world with Nedved, Emerson, Vieira and Camoranesi.  But does Juventus have the depth necessary at all positions?  The fact that Juventus couldn’t win against a mediocre (at best) team without all its starters could be a sign of things to come.  There is simply no way the bianconeri can have parallel success in Serie A and CL without some bench strength showing its face to alleviate the pressure of others.  Wear and tear, injuries and declining energy levels will all manifest themselves if Capello is forced to play the same eleven over and over again.

In the other game I was happy to see Reggina get its first win (2-0 at home over Udinese) as this team represents so much of the Southern Italian Serie A presence (along with the Sicilian teams and Lecce of course).  I’d hate to see both Lecce and Reggina relegated – they both started the season badly and things didn’t look good there for a while.

Udinese has quickly gone from feast to famine and is rapidly getting worse.  Losses to Fiorentina, Juventus and now Reggina may soon be followed by Barcelona and the Iaquinta situation is both disturbing and likely to distract for quite awhile.

What a great match Inter at home to Fiorentina should be tomorrow.  The highlight in particular will be getting to watch two of the best big-man strikers in the world with Adriano for Inter and Toni for Fiorentina.  I know Fiorentina is very hot right now but I have to believe that Inter takes this game with authority.  I still don’t trust Fiorentina’s defense.  And Fiorentina looks to be highly dependent on Toni and, to a lesser extent, Fiore scoring.  I think Inter will start Samuel and Materazzi against Toni – these are two defenders that have size and toughness and will give Toni as much physically as he is used to giving.  Fiorentina has no offset for Adriano on defense and even if he is double-teamed out of the match Inter can hurt you with Martins from inside and Figo, Stankovic and Veron from outside.

Serie A Week#4 Wrap-Up

2005-09-22T21:23:00.000-04:00

Ascoli 1 - Siena 1
Chievo 0 – Inter 1
Empoli 3 - Cagliari 1
Lecce 1 - Fiorentina 3
Messina 0 - Livorno 0
AC Milan 2 - Lazio 0
Palermo 1 - Reggina 0
Roma 4 - Parma 1
Treviso 0 - Sampdoria 2
Udinese 0 - Juventus 1

Juventus continues to purr along with its 4th consecutive victory creating an almost “must win” situation for Inter in week 6 when the two teams face each other.  Even though Inter doesn’t have Adriano at full health it has picked up some nice momentum and particularly good news as its two biggest acquisitions, Figo and Samuel, both had their best games to date (Samuel scored the winner and Figo was controlling the ball at his historic best).

Roma finally got some physical presence in the penalty area from Nonda and it showed as he scored two goals to give Roma its first Serie A home win in a long while (4-1 victory).

Empoli got a big win it needed to help the cause against relegation.  From what I’ve been reading Rigano' was the star assisting on all three goals.  Rigano', for those of you who aren’t familiar with him, was the prolific striker for Fiorentina as it started its ascent from the bottom of Italian professional soccer all the way to Serie A a few years ago (remember Di Livio going down back then too?).  His season last year was impacted with injuries and Fiorentina had no room for him once Toni and others were brought on board.  He may end up being the reference point for salvation for Empoli all season.

The story of the season to date on the individual players’ front has to be that of Toni of Fiorentina (5 goals in 4 games) and, more improbably, that of Terlizzi of Palermo (1 goal in each of the 4 games played).  Terlizzi is a central defender…that’s right….a central defender.  He’s scored in four games double that of what Nesta has scored in his entire Serie A league career!  When you consider that Terlizzi is the only Palermo starting defender that is not currently on the Italian national team (Zaccardo, Grosso & Barzagli all are) you have any indication of how promising Palermo’s back line will be this year.

Serie A - Week #4 Preview

2005-09-21T09:33:00.000-04:00

Biggest news before the mid-week Serie A games today has to be the fact that Iaquinta is not in the line-up for Udinese’s home game to Juve today.  Udinese left him out of the line-up for refusing to sign a contract renewal.  Udinese has some leverage as of course this is a World Cup year and if Iaquinta wants to make the Azzurri team he will need to have regular playing time in Serie A.  Interesting to see how this plays out.  I wouldn’t mind seeing Roma make a run for him as Spalletti would certainly welcome him and it would alleviate some of Roma’s tactical issues.  Juventus got very lucky with this one as Iaquinta is one of Udinese’s top players and Juve faces Udinese today.

The referee in the Livorno-Roma game has been disciplined for the two errors he made in Sunday’s game and has been suspended for one week’s work because of it.  The referee was Trefoloni and one of the two errors was his handling of the situation surrounding Roma’s free kick late in the game just outside the 18 yard-box.  A couple of Livorno players kept breaching the 10-yard distance they are required to maintain BEFORE the kick is taken.  This happened a few times and eventually one of them received a yellow card.  But Totti didn’t take the kick the next time when he saw them breach the distance again and was given a yellow card.  The next time AGAIN the Livorno players breached the limit and Totti had no choice to but to take the kick.  This was a terrible handling of the situation by the referee overall.  A hand ball by a Livorno player in the penalty area was also missed which would have resulted in a penalty kick.  Good to see the referee was held accountable.  Even though the missed hand ball has a higher probability of impacting the game – it was his handling of the free kick situation which was more disturbing.  The Livorno players essentially broke the same rule at least 5 times right in front of his eyes.

Today’s games should be interesting as many of the traditionally stronger teams or teams that have started the season off very well are on the road.  Juventus’ match against Udinese will be tough on the road.  Lazio has started very well but will probably face a furiously motivated Milan which can not afford any more setbacks.  Inter on the road to a still surprising Chievo should be interesting also but I expect Inter to build upon Saturdays’ outing with or without Adriano.

Although it is not usually wise to bet against Juventus I have to tell you I’m intrigued by the possibility that a team like Fiorentina, Livorno or Palermo could be in first place by the end of the day.  Each of those teams has 7 points and has winnable games which could give them 10 points.   Juve has 9 and a loss to Udinese wouldn’t be that surprising given how good Udinese has looked at times.  Udinese did allow 4 goals the last game so I’m sure Juve will examine that tape and try to exploit any holes identified.

Tuesday Tidbits

2005-09-20T11:43:00.000-04:00

There’s a fascinating column in today’s “Il Messagero” (Italian – link provided on the left margin) by Roberto Renga dealing with a subject I’ve alluded to from time to time here:  that today’s modern football works best with at least one tall or tallish striker in the line-up.  He starts off talking about how Capello – when he was coaching with Roma – was facing Bologna who had the Swede Andersson up front and commented to his coaching staff, “that man can’t be marked”.  Of course this was primarily hyperbole but Roma ended up losing that game and Capello apparently learned his lesson from thereon in: that his teams absolutely needed some size at the forward positions.

Fast forward to today and Capello with Juventus has both Ibra and Trezeguet on the team; Inter has Adriano and Cruz; Milan has Vieri and Gilardino; Palermo has the giant Caracciolo; Fiorentina has the beast Toni; Udinese has Iaquinta.

In my opinion having a powerful/tallish forward has not become so much a solution for directly scoring goals but rather a way to break through a team that is content to sit back and pack the last 30 yards with 8 or 9 men at a time.  If a team concedes you no space save for the wings the only option available at times is to whip in a hard cross.  Without some size many of those crosses simply go to waste and the team can protect a lead or go for a 0-0 tie if that’s sufficient for its needs.  As I stated before I think Roma needs a big forward and I think a team like the English national team would be served well to put a big man in (Peter Crouch?) as an experiment.

In Milan news I’m glad to hear that Galliani is standing behind Ancellotti.  It is crazy to think that Milan would make a change this early on in the year.  Ancellotti had Milan purring like the finest Ferrari two seasons ago and last year brought them to within a half of CL victory.  Milan more than any other team in the league has to settle into a groove to produce consistent results (mainly because it is such a finesse team) and I think it’s going to happen soon.  The 5 point differential behind Juve is significant but not something to make wholesale changes over.

I believe the situation in Real Madrid is much more alarming.  With Zidane out and Real already registering 2 losses in 3 Liga games Real is truly a team on unsure footing.  Owen and Figo are gone.  Raul hasn’t played to his standards for a couple of years now.  Robinho and Baptista are new to the team as well as the new central defender Ramos.  The 3-0 loss to Lyon in CL was particularly embarrassing also.  I can go on and on.  Here's a good article that Derek Rae writes on the team's make-up.  Can Real really afford to suffer another year without some trophies while it has some of the most expensive, talented and recognizable names in the sport?

Serie A Week#3 Results

2005-09-19T10:45:00.000-04:00

Parma 1 – Empoli 0
Inter 3 – Lecce 0
Cagliari 1 – Messina 1
Fiorentina 4 – Udinese 2
Juventus 2 – Ascoli 1
Lazio 3 – Treviso 1
Reggina 1 – Chievo 3
Sampdoria 2 – Milan 1
Siena 1 – Palermo 2
Livorno 0 – Roma 0

Sampdoria pulls off another giant slaying in Serie A (last week it was Palermo over Inter) with a 2-1 victory over Milan at home.  Give Novellino credit for having the testicular fortitude of leaving Flachi on the bench (Flachi later came on in the second half).  Flachi is such an instrumental part of what Sampdoria is and has been that Novellino must have had a gut feeling for leaving him off – perhaps it was because Milan seems very weak off of set plays recently and by leaving Flachi out Sampdoria has little more physical presence in the penalty area for those set pieces (interesting to note that the first goal was in fact off of a broken set piece).

Tonetto scoring the winning goal is not a surprise to me at all.  This guy has been dangerous along the left wing for three consecutive seasons now (Lecce and now two with Sampdoria) and seems to never miss a game which I can only interpret as the coach can’t even think of not starting this guy.  On the right side C. Zenoni and Diana provide excellent quality also against a team like Milan whose strength is now in the middle with Pirlo and Kaka – so Sampdoria has two nice channels to work against the Milanesi.

Although Milan will be very disappointed with the loss there was a silver lining as Gilardino finally got on the goal sheet and really moved well all game.  This time it was Sheva who seemed a little off.  With two great strikers Milan will have the luxury of having at least one of these two in form every game.  Vieri as your first substitute and an Inzaghi that is on the way back isn’t a bad back-up pairing at all.  Milan will be fine offensively.

Defensively, Milan has its work cut out.  Set pieces seem to be a weak spot as already mentioned.  Cafu looked very rusty in the first half.  Jankulovski hasn’t found his place yet.  Maldini continues to age.  And most worrisome, Ancellotti rested Nesta today for “turnover” reasons.  Hey we all understand the concept but today’s game was much tougher on paper than Wednesday’s.  Why not wait until Wednesday to sit Nesta?

I happened to catch the Livorno-Roma game and boy was it a boring contest.  Roma looked listless and Livorno looked content to play out for the tie by the second half.  Neither Montella nor Nonda look dangerous against well organized teams defensively and with Cassano out Roma is short of options to generate offense.  It really makes me wonder why Roma didn’t get at least one tall imposing striker to have available to the team.  Parma managed to get its hands on TWO former national team target men in Corradi and Del Vecchio and Roma has none.

On a positive note Roma has only allowed 1 goal in 3 games while playing two of its games on the road.  With defense such a big problem last year for the team I think this is probably where Spalletti has spent most of his time in training – perhaps in time the team will work on its offensive movements – in particular corner kicks and set pieces.  Kuffour seems to be a solid and steady linchpin for the Roma defense.  I like the fact that he’s always confident on the ball and already showing leadership by directing his teammates from the back.

So after three weeks Juventus is already on top with a decided 5 point advantage over one of its biggest competitors in Milan.  At this point Inter looks like the more likely thorn in Juventus’ side.  Inter really hasn’t done all that bad and is playing without Samuel (suspended) and J. Zanetti as well as a not fully integrated Figo.  Inter has the depth that might see it come on stronger as the less deep teams start to fall apart due to injuries and wear and tear.

Fiorentina looks impressive offensively and stopping Toni has to be the number one priority for any opposing team coming up against Fiorentina.  I can see Fiorentina continuing to score a lot of goals but I’m not convinced it will be strong enough defensively to keep itself in the top 5 teams in the league.

Udinese finally came back to earth a little bit.

Plenty of goals in Serie A this past weekend…hopefully it keeps up for Wednesday’s games too.

Inter 3 - Lecce 0

2005-09-17T17:18:00.000-04:00

Inter bounces back nicely in Serie A this week with a 3-0 win over a very amateurish looking Lecce.  The first goal by Martins was a particularly impressive one for the Nigerian.  Cambiasso fed him a through-ball in the 18-yard box – at first glance Martins looked offside primarily because he was two yards clear a split second after the pass was made but replays clearly showed him onside.  This is just a prime example of how explosive his first couple of steps is.  Martins’ finish was sublime using his left foot to touch the ball over a rushing keeper in Sicignano from an angle.

I thought Figo looked a little more comfortable playing with his teammates but he still doesn’t seem like the same dominant player of the Barcelona and early Real Madrid years.  Figo will still be a useful player for holding onto the ball and swinging crosses in from the right side and on corner kicks.

Last year Lecce looked impressive offensively while being terrible defensively.  Today the team looked bad on offense and defense.  Basic trapping and passing plays looked problematic for the Lecce players.  I hope this was an aberration and nothing else.  This type of play does not belong in Serie A.

Serie A Week#3 Preview

2005-09-16T17:00:00.000-04:00

Italian soccer is on fire again.  With Roma and Palermo scoring victories and Sampdoria tieing its match on the road in yesterday’s UEFA cup action Serie A teams are 6 wins and 1 tie for 7 games played this week in European action.

Two games to watch out for this weekend in Serie A play - the biggest being Sampdoria at home to Milan.  This has the same possibility of Palermo’s upset of Inter last week.  The notable difference as I see it however is that Milan had its CL game on Tuesday and Sampdoria had its UEFA game yesterday (Thursday).  Sampdoria can put out a great starting eleven but does not have the same depth to rotate players as Milan does.  Two days for Sampdoria to prepare for Milan may not be enough.  Milan’s also feeling the pressure of being behind Juventus early in the season and is well aware of what happened to Inter last week – this team has no excuse to come out flat.  Gilardino in particular needs to get on track soon.

The second big game will be Fiorentina’s game at home to Udinese.  This will be a great opportunity for Fiorentina to show it’s a serious presence again in the Serie A after last year’s horrible season.  Udinese has plenty of momentum this year having had to go through Sporting Lisbon to qualify for the CL and then pulling off consecutive victories over Empoli, Roma (on the road) and Panathinaikos.  With Fiorentina at home and Udinese having the positive momentum this looks like it’s going to be a close match-up.

Difficult pronunciation in the CL today

2005-09-14T22:52:00.000-04:00

Looks like it’s going to be another year of fantastic (or gossipy?) storylines in this CL season.

What is up with Wayne Rooney?  The guy has unlimited football talent but he has absolutely no ability to keep his cool and is ready to jeopardize both club and country within a week’s time it appears.  For those of you who missed it, Rooney got a yellow card and showed no respect for the ref by sarcastically applauding him earning a second yellow and red.  Man U played 20 minutes a man (or child?) short in a tight 0-0 game because of Rooney’s antics.

The Italian teams are in fine form with all four having won their games.  Juve’s 2-1 victory in Belgium against Brugge is particularly important because the earlier Brugge gets knocked out the better – I can’t bear the thought of hearing sportscasters butcher the pronunciation of that city any further than this initial group stage!

Speaking of butchering names…how about Iaquinta today?  THREE GOALS!  This guy is trying to make us forget Kaka’s dominating display yesterday.  On a personal note for him Iaquinta will really strengthen his chances of making the National team if he has a strong CL campaign – I think the CL games might count just a little more to Lippi than Serie A games in the grand scheme of things.  With Cassano back in the fold I would imagine that Iaquinta will be battling for the sixth striker/tre-quartista position with guys like: Lucarelli, Del Piero, Chiesa, Montella, Esposito and Inzaghi if he makes it back healthy.  Include Fiore in there too perhaps if they are looking for a tre-quartista back up to Totti and Del Piero doesn’t cut it.    Of that list only Del Piero and Inzaghi will be in CL and neither is expected to be team starters and Montella may only get UEFA action (which is a bit of an after-thought at best in Italy).

P.s. I’m assuming Toni will be on the team with Vieri as a back up as well as Gilardino, Totti and Cassano.

Holy Kaka in CL!

2005-09-13T23:38:00.000-04:00

We already have some great stories on Day 1 of the group stage of the CL. None more impressive in my opinion than the devastating 3-0 Lyon win over Real Madrid. Real was of course without Zidane and Ronaldo, two of the superstars that have actually kept Real respectable the past couple of seasons (unlike some other poor performing “stars”). Nevertheless, the Real team as judged by its parts should still be stronger than Lyon’s on paper. Unfortunately, at times Real plays like a collection of parts rather than a bonafide team and against a well oiled success machine like Lyon (four consecutive French titles) a 3-0 loss on the road can and did happen.

On the Milan front I couldn’t help notice on both of Kaka’s goals in Milan’s 3-1 win over Fenerbache how effective Kaka is going to his right. Kaka’s first step to his right is quick, powerful and he has such a long stride that he can instantly create space for himself to shoot once he’s near the penalty box defended by only one man. On his first goal he one-touched the ball off a pass to his right whereas in the second goal he did it on the run with a little hesitation step and literally left his defender watching. Kaka is without a doubt one of the most dangerous attackers in the world on one-on-one situations. Whereas other players will use a fake or advanced technical move to exploit a one-on-one situation Kaka just pushes the ball into open space and one strides himself to a threatening position – when a player has this physical advantage the simplicity of this action is just damn frustrating for a defender. Any team playing this guy should force him to go to his left at all costs because to his right he’s just too quick.

Couple of articles worth reading

2005-09-12T22:52:00.000-04:00

Here's an interesting article on Ronaldinho's history. It makes reference to that great toe-kick goal he scored against Chelsea last year in the CL. I'm surprised the toe-kick isn't used more often being such an unpredictable shot for both striker and keeper.

Roberto Gotta of Soccernet sizes up the bottom half of the Serie A stable.

Some CL match-ups to watch out for

2005-09-12T17:48:00.000-04:00

The Champions League group stages start tomorrow and continue Wednesday.  Two of my favorite match-ups amongst tomorrow’s games include Lyon at home to Real Madrid and Rangers at home to FC Porto.

Lyon has won the French league title four consecutive times and is leading the league again this year.  Real Madrid will be missing Ronaldo and Zidane but still has plenty of talent…should be a great contest.

Another interesting match-up on paper will be Rangers at home to FC Porto.  Rangers is currently struggling in the Scottish Premier league in which it normally loses the Championship only to Celtic – however this year it currently finds itself in fifth place.  Porto on the other hand remains undefeated in three games in the Portuguese Liga.  Inter is in this group also meaning a poor result to Porto would leave Rangers behind the eight-ball early on if it hopes to advance to the next CL stage.

Wednesday’s contests are just as good.  Close match-ups to look out for include Werder Bremen at home to Barcelona, Villarreal at home to Man United and Udinese at home to Panathinaikos.

The Villarreal game should be interesting because Villarreal has former Man U striker Diego Forlan along with other current Argentinian nationals.  Riquelme is a fabulous player on Villarreal (although there’s a slight chance he might miss the match due to injury).  Cristiano Ronaldo might miss the match for Man U due to bereavement but star power will still be aplenty on both sides.

Serie A - Week #2 Results

2005-09-12T09:01:00.000-04:00

Palermo 3 – Inter 2
Milan 3 – Siena 1
Chievo 1 – Parma 0
Empoli 0 – Juventus 4
Lecce 0 – Ascoli 0
Messina 2 – Fiorentina 2
Roma 0 – Udinese 1
Sampdoria 3 – Reggina 2
Treviso 0 – Livorno 1
Cagliari 1 – Lazio 1

After only two weeks you can already see the stronger teams starting to separate from the bottom half. Juve can only be pleased to have already built a lead on main rivals Inter and Milan so early in the season. Juve has a dominating starting eleven when healthy and had two easy games to start the season off but the resistance for Juve will begin this week as its starts to juggle the Scudetto and the CL simultaneously.

Milan also has to be concerned needing to compete in CL this week and then having to face a very tough Sampdoria on the road on Sunday. A loss similar to Inter’s loss to Palermo is not out of the question and Milan could find itself as many as 5 points behind Juve after only 3 games in a worst case (but still quite possible) scenario.

Roma 0 - Udinese 1

2005-09-11T16:02:00.000-04:00

What a disappointing start at home for Roma today.  Objectively, the 1-0 loss was a bit unfair, not because Roma played terribly well but because Udinese wasn’t particularly impressive either and a tie would have been a more reflective result.

Udinese’s goalie De Sanctis was the star of the game making two incredible saves off De Rossi headers within a minute apart at the start of the second half.  De Sanctis was also instrumental in grabbing numerous balls crossed into the box off corners and open play as well as intercepting through balls on the many give-and-gos in the box that Roma needed to attempt to break down the tight space in the penalty area.

Aside from De Rossi’s two headers Roma wasted corner kicks and crossing opportunities into the box – at least 25 by my rough estimate.  Udinese defended the penalty area with a lot of men and gave little space to operate to the Roma attackers.  Spalletti wisely substituted Montella but Nonda was only marginally better at providing a little more physical presence.  Totti missed two good chances from close range but they certainly weren’t open nets.  Cassano looked to be dangerous working the left side of the attacking area once he came on in the second half.

Based on what I witnessed today I’d say that a team that goes up early on Roma and can play a disciplined defensive game by crowding the back once it has that lead will have a great chance to close out the game.  Udinese’s defenders were clearing high balls with ease and to this point only De Rossi looks comfortable heading the ball on net.  Without a physical target man it can be difficult to break down the box against a team defending with 8 or 9 men back (just ask Portugal in its game against Greece in the Euro 2004 final).

On the other hand Roma still did manage to create enough quality chances to score at least one goal but Montella missed a great opportunity in the first half and Totti would normally have converted one of his two chances.  Udinese too missed some good opportunities (none more clear than a 3 on 1 rush) when Roma attacked with almost no defenders back last in the second half.

Palermo 3 - Inter 2

2005-09-10T17:20:00.000-04:00

Wow.  Inter loses embarrassingly 3-2 on the road (both Inter goals came very late) to Palermo (don’t say I didn’t warn you – see my last post).  I’m sure the media is going to jump all over this one saying that it’s the same old story as always – that Inter looks loaded heading into the season only to disappoint early and often.

I just don’t think that’s the case this time.  I really don’t think Juve or Milan would have necessarily done any better in the same situation.  A second week match-up on the road against a team of the quality of Palermo is just plain tough.

Palermo looked a little hungrier and a little tighter all around.  Inter missed J. Zanetti’s presence (both wing-backs - Ze Maria and Favalli - were at fault on Palermo’s third goal) and captaincy (when it went down 1-0) and looked to be short of grit and effort all match.  By game’s end Inter had Veron, Pizarro, Figo, Recoba and Adriano on the pitch at the same time but only Cambiasso as a true ball winner.

Refocus on Serie A

2005-09-08T18:43:00.000-04:00

Time to turn the attention back to the Serie A Scudetto race.  Some great match-ups this weekend.

One I’ll be paying close attention to will be the Palermo-Inter match-up.  Firstly, this will be an incredibly difficult game for Inter to be playing away from home against a quality team just after a break for the international schedule and just before its first Champions League game on Tuesday.  Inter has so many international players that will be checking back into town on Thursday only to be ready for a game in Palermo on Saturday and another in Slovakia on Tuesday.  Palermo has an excellent chance to pull off a big upset.  There’s also an interesting sub-plot to look at also:  Adriano versus the Palermo defensive unit which is comprised of three Azzurri nationals:  Zaccardo, Barzagli and Grosso.  The fourth, Terlizzi and the aforementioned Barzagli are the central defenders who will absorb most of the responsibility of marking the seemingly superhuman Adriano and his dangerous sidekick Martins.  I have no doubt that Lippi will be watching this game closely also.

Another great game should be AS Roma at home to Udinese.  Udinese had a really impressive last season finishing fourth and Roma is well aware that Udinese is one of its main competitors again this year for that fourth CL spot.  Udinese is now juggling the CL this year also and has lost two key players in Jankulovski and Pizarro.  Additionally, the current Roma coach Spalletti was Udinese’s coach last year and will have a great sense of how to beat his old team.  Roma should have the edge and a poor result to Udinese would certainly be an ominous sign for the remaining 36 games.  The Cassano contract situation is looking moderately brighter and the news flow from Rome on him and his play in practice and friendly games is largely positive.  While he might not start I thoroughly expect Cassano to get some action this week for no other reason than to keep the momentum up on this matter that otherwise remains a major distraction.

In Milan it looks like AC Milan legend Maldini is fit enough to play but the team acknowledges that it will need to add a defender or two when the transfer window opens up in January.  I don’t understand how this very rich team left such an obvious issue in the roster complement unresolved heading into the start of the season after the August transfer window had closed.  This may end of up costing Milan the Scudetto, a contest which I expect to be an extremely close affair this year.

Belarus 1 - Italy 4

2005-09-07T16:28:00.000-04:00

The Azzurri started the game with a lot of movement offensively while defensively the center of the pitch was quite bare.  On the Belarus goal the ball was moved through the middle without opposition but there were plenty of Azzurri back in time to provide coverage at the penalty area. Unfortunately about four of them forgot to cover the eventual goal scorer; this was really just a continuation of the poor man pick-up and defensive coverage in transition that afflicted the team for part of the first half against Scotland.

Camoranesi was particularly active from the start offensively and played a great game on the balance although on a few occasions I thought he was particularly slow to get back and provide help defensively in an already bare midfield.  Camoranesi was responsible for the vision and touch on a flick to Toni in the box that Toni controlled with his chest and turned on to finish on with perfection (Italy’s first goal).

Totti looked very aggressive when the game was 1-1 and really took advantage of the space afforded him at times by accelerating and shooting from outside (no goals).  Belarus should have been marking him closer.  In fairness Camoranesi was roaming quite a bit and Pirlo was advancing which made marking all three playmakers a bit of a nightmare.  The three worked in perfect concert on Italy’s third goal with Pirlo passing to Totti who laid it to his right for Camoranesi who executed with precision with an outside shot from the center-angle.  Camoranesi had earlier in the half come close to scoring with a touch shot that barely missed the far post.

Italy’s second goal was the architect of a Totti switch to the left wing to Grosso who accelerated a couple of steps and unleashed a pinpoint long range cross to Toni who didn’t waste it with a solid header.  Grosso was always active along the left wing and looks very comfortable taking on his man in one-on-one situations and penetrating to cross.  I cannot envision Lippi not playing him on the left with Zambrotta on the right going forward.  This gives the team a look that can really spread the field on the wings – an important addition compared to the Azzurri of 2000 to 2004 which were Totti-centric with virtually little other options on offense (Zambrotta seemed to become more integral in the offense only when Totti was suspended for spitting in 2004).

Overall the first half was a success by most measures including the most important – the 3-1 score line.  Belarus seemed like a capable team technically but I think they lacked any type of toughness that I would have expected from a team trying to counter a finesse team like Italy – particularly playing at home in a must win situation.

The second half lacked the pace of the first especially after Italy’s fourth goal.  This fourth goal was the design of Totti the talisman who picked up a ball at the center-half and exploded into the open space, continuing to accelerate until his adversaries came close enough before he fed a perfect pass to Gilardino behind the defense.  Gilardino shot reasonably well enough before being saved by the onrushing goalie (very nice goalie play by the way) – the rebound came up to Toni who bent forward and, with his head, accurately placed the ball behind the defender trying to provide cover and into the lower left corner.  Three goals for Toni on the day – what a great job!  There was little else to mention after the game went 4-1 although I found one of the comments made by the Fox Sports World announcers interesting.

The gist of the comments in question were that Italy had a good performance for a qualifying match but that the team did not have the athleticism or pace to keep up with teams like France, Holland or Brazil come World Cup.  It’s true that today’s team was not particularly “fast” with Toni and Gilardino as the forwards and Zaccardo on defense.  But Zambrotta will likely replace Zaccardo and I’m not sure the Toni & Gilardino combination is all that probable (for reasons I mentioned in the preview – namely that they tend to occupy the same space).  Having Cassano in the line-up could provide that element of unpredictability (for the other team) and speed/explosiveness with someone like Toni for instance.  Iaquinta could be a solution although he looks to be destined for the bench at best.  Lippi could also call on Montella if necessary.  Montella had a prolific season last year and has international experience to call upon so it’s not a concern to bring him in late.  Montella is very quick and would work well with Toni.

For those of you who watched the game also – please leave your comments if you like.

Belarus - Italy gameday preview

2005-09-07T10:11:00.000-04:00

After scouring various media sources and considering Lippi’s comments the past few days this it the best prediction I have of the starting line-up today:

Keeper: Peruzzi
Defenders: Zaccardo, Nesta, Cannavaro, Grosso
Midfield: Camoranesi, Pirlo, Gattuso
Trequartista: Totti
Attackers:  Toni, Gilardino

De Rossi and Zambrotta are ineligible after picking up two yellow cards and Del Piero is hurt.

This again is a very offensively biased line-up with only ONE ball-winning midfielder – Gattuso – to speak of.  Either Gattuso or Camoranesi will be playing on the left of Pirlo, which means one of the two will be out of their usual customary position.  I suspect Camoranesi will stay on the right side since one of his competitive advantages is his right cross.  Fielding these three midfielders is risky since Zaccardo has been very shaky defensively and Grosso is more of an attacking wingback, which means Italy will be quite vulnerable defensively.  I again believe this will be one of those situations where Italy will need to score 2 goals to come away with the win.

In attack I believe the Azzurri are fielding their best three available options right now in Totti, Toni and Gilardino.  Toni and Gilardino both tend to gravitate to the penalty area so learning to give each other space will be critical.  Toni’s more of a target man and Gilardino is more of a fluid, opportunistic finisher so I think the natural play will be for Gilardino to play off Toni.

All three forwards will be need to be active defensively if Italy is to have any balance today.

Belarus

2005-09-06T08:12:00.000-04:00

Fans of Serie A soccer might recognize Belarus striker Vitali Kutuzov who plays for Sampdoria and had a couple of great attempts on goal in the opening game against Fiorentina (including a curving shot to the upright) despite coming on as a substitute. Scanning the rest of the Belarus roster I notice that most of the rest of the players play in eastern European leagues including Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Poland and Romania. The only other exception from first glance appears to be midfielder Aleksandr Gleb from Arsenal.

Belarus remains undefeated at home in three WC qualifying games winning 4-0 against Moldova and coming away with draws against Scotland (1-1) and Scotland (0-0). Belarus lost its most recent game away to Moldova 2-0 despite controlling possession in the game and was hit twice on the counterattack for the goals against. Belarus sits tied for fourth in the group and has an outside chance to qualify – it will certainly be gunning for a victory.

Azzurro Monday: 9/5/2005

2005-09-05T22:50:00.000-04:00

Another slow day of news coming out of Italy on Monday as many Serie A players are busy with national team duties.

Much of the Nazionale news today centered around Lippi’s fragile relationship with the media (which predates his appointment as CT of the Azzurri) highlighted by an incident he had with a journalist in the team’s hotel. The incident isn’t worth repeating here but an interesting question was raised in one of Italian newspapers: if Lippi is having trouble with the media for one week at a time (in qualifying sessions) how will he handle the media for a month-and-a-half between the start of training for and the WC tournament itself? Will this become an issue of distraction? Interestingly, the Italian team that had won the WC in 1982 had, at one point, actually refused to answer any soccer related questions from the media due to the friction that had developed (the media had heavily criticized the team’s slow start).

Lippi hinted at the possibility that Italy could go with three defenders (Cannavaro, Nesta, Materazzi) and four midfielders (Grosso, Pirlo, Gattuso, Camoranesi) but suggested there was as much chance that he would stick with four defenders (Zaccardo, Cannavaro, Nesta, Grosso) and three midfielders (Gattuso, Pirlo, Camoranesi).

Early rumors were rampant that Del Piero would get a start along with Totti and Gilardino but later in the day it seemed that Toni was the more likely candidate instead of Del Piero (based on the partitella or “little match” played in practice today). I really like the Totti-Gilardino-Toni trio and I have a sneaky suspicion this will be a favored formation heading into the WC 8 months from now. Reasoning being that Vieri and Del Piero won’t be starters for their teams this year and that Gilardino and Toni are two of the most capable strikers around, period. Gilardino has been a consistent clinical finisher now for at least two years and Toni is an active target man that should give Totti and Pirlo plenty of opportunities to assist on offense.

Coach Spalletti's 10 Rules of AS Roma

2005-09-05T22:11:00.000-04:00

Coach Spalletti has apparently laid down the law in Rome. Here are his 10 rules (translated from Italian):

Punctuality. It is foreseen that after two minutes fines will be levied for lateness at practices, lunch, technical meetings etc.

All interviews with the media that are not authorized are banned. Fines for those who lapse, heavier fines for those who relapse.

Cell phones are to be kept shut at the dinner table, on the bus, during technical sessions and in the locker rooms. Even here we foresee fines for the sounding of a cell phone in a situation when it should be off.

From the dinner table everyone is to leave at the same time.

Everyone is held to the standard of good manners. Avoid through actions, gestures or words any sign of disrespect for the executives, the coaching staff and the other players. For people who don’t uphold this fines of 5% to 30% of salary will be levied.

On the field also are good manners to be maintained. For people who don’t uphold this fines of 5% to 30% of salary will be levied.

In spare time, all dangerous activities are prohibited (motorcycle riding, skiing etc.).

It is mandatory for everyone to attend the press conferences on a rotational basis.

Fines for anyone who makes detrimental comments about the team or the locker room.

Obligatory for everyone to dress similarly when leaving (whether it be track outfit or suit).

September Sunday

2005-09-04T23:33:00.000-04:00

Little news coming out of Italy the day after the match against Scotland although some items worth noting:

Cassano was cheered on by Roma fans (?) as the senior Roma team played a match against the Roma youth team with the senior team winning 4-0 on three goals from Montella and the other by Cassano. Coach Spalletti was quoted saying that Cassano would be a starter soon if he continued the play demonstrated in this game. Cassano and Roma head into a crucial week where it is expected that the parties hammer out a contract extension.

There continues to be little known as to why Gilardino didn’t dress for the Scotland-Italy match after being expected to start. Lippi’s only explanation is that Iaquinta appeared much sharper heading into the contest.

Grosso started off his career as a trequartista similar to what Totti plays now but was gradually “mutated” (Grosso’s word not mine) into a winger/wing-back by Cosmi while they were both at Perugia.

Side note: Interista Adriano scores 3 goals today in a 5-0 Brazil win over Chile. Is this the most unstoppable player on earth today? Comments please.

Scotland 1 - Italy 1

2005-09-03T20:19:00.000-04:00

Going into the game I had made a mental benchmark to myself that Italy would need to score at least 2 goals to call the game a success.  My reasoning is that Italy is currently sporting a heavily offensive line-up.  With only three midfielders – one of whom, Pirlo (Milan), is really a finesse player and not a ball winner of any kind – Italy would be susceptible defensively and would have trouble keeping a clean sheet and, therefore, would need at least 2 goals to get a win.

The Azzurri created a lot of chances.  But finishing was left to be desired.  On the basis that the Azzurri should have scored two goals – I’d rate the game a mild success.  But the fact that they didn’t is obviously what’s going to matter when the World Cup rolls around.

Attack

Vieri looked like the Vieri of Euro2004 missing obvious chances including an incredibly placed Totti pass off of a Scottish give-away.  While Vieri’s finishing is currently very rusty - his off-ball movement and ability to make himself a target man is quite strong.

I was very surprised to see Iaquinta (instead of Vieri) coming off for Toni.  In my mind Iaquinta didn’t play badly at all and certainly did not miss the chance(s) Vieri did (as an aside, in general I think Iaquinta does not have enough experience with his teammates to be at his personal best right now).  Also Toni and Vieri are very similar in: type of play, physique and positioning.  Ultimately I can only speculate that Lippi noticed how Italy had trouble building offense through the midfield and was demonstrating a tendency for floating balls up field in the air (primarily from Pirlo and Totti) and wanted to take advantage of that attack strategy by creating a wall of size in Toni and Vieri to aim at.

Totti was not at his best but his performance was nothing to sneeze at.  Totti showed multiple examples of three of the things he’s so good at: 1. Dribbling and escaping while closely marked, 2. Making one-touch passes with precision keeping the opposite team on its backheels, and 3. Extraordinary full-field vision.  On the other hand a couple of his corners and shots at goal were not at their best – he should have done better.  I was keeping track of the fouls against and by Totti and by my count he was fouled four times and in turn fouled others four times.  This latter statistic may be a good sign that Totti is mentally in the game defensively – although he may get in himself into card-trouble as he is known to do in key situations.

Note: Gilardino missed the game because apparently he was not very sharp during training sessions (not clear whether this was injury related or not) – this does not mean he will not start Wednesday.

Midfield

Gattuso worked hard and played well and looks to be an improved player technically from when he first joined the Nazionale years ago.  Make no mistake about though – he’s on the field to win balls, thicken up the midfield and to balance this side.  One Gattuso may not be enough.  De Rossi – his opposite on the left side – is a good two-way player – but this team under the current formation needs a great defensive player.  There are few to choose from in Italy right now.  I think De Rossi gets a few more chances and with experience will continue to grow in this role (this is the same role he will be asked to play for Roma this year).

Camoranesi played well in his limited minutes but I have trouble seeing a starting role for this player with both Totti and Pirlo on the field.  Clearly he was brought on to help Italy tie the game and defensive considerations were not a priority.

Pirlo was much quieter in comparison to his game against Ireland.  I think he still needs to figure out his role with Totti on the field and most importantly, he needs to make sure his defensive effort is augmented to ensure that Italy has sufficient balance.  Nevertheless, he had some good exchanges – particularly with Zambrotta – in the first half.

The back-four

Notwithstanding the fact that on Juventus Zambrotta plays left-back, moving him to the right side (as Lippi did for the second half) is the right decision in my mind for this National team.

Firstly, Italy has few legitimate choices at right-back.  Oddo (Lazio) has proven to be an offensive specialist only in the past.  Panucci (Roma) has had a mixed career and is currently having trouble keeping his club team satisfied let alone the National team.  Zaccardo (Palermo) does not look to be ready to play as a starter in the World Cup.  The culprit of the goal allowed against Ireland in Italy’s last game (a friendly) - Zaccardo looked out of place in the first half and was often caught out of position and not marking a player on Scottish counterattacks.  Not surprisingly it was he who was late getting to his man on a cross that ended up putting Scotland up 1-0.  Zaccardo does not look dynamic and provides substantially less than what Zambrotta does on the opposite side.  He appears only useful on set pieces for his size in the box (indeed he almost scored Italy’s goal on a free kick ball from Totti that somehow made it’s way through the 18-yard-box to Zaccardo on the 6-yard-line).

Whereas on the other hand Italy seems to have a few choices available to her at left-back.  As I noted in my recap of the friendly game versus Ireland – Grosso is a left-footed left-winger with a knack for scoring.  Sure enough it was Grosso who earned the corner kick on the left-side before finding the net with a left-footed shot off of the deflected corner taken.  Grosso seems much more comfortable in the offensive end of the field than Zaccardo and also appears a little quicker/agile between the two of them (both are uncharacteristically tall players for wingers).  Italy also has available players like Favalli (Inter) and Tonetto (Sampdoria) that could play that left role – currently neither is on the National team.

Secondly, Zambrotta had trouble with many of his left-crosses.  In fact, I specifically noticed that late in the first half he actually switched from his left to right foot to make a cross – perhaps frustrated with his earlier attempts.  Zambrotta also works well on the same side (right) as Gattuso since Gattuso is unlikely to get caught too far up the field allowing Zambrotta to overlap with Gattuso providing the defensive backstop.

Nesta and Cannavaro were average at best.  Neither seemed particularly able to counter Millar from Scotland effectively.  Nesta made some great saving plays for the team but he seemed a little off his game in the first half. Cannavaro does not have the same tools that Nesta does to afford an off day.  He will need to be playing at his top going forward to keep this team secure.

Overall

Italy earned the tie and arguably deserved the win despite having an off-day in many facets including:

finishing,

defending the counter-attack, and

man-marking the Scottish forwards.

The team is currently not cohesive from front-to-back and from side-to-side.  Transition from offense to defense is suspect and with three midfielders the team is unable to take control of the center of the pitch.

Going forward

Italy will be without De Rossi and Zambrotta in their Wednesday game due to the yellow cards they picked up.  Replacing Zambrotta will be tough.  Expect Grosso to start at left-back but will Lippi really give Zaccardo another chance at right-back?

Beyond the Wednesday game against Bielorussia the Azzurri will have to settle on a formation and line-up they can stick with.  I wouldn’t mind seeing Lippi play a more traditional 4-4-2 but I think he’ll give the three-forward line-up at least one more shot. It’s hard to play only two forwards when you have depth at the forward positions and a lack of depth at the midfield positions.

Italy-Scotland Preview

2005-09-02T11:03:00.000-04:00

Totti plays his first game tomorrow for the Nazionale since March.  Expect to see the following official formation bearing in mind that Totti will have liberty to roam to the centre of the field as necessary:

Peruzzi

Zaccardo, Cannavaro, Nesta, Zambrotta

Gattuso, Pirlo, De Rossi

Gilardino, Vieri, Totti

In the old days (without Pirlo) Totti would have had to drop farther back to act as the dedicated playmaker.  But now Italia has the luxury of having them both in the line-up.

An interesting question will be: who will take Italy’s free kicks?  Pirlo was quoted in today’s Corriere dello Sport as saying that Totti will take the longer free kicks and Pirlo will take the ones close to the 18-yard-box.

Players most likely to be substituted first include Vieri and Zaccardo in my opinion.  Vieri has been nursing a minor injury the last couple of days and did not start for Milan in its first game.  Zaccardo is still a big question mark as a starter and had a ghastly error against Ireland in the last game.

Camoranesi has been squeezed out of a starting spot despite being a starter on Juve’s midfield – arguably one of the strongest in the world.  Camoranesi brings strong offensive capabilities including being a great crosser from the right side.  But Italy as it stands now is already highly biased to offense and subbing Gattuso or De Rossi with him would further exacerbate the issue.  With Totti in the line-up Lippi can also pull one striker and leave Totti and say, Gilardino, as the two forwards and then revert to a 4-4-2 with Camoranesi as the right-winged midfielder.

Toni is also looking impressive these days and is ready to take over as Italy’s next big man up top should Vieri falter.

Side note:  The game will be played in Glasgow where Gattuso spent some time playing for the Rangers.

Guest Writer: Chris Brown

2005-09-02T10:31:00.000-04:00

Chris Brown is a tater. He is inextricably linked with potatoes and beer. Consequently he is an England fan. Here's what this bloke has to say about tommorow's England-Wales match

England vs. Wales Preview:

With England facing the absence of key players due to injury and suspension, Sven has opted to change the tried and true formation that has provided the squad with success over his tenure as National Team Manager. Michael Owen, John Terry and Phil Neville, all first team regulars, will miss the game tomorrow and it is perhaps England's lack of depth up front that has forced Sven to try a new 4-3-2-1 formation with Wayne Rooney leading the charge. Likely starting line up for the game:

Goal: Paul Robinson - Tottenham
4 across the back: Luke Young - Charlton, Rio Ferdinand - Man U, Jamie Carragher - Liverpool, Ashley Cole - Arsenal
3 deep midfielders: Steven Gerrard - Liverpool, Frank Lampard - Chelsea, David Beckham - Real Madrid
2 "wingers": Joe Cole - Chelsea, Shaun Wright-Phillips - Chelsea
Striker: Wayne Rooney - Man U

Normally England would go with 2 strikers up front (Owen and Rooney), so this new formation is the likely response to Owen's absence from the game due to suspension. This also shows a lack of confidence by the Manager in the abilities of Jermaine Defoe as a strike partner to Rooney. I personally don't like the way that Sven uses Steven Gerrard in either formation as he generally plays a holding role which is much different to his attacking role at Liverpool. His talents are wasted in in England.

England is looking to rebound from a disastrous friendly against Denmark where the squad looked bored in a 4-1 loss. The second half substitutes did not do there future's with England much good as there was a lot of sloppy play highlighted by a shaky looking David James in goal. FYI, James has since lost his spot on the team.

While Wales should not be too much of a threat to this England team, you can't discount the abilities of John Hartson, Craig Bellamy and Ryan Giggs. Also, as this is an away game for England - anything can happen.

Prediction: England 2, Wales 0 with goals from Rooney and Lampard.

I'm of the opinion that Rooney isn't a pure striker and England needs to get a better formation. However, Wales isn't the strongest team around so England may still get by.

Cannavaro speaks

2005-09-01T11:16:00.000-04:00

Some interesting comments coming from Cannavaro to the Italian press yesterday including:

That the national team can play and beat any team in the world – with only Brazil deserving to be recognized as a cut above anyone else.

Concern over the fact that Italy is ranked so low in FIFA rankings (currently 13th) since this may mean that Italy isn’t seeded and may end up with another soccer power such as Brazil in its group when the World Cup draw takes place.

Confusion over how the FIFA ranking work since the U.S. is somehow 6th versus Italy’s 13th.

Italy can play offensively with three forwards (Vieri, Gilardino and Totti) as long as those forwards understand their roles in coming back to help out defensively as needed.

But perhaps Cannavaro’s most controversial comments came as he spoke about the lack of depth on defense. Cannavaro contends that the new generation of defenders has not received the same training as defenders of the “old school” of Italian defense with specific reference to the lack of any one-on-one man marking. Defenders are now taught zonal defending and are particularly weak at tracking and marking a man in and around the 18-yard box. Nowadays the tactical aspect of soccer has taken precedence over one-on-one play which has hurt the new generation of defenders in certain cases.

Cannavaro’s points all have some validity.  But I disagree or would add to some of his points.

Italy has a strong team but objectively I think they are a still a step behind Argentina and perhaps France (with Zidane back).  However, they are all teams that could be taken as Italy seems to play better against better opponents.

The 13th ranking is a bit strange because most bookmakers would never favor the U.S. over Italy in a neutral field match but that’s the way the numbers work out.  The FIFA rankings are formula generated and, from my understanding, have no subjective components aside from the initial design of the formulas used to come up with the rankings on inception.

With three forwards and only three midfielders Italy will be stretched defensively.  Pirlo is not a great defender leaving Gattuso and De Rossi to put in the yeomen effort that will be needed in midfield.  Totti is used to having little defensive responsibilities historically but I think he will be required to do more in this area under this formation 4-3-1-2 formation.

Cannavaro’s right about depth on defense (especially central defense).  Nesta is arguably the best or one of the best central defenders in the world.  No issue there – he’s still in his prime.  From him to Cannavaro there is a drop however.  Still, when healthy, Cannavaro is worthy of playing on any national team.  But the drop from him to the next defender is precipitous.  Materazzi is the next in line under Lippi’s rule and Materazzi is not a guy who will inspire confidence when the game’s tied with only a few minutes remaining.  Strong in the air and very effective on set pieces, Materazzi is also dangerously weak when isolated by a quick attacker around the box; in fact he is very prone to tackling and giving up free kicks or worse: penalty kicks!  Barzagli is the 2nd back-up but international experience at the senior level is very limited.

Transfer window closed until January

2005-08-31T16:07:00.000-04:00

Owen was sold to Newcastle from Real Madrid and signed a four year contract with the Magpies.  So why exactly did Real Madrid sign him in the first place?  Wasn’t it obvious to everyone except Real management that there wasn’t sufficient playing time to go around?  Liverpool never was too serious about re-acquiring him and this looks like a good fit for him in the short-term as it allows him to getting playing time ahead of the World Cup and longer term as well as Shearer is set to retire.

Miccoli was sent on loan to Benfica from Juventus for one year.  Clearly Juve did not receive an adequate offer to sell this player out and out.  Capello doesn’t seem to be a big fan of his and I’m surprised a swap with Udinese and perhaps another team (e.g. Roma) didn’t occur.  Cosmi (now Udinese’s coach) is a Miccoli admirer from the Perugia days.  Midfielder Karagounis from Inter also went to Benfica in a transfer yesterday.

Former national left-back Coco went from Inter to Livorno on a loan.  Coco has been having trouble recovering from injuries and was not going to get much time with Inter.

Inter also saw Van der Meyde transferred to Everton.  Van der Meyde never lived up to his potential at Inter and was squeezed out of a spot with the arrivals of Solari and Figo.  This could be a good signing for Everton as Van der Meyde showed a lot of promise with Ajax before coming to Inter and is still quite young.

Inter really managed to clear up a lot of excess names and still runs almost exactly two-deep now at every position.

Half of Scurto’s contract was sold to Chievo from Roma.  This is a win-win-win situation as Scurto gets playing time as a 21 yr old defender, Chievo gets a top ranked prospect playing for them as they try to avoid relegation, and Roma get the opportunity to develop and increase the value of this prospect.

Roma signed Brazilian Doni from Juventude as a back-up to Curci who many feel might not necessarily be able to make it through the entire season unscathed as a #1 keeper.  Doni is considered one of the best goalies in Brazil.

Perhaps the biggest news of the day was the non-news of Cassano not being sold to Juventus.  Rumors heated up last night that not only Cassano but also Mancini were headed to Juventus.  Fuelling the rumors were media personnel spotting Juventus brass in the same hotel as Cassano’s and Mancini’s agents.  Cassano and Mancini are good friends and Capello is particularly enamored with Mancini so such a deal would make sense for Juventus but not a lot of sense for Roma (who would be short on the wings suddenly).  I think this rumor still has legs for the January transfer window.  I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a back-door agreement between Roma and Juve that Cassano go in January.   First Juve has to find a place for Del Piero and with Del Piero’s large contract finding a taker won’t be that easy.  There are maybe a handful of teams that could afford him in Europe and he wouldn’t want to go anywhere that would jeopardize his World Cup aspirations.

Transfer window closing tommorow....

2005-08-30T10:36:00.000-04:00

I would expect a lot of last minute rumors to fly in the next 48 hours as the transfer window closes on August 31st – not to re-open again until January.  Teams across Europe are all scrambling to patch up any obvious holes in their teams and many of the larger teams now have the benefit of knowing what competitions they are officially qualified for.

Big names slated to move include Owen from Real Madrid to Newcastle and Cassano from Roma to Juve.

However, a lot of the rumors are downright unlikely.  Del Piero to Man City?  Lucarelli to Tottenham?

Inter is likely to dip back into the market on an emergency basis with the news that J. Zanetti will be out from 2 to 3 months.  J. Zanetti is the longest running member of Inter and the team’s captain as well as being one of the most consistent footballers around - period.  Oddo from Lazio is rumored although Inter could likely get by without this move as they already have Ze Maria available.  Oddo is an offensive type player with a real knack for crossing the ball.  However, Inter looks to have built a possession type team that can create through the middle and are better suited to getting a more defensive back in my mind.

Inter is also rumoured to be after Valencia’s Di Vaio.  This move is smarter since Inter will need attacking depth given the number of games this team will be playing between Scudetto, CL & Coppa Italia.  On top of that – Inter is filled with national team players – many of them from South America (long travel) – and as the qualifying stages intensify – many of these players are going to be burdened and generally burnt-out.

C. Zanetti (midfielder) is currently out of a starting job at Inter and I would not be surprised to see him go.  Juve would be an obvious choice as Capello is a big fan of his although I’d be shocked if Inter is that stupid to make the same mistake as last season – that is, giving Juve a key player – Cannavaro – at the deadline.

Inter WILL have to make some moves though as its line-up is currently too big to take into the season and especially overloaded in areas such as midfield.

Milan is suspiciously quiet.  Couldn’t they use another defender in the event that Maldini, Cafu or Costacurta get hurt or run out of that magic potion that allows them to perform at high levels despite their age?

Although Juve is heavily involved in Cassano discussions I’m surprised they are not looking to beef up their midfield or defense.  I’m adamant that that team does not have the bench to make it through such a long and demanding season and be successful in both Serie A and the CL.

Serie A Week #1 Results

2005-08-29T11:02:00.000-04:00

Milan caught of bit of bad luck with difficult field conditions playing in the rain against Ascoli. Nevertheless Milan should have done better and this tie might prove to cost it dearly, similar to its slow start in the last season.

The Fiorentina - Sampdoria game was an entertaining contest between two evenly matched teams. Toni of Fiorentina was a dominating presence that Sampdoria had trouble dealing with all game. Give credit to the Fiorentina team for constantly seeking to get the ball to Toni. In particular Fiore and Toni seem to have a good chemistry developed between them already.

Sampdoria was not at its best and seemed to be relying heavily on wing play which begs the question of why it signed Zauli who is more of a trequartista and not suited to a wing-focused 4-4-2. C. Zenoni has a nice cross from the right-back position for Sampdoria.

Roma got an important away win in a very tough stadium to do well at: Reggina's Granillo. Most telling is the fact that Roma didn't allow a goal. Even a moderate improvement in defense will make Roma a serious team again this season since it can create offense on par with the best teams. By Week #2 the Cassano situation will hopefully have been resolved.

Livorno - Lecce 2-1
Fiorentina - Sampdoria 2-1
Ascoli - Milan 1-1
Inter - Treviso 3-0
Lazio - Messina 1-0
Parma - Palermo 1-1
Reggina - Roma 0-3
Siena - Cagliari 2-1
Udinese - Empoli 1-0
Juventus - Chievo 1-0

Interesting statistics from Serie A 04/05

2005-08-26T20:48:00.000-04:00

Chiellini (now with Juventus, then with Fiorentina, rumored to be going to Roma)led Serie A in battles won by a large margin in 04/05.

Pos. Player Team #ofChallenges-Won
1 Chiellini, Fiorentina 174
2 Rullo, Lecce 138
3 Cufre, Roma 129
3 Agostini, Cagliari 129
5 Bertotto, Udinese 120
5 Lanna, Chievo 120
7 Corini, Palermo 119
8 Cassetti, Lecce 118
9 Franceschini, Reggina 114
10 Barzagli, Palermo 112
11 Zagorakis, Bologna 111
11 Pinzi, Udinese 111
11 Giannichedda, Lazio 111
14 Cambiasso, Internazionale 108
14 Brighi, Chievo 108
16 Conti, Cagliari 107
17 Gattuso, Milan 106
17 Dainelli, Fiorentina 106
17 Mesto, Reggina 106
20 Stovini, Lecce 104

To see how important Pizarro was to Udinese last season (now with Inter) look no further than passes completed.

Pos. Player Team #Pass attempts/made
1 Pizarro, Udinese 2794 / 2296
2 Corini, Palermo 2260 / 1512
3 Pirlo, Milan 2165 / 1745
4 Ledesma, Lecce 2114 / 1564
5 Volpi, Sampdoria 1956 / 1599
6 Mozart, Reggina 1937 / 1623
7 Veron, Internazionale 1857 / 1447
8 Cafu, Milan 1818 / 1401
9 Seedorf, Milan 1795 / 1487
10 Passoni, Livorno 1776 / 1332
11 Emerson, Juventus 1746 / 1413
12 Maldini, Milan 1740 / 1455
13 Gattuso, Milan 1732 / 1473
14 Oddo, Lazio 1730 / 1065
15 Muntari, Udinese 1651 / 1320
16 Camoranesi, Juventus 1648 / 1115
17 Cambiasso, Internazionale 1623 / 1370
17 Zenoni, Sampdoria 1623 / 1136
19 Totti, Roma 1617 / 1126
20 Thuram, Juventus 1584 / 1286

Serie A Preview - Part II: The Next Five

2005-08-26T13:10:00.000-04:00

AS Roma (prior year finish 8th)

Predicted finish: 4th.

Despite having an utterly embarrassing 04/05 campaign Roma managed to sneak into UEFA competition on the strength of having made the finals of the Coppa Italia (Messina actually finished higher in the championship standings).

Things last season started ominously with the departures of coach Capello and the financially driven loss of midfield-force Emerson to Juve and Samuel to Real Madrid in the early summer.  Roma had a total of FOUR coaches in the 04/05 season and this lack of stability was but one of the issues contributing to the disappointing showing.

Roma still managed to score effectively (especially Montella) but defensively the team was porous and was generally out-hustled throughout the season.

New coach Spalletti comes off an impressive coaching spell having led Udinese to a 4th place finish and a spot in the CL.    The early mood in the Roma camp is positive save for the negative cloud following Cassano.  With core Roma talents Totti, Montella, De Rossi, Mancini and Chivu (injured for most of last year) all coming back, Spalletti has an impressive hub to build around.

Taddei starts the season with Roma and should be a useful addition on the left-wing especially if Cassano is gone as expected.  Ghanian Kuffour was brought in from Bayern Munich to add toughness and plug defensive holes and early reports from Rome are that club management is happy with the acquisition.  Left-back seems to be the concern for the moment with the role initially being filled by Cufre although Roma is working hard to bring someone in (Chiellini from Juve?) as part of the transfer of Cassano.  On the right side former national team player Panucci will be available.

Italian-capped Perrotta joins De Rossi as the defensive midfield pairing – Dacourt is currently available also although rumors are hot that he may be slated for a move before the deadline; if Dacourt moves look for Roma to add another midfielder. Up front Montella is backstopped by recent acquisition Nonda who is an experienced footballer from Congo who has played in the French league for many years (last played in Monaco).

Look for Roma to start with a 4-2-3-1 formation:

Curci

Panucci, Kuffour, Chivu, Cufre

Perrotta, De Rossi

Mancini, Totti, Taddei

Montella

Roma needs to resolve the Cassano situation soon and start the season solidly to put last season’s demons behind it.

Sampdoria (p/y finish 5th)

Predicted finish: 5th place.

Sampdoria should become “Italy’s team” based on its low import & high Italian content line-up (similar to last year).

Sampdoria has excellent and experienced Serie A keepers in Antonioli and Castellazzi

Defensively Sampdoria were solid in 04/05 allowing only 29 goals in 38 games with much the same unit available.  The defense is comprised of former Italian national C. Zenoni, Catellini, Pisano, and Falcone and with added depth in recruits Sala and Zamboni.  Another excellent year can be expected from this backline.

The midfield is made of up current Italian national Diana as well as Dalla Bonna, Palombo, Edusei, Tonetto, and Volpi.  Volpi is well regarded player who played a lot of games for Sampdoria and produced effectively.  But the player who has had successively strong campaigns with Lecce in 2003/04 and Sampdoria in 2004/05 is Tonetto.  Tonetto is a left footed player with a real knack for shooting and scoring.  I’m surprised Tonetto hasn’t been given a shot at the National team.

Forward quality and depth is not an issue with target-man Bonazzoli, mercurial Flachi, Bazzani (injured), and Bulgarian national Kutuzov all vying for action.

Sampdoria is a team that has further deepened itself on an already balanced and talented team.   If there is a team that could upset Roma for fourth spot I would peg Sampdoria as the one.

Side note: coach Novellino has over 200 wins in Serie A.

Palermo (p/y finish 6th)

Predicted finish:  6th.

Palermo has high profile coach Del Neri leading the team at the start of the 2005/06 season.  Del Neri had a nightmarish 04/05 season barely lasting a few weeks at FC Porto and then found himself in the middle of a volatile Roma situation.  Del Neri’s reputation was stellar up until last year having brought and kept Chievo Verona in Serie A with unknown talent. Rumored to become the Azzurri coach one day perhaps he has now acquired some blemishes.

But this situation in Palermo is likely to be much kinder to him than the 04/05 experience for two reasons in particular.  Firstly, Palermo is still a low profile club in the grand scheme of things.  While Palermo is a big Italian city, much of Palermo (and Sicily for that matter) are more focused on Juventus than the pink-shirted Palermo.  In this way Palermo will have more of a “Chievo feel” rather than the intense Roma spotlight.  Secondly, Del Neri is famous for an open attacking style that relies heavily on accelerated skilled wing-play out of a 4-4-2 formation.  At Palermo he finds depth and quality in his external midfielders of Gonzalez, Gasbarroni, Santana and Bonanni.  In addition Palermo is blessed with recent Azzurri call-ups in Grosso and Zaccardo at the defensive wing-back positions.  Grosso in particular is dangerous in attack and will push up often.  Del Neri has his prized wingers it seems.

Recent Italian national call-up Guardalben holds the starting keeper position at Palermo as well as having national teammate Barzagli in front of him on defense as well as the capable Terlizzi.

From Barone, Brienza and Corini Palermo will always be able to choose two skilled central midfielders that will fit in nicely with the Del Neri open style.

Palermo’s lost key attackers in Zauli and Toni but has found serviceable replacements in Makinwa and Caracciolo.  Objectively speaking Palermo is, on a net basis, weakened overall up front since Toni was so valuable to this team.

Palermo should be competitive and is likely going to finish in UEFA qualifying area again.

Udinese (p/y finish 4th)

Predicted finish: 7th

Udinese has three challenges to overcome in order to repeat its exceptional 4th place finish in the last season.  Firstly, Udinese is under a new coaching regime with Cosmi replacing Spalletti.  How that will work out is to be determined.  Secondly, Udinese lost key players in Jankulovski and Pizarro. And lastly, and potentially most damaging, Udinese is playing with the big boys by competing concurrently in the Serie A and Champions League.

Teams like Milan, Juve and Inter are built with superstars and the ability to go two deep at every position.  Udinese could not afford that luxury.  Even Roma (which by any other country’s definition would be a “big” club) has struggled to build the scale necessary to compete properly at the CL level once in the tournament.  The CL could prove to be a damaging distraction and drain on Udinese’s resources.

Ultimately though, Udinese is a strong team with well respected players such as De Sanctis (keeper), Bertotti, Sensini, Natali (defense) and D. Zenoni, Vidigal, Obodo, Pinzi and Candela in midfield.

Udinese has an impressive attack with players like Iaquinta, Di Michele and Di Natale.

Fiorentina (p/y finish 16th)

Predicted finish: 8th.

Fiorentina narrowly missed avoiding relegation last season and have taken definitive measures to ensure that such a close call is avoided this year.

Coach Cesare Prandelli was brought in to provide the necessary coaching to stabilize a city team with a storied tradition.  Prandelli, you might recall, was an effective coach that helped Parma overachieve and then took the top job at Roma last year before prematurely exiting due to personal issues.  His leadership will help but he will need to perform miracles to see Fiorentina finish in the top-5 after it struggled so badly last year.

Fiorentina has an impressive collection of strikers in the powerful Toni, Bojinov, Jorgensen and Pazzini.  This is without question the strength of this team.

Fiore will be looking to make a mad dash scramble to find a place on the National team in time for the 2006 World Cup with a strong year at Fiorentina.  Usually leaving Italy to play abroad (as Fiore did going to Valencia last year) is the death knell for National team hopes and for Fiore this was no exception.  Fiore has had a bit of a roller coaster career.  Impressive at Udinese he stalled a little at Lazio before coming on strong afterwards.  Valencia was disappointing so does that mean Fiorentina will be better (following the pattern of up and down)???

Fiore is joined by Brochi and Under-21 national Donadel in midfield.  Paziena on loan from Udinese and young playmaking prospect Montolivo from Atalanta suggest Fiorentina is looking longer-term with a youth movement.

Frey is the keeper which ensures Fiorentina is well represented in this department.  Defending is youthful in Gamberini and Pasqual but perhaps not as strong as the other four teams reviewed here in this blog post.    Pancaro- the experienced former Milan defenseman - will assume left-back duties.  Di Loreto will also provide experience.  But Fiorentina allowed 50 goals in 38 games last season and, despite the overhaul, will likely struggle again in this department.

Fiorentina has a lot of new faces and a new coach so chemistry may take awhile to build.  Talent wise Fiorentina has improved but considering the poor overall finish last year it is likely that Fiorentina will struggle to make UEFA competition although finishing 8th would still be a nice improvement.

Roberto Gotta's Serie A Preview

2005-08-26T10:26:00.000-04:00

Roberto Gotta's ESPN Soccernet Serie A Preview.

CNNSI World Power Rankings

2005-08-25T21:30:00.000-04:00

Jonah Freedman of CNNSI.com ranks the World's best clubs. He's definitely got all the big teams listed there.

Champions League seeding pots

2005-08-24T23:14:00.000-04:00

Tommorow's (August 24) CL group stage draw will take place in Monaco.

Four seeding pots have been arranged based on, apparently, very precise (see decimals)coefficient calculations. Teams in the same seeding pots will avoid being grouped together in the group stage of the CL - the theory behind this is that strongest teams avoid being unnecessarily grouped together and knocked out prematurely ahead of a weaker team that got the benefit of an easier draw.

Here are the seeding pots per UEFA.com:

Pos. Club: Coeff:
1 Real Madrid CF (ESP) 131.326
2 AC Milan (ITA) 121.191
3 FC Barcelona (ESP) 117.326
4 Liverpool FC (ENG, holders) 115.864
5 Manchester United FC (ENG) 110.864
6 FC Internazionale Milano (ITA) 101.191
7 FC Bayern München (GER) 97.166
8 Arsenal FC (ENG) 93.864

Pos: Club: Coeff:
9 FC Porto (POR) 93.739
10 Juventus FC (ITA) 93.191
11 PSV Eindhoven (NED) 84.145
12 Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) 81.324
13 Panathinaikos FC (GRE) 70.715
14 Chelsea FC (ENG) 68.864
15 Villarreal CF (ESP) 58.326
16 AFC Ajax (NED) 52.145

Pos: Club: Coeff:
17 Club Brugge KV (BEL) 50.476
18 RSC Anderlecht (BEL) 47.476
19 Olympiacos CFP (GRE) 46.715
20 FC Schalke 04 (GER) 44.166
21 AC Sparta Praha (CZE) 43.223
22 LOSC Lille Métropole (FRA) 41.324
23 Rangers FC (SCO) 40.476
24 Werder Bremen (GER) 40.166

Pos: Club: Coeff:
25 SL Benfica (POR) 36.739
26 Rosenborg BK (NOR) 36.665
27 Real Betis Balompié (ESP) 34.326
28 Udinese Calcio (ITA) 30.191
29 Fenerbahçe SK (TUR) 23.872
30 SK Rapid Wien (AUT) 15.208
31 FC Thun (SUI) 6.887
32 FC Artmedia Bratislava (SVK) 4.850

Some real oddities if you ask me.

Inter in Pot#1 while Juve in Pot#2?

Liverpool and Arsenal in Pot#1 while Chelski in Pot#2?

Obviously past European results weigh in heavily in the coefficients but shouldn't most recently completed league play count for something? For example, very few objective people would argue that Chelsea should be pot seeded behind Liverpool if they witnessed the waste Chelsea laid in its EPL path last year. Yes Liverpool won the CL but by narrowly beating Chelsea in the semis. At least SOME domestic league history should count.

Scanning the seeding pots - this year's CL looks heavy on the big traditional teams you'd expect in the tournament but depth looks suspect. Last year there were at least 1 or 2 groups with four teams that had a legitimate chance to make the next round. Pots 3 and 4 look to have a handful of dangeours teams combined at most.

And exactly how can we interpret the actual numbers???? Is Real Madrid approximately 26 times better than FC Artmedia Bratislava???

I hope Villareal gets matched up against an Italian team. Villareal is loaded with Argentinean nationals who are great to watch - especially Riquelme.

Serie A Preview - Part I: Le Grande

2005-08-24T01:13:00.000-04:00

Choosing a Scudetto winner this year is tricky because there seems to be a certain level of parity among the big three teams of Juventus, Milan and Inter.  Each team has made important signings but overall personnel turnover is low compared to prior years.  All three teams finished with strong second half campaigns and carry this momentum into the new season.  Ultimately it may boil down to key injuries that are suffered during the season and the coaches’ decisions around balancing the teams’ Serie A vs. Champions League schedules.  (e.g. a team falling out of the CL earlier than the other two might gain an advantage of not having to worry about roster turnover to keep players healthy and fresh).

AC Milan (2nd place finish prior year)

Predicted finish: 1st

Milan largely disappointed in the Serie A last year.  The team had dominated in the 2003/04 season controlling virtually every game start to finish. That was the year Kaka - the speedy Brazilian rookie revelation - took the league by storm.  2004/05 was not to be a repeat.  Teams had a better handle on the new kid Kaka and the defense took a step back despite adding Stam.  Juve played close to the best of its ability and Milan didn’t and this ultimately made the difference in the end.

However, few additions were really necessary to sharpen up the squad, as simply playing to its maximum potential might have been sufficient to allow Milan to regain its championship form this go-around.  But Berlusconi, Galliani and Ancellotti took no chances as evidenced by the landing of Gilardino - the hottest pure striker Italy has to offer.

Also significant was the addition of Jankulovski - the Czech dynamo who was a major contributor in the Udinese success story of 2004/05 and ongoing star player on the Czech national team that dominated for large portions of the Euro 2004.

The Vieri addition from Inter was headline-grabbing more for the fact that he made a direct switch from one Milan-based team to another than because of his expected impact to Milan’s campaign.  Euro 2004 seemed to suggest the beginning of the end for this 32 year-old punta.  Vieri seemed a little slower, less athletic and less sharp than the highly effective Vieri of his prime.  Early indications of Vieri so far this August are that he is already looking sharper than past season.

Stam, Nesta and Maldini should turn in a great year defensively if they stay healthy. Age may be an issue with Maldini, Cafu and Costacurta all in their late 30s and depth on defense is potentially vulnerable.

The midfield is deep, skillful, dynamic and balanced.  Milan can field an athletic, defensive or ball-possession type of line-up simply by replacing one or two of its midfielders from its long bench without any discernable loss in overall quality.

Gilardino and Shevchenko are Serie A’s two most prolific scorers of the last two seasons and should give opposing teams match-up nightmares.  Inzaghi is recovering from injury and may or may not regain his form.

I believe Milan will take the Scudetto on the strength of its offensive and defensive balance; bench strength (defense aside) and its ability to impose its skilled and possession-type play on teams.  Pirlo, Kaka, Sheva & Gilardino will provide the offensive output against the defensive backdrop of Gattuso, Nesta, Stam, Maldini and Dida.

Dida (Fiori)

Cafu, Stam, Nesta, Maldini
(Costacurta, Simic, Kaladze)

Kaka, Gattuso, Pirlo, Jankulovski
(Ambrosini, Seedorf, R.Costa, Serginho)

Shevchenko, Gilardino
(Vieri, Inzaghi)

Internazionale (3rd place finish p/y)

Predicted finish: 2nd

Inter is the perennial under-achiever of Serie A.  Every year there is a sense of optimism among the nerazzurri fans that the latest wholesale changes will lead Inter to the promised land of the Scudetto.  It's been a painful roller coaster ride since the last championship in 1989.

Particular distaste exists over the 1997/98 season dogged by controversy over perceptions around Juve-directed referee favoritism and the 2001/02 season where Inter threw it away on the last Sunday of the season with a loss to Lazio (Juve won the Scudetto though - not Lazio). Last year a decision to get rid of Cannavaro to Juventus towards the end of the transfer market proved to be fateful as Juventus went to being the hardest team to score on in 04/05 and Inter had trouble keeping balls out of its net.

However, optimism is warranted this year based largely on the fact that Inter has carried a hefty dose of positive momentum over from last season.  In addition to winning the Coppa Italia Inter put together a solid second half to the season after realizing an unbelievable number of ties, particularly in the first half of the season. Note: Inter finished the season with 18 wins, 18 ties and 2 losses (Scudetto winners Juventus had 4 losses).

The Argentinean central midfielder pairing of Veron and Cambiasso played exceptionally well and were only bolstered this year by the Chilean national Pizarro from Udinese.  Wingers are plentiful with Solari, Stankovic, Van der Meyde, Figo and Gonzalez all competing for 2 to 3 spots.

On attack Inter is blessed with the young enormous talents of Adriano and Martins.  This duo shouldn't disappoint and will give Milan’s pairing of Sheva and Gila a run for their money as to the best forward tandem in Serie A.  But depth up front could be an issue with the departure of Vieri.  Neither Cruz nor Recoba have demonstrated any consistent ability to produce quality play week in and week out.  With concurrent Serie A and Champions League duties Inter could find this lack of depth to be an issue especially if an injury strikes at an inopportune time.

Defensively speaking, Serie A-familiar Samuel should help shore up deficiencies but it may take time to properly integrate into the team.  Mihajlovic is a Mancini favorite and a great offensive weapon from the back (with his impressive free kicks and particularly insidious corner kicks) but an obvious weakness defensively.  Materazzi is wildly inconsistent and prone to harsh tackling in and around the 18-yard box (I squirm when I see him in the line-up for Italy).  On his best days Materazzi is tough, intimidating and very effective in the air.  Cordoba’s speed will ensure he is in the line-up often to mark the quicker forwards on opposing teams.

Javier Zanetti, the captain and fan favorite of Inter, should continue to provide that ongoing great play from the right-back position as he has done year after year regardless of the fortunes of Inter at any point in a season or CL campaign.  Favalli at left-back is a solid, tactically aware, if unspectacular, player.  Ze Maria provides skill on either side as needed and should benefit from the experience of being in Mancini’s system and at a big club for another year.

Inter has the tools to make it happen in either Serie A or CL this year.  Figo provides another dimension to the team but the integration of Samuel will likely be the more important change to monitor and harbinger of things to come.  A strong start is the key to give Inter the confidence it needs to build on Mancini’s project.  At the very least Inter should produce some open attacking football that will result in entertaining classics.

Probable starting line-up with reserves in parentheses:

Toldo (Carini)

J. Zanetti Cordoba Samuel, Favalli
(Ze Maria, Materazzi, Mihalovic, Burdisso, Wome)

Figo Cambiasso Veron Stankovic
(Pizarro, Solari, K.Gonzalez, Karagounis, C. Zanetti, Van der Meyde)

Martins Adriano
(Recoba, Cruz)

Juventus (1st place p/y)

Predicted finish: 3rd

The reigning Scudetto holders look to have the same starting team intact from last season with the exception of the addition of Vieira from Arsenal.  Kovac (central defense) and Mutu (forward) are significant additions as well but only Vieira seems to be scheduled to make the preferred starting line-up.

Juventus' strength will no doubt be found in the continuity from last season, its sharp coaching, tight play, and, with the addition of Vieira, amplified ability to dominate the midfield.  Emerson, Vieira and Nedved are world-class players who have been instrumental figures on three of the best national teams in the world (Brazil, France and the Czech Rep respectively).  In addition, Camoranesi had one of the strongest player campaigns in all of Serie A last season.

The old Parma trio of Buffon-Cannavaro-Thurman anchored Juventus to the league's best defense in 04/05 and is supplemented centrally by Bayern Munich acquisition Kovac.  Kovac is an effective, if somewhat slow, defender.  Zambrotta is half-man/half-machine and ensures Juve has boundless energy up and down the left (or right if he is switched there – his natural position).  Zebina pales in comparison on the right side but Capello still likes him so he can’t be all that bad.

In attack Juve will be fuelled by last season’s Serie A rookie sensation Ibrahimovic - a dangerously skilled player who can dribble and finish with the best of them along with 18-yard-box French specialist Trezeguet.  Juve has very respectable depth at the forward position in Del Piero and Romanian national Mutu.

The loss of Buffon to injury is a big blow that could put Juve behind early in the standings.  Overall team depth is potentially an issue as well.  There is a steep drop in ability from the starting four midfielders to the reserves - ditto for the defense.

Ibrahimovic, although an immense talent, is unlikely to catch any teams by surprise as he might have last season (think league wide adjustment to him similar to what happened to Kaka).  Vieira will strengthen Juve on set pieces and further increase control of midfield but I wonder about the impact of having two similar type players in Vieira and Emerson on the team's fluidity.

Juve has enough to win the title again but at this point Milan and Inter look to have a little more depth to work with and the Buffon situation really gets Juve off on the wrong foot on the eve of the season.  A last minute attempt to strengthen the team at the transfer deadline (August 31) may see Juve add some bench strength (Cassano? Helpful possibly although forward depth does not appear to be Juve’s weakest area right now).

Probable starting line-up with reserves in parenthesis:

Buffon (Abbiati)

Zebina, Cannavaro, Thurman, Zambrotta
(Birindelli, Kovac, Chiellini, Balzaretti)

Camoranesi, Emerson, Vieira, Nedved
(Blasi, Giannichedda, Olivera)

Ibrahimovic, Trezeguet
(Mutu, Del Piero)

Big day for Udinese today

2005-08-23T10:41:00.000-04:00

Udinese, which finished 4th in Serie A last season, has a chance to secure entry into the group stage of the Champions League with a positive result at home versus Sporting Lisboa. Udinese won the away game 1-0 and therefore has a decided advantage having scored an away goal.

Udinese is the epitome of success amongst the provincial teams in Italy.

It's unfortunate Udinese lost key players Pizarro and Jankulovski in the transfer market. Udinese also lost its coach Spalletti (to Roma) and has replaced him with Cosmi who has had reasonable success with smaller teams.

In Di Natale and Iaquinta Udinese has a balanced and formidable striker pairing - each scoring 13 goals in the 04/05 campaign. In midfield Udinese is missing key figure Pinzi due to injury.

England's 4-1 loss to Denmark

2005-08-22T14:36:00.000-04:00

Gabriele Marcotti of CNNSI speaks about England's humiliating 4-1 loss to Denmark.

Is it just me or could England use a physical striker that was good in the air? Rooney, Lampard & Gerrard are all terrific from outside and Owen is great at pouncing on loose balls. But Beckham is wasted if there's no one to take advantage of his crosses. Who knows - by WC 2006 Shaun Wright-Phillips may have taken his spot.

AS Roma update

2005-08-22T01:50:00.000-04:00

Cassano: Contract talks between the club and his agent are slow with no scheduled meeting (as of Sunday) in place. Spalletti is less than enthralled with his practice and game performances. Taddei is currently in much better form.

Roma still looking to fill holes at the left-back and goalie positions. Peruzzi rumored to be a possibility although that wouldn't go over well with the Lazio fans.

Perrotta and De Rossi, the likely central starting midfielders, will have almost exclusively defensive responsibilities this season as Roma is playing with 3 to 4 forwards - e.g. against Messina Roma played with Montella, Mancini, Cassano & Totti simultaneously.

Saturday Serie A tidbits

2005-08-20T21:25:00.000-04:00

Inter came away with a big victory in the Supercoppa versus Juve. Some controversy (as usual) as a Trezeguet goal was disallowed but nonetheless an important sign that Inter continued to play and pulled off the victory in extra time. Adriano did well to hold up the ball and spotted Veron flying into play and fed him a perfect pass that Veron didn't waste. Chimenti looked like he could have done better on the shot but perhaps I'm just so focused on keeper play now that Buffon is out.

I think the Juve-Inter matches this year will depend on whether or not the tougher and scrappier Juve midfield can control the game decisively. If Inter can even pull a draw on midfield play I believe the Inter duo of Martins and Adriano will be too much in the end. Adriano can not be marked 1-on-1 and Martins is like a coiled spring waiting to explode in the 18-yard box and open play. For Inter's sake let's hope they both stay healthy.

In Sicily, Totti scored 2 goals off of free kicks as an away Roma beat Messina 3 to Nil. FORZA ROMA!

In AC Milan news, Ancellotti says Milan will not adopt a three-man defense in normal circumstances but will have that option available as the situation arises. What a luxury that must be to have Stam, Nesta and Maldini to hold the fort down if need be. I don't think Milan loses that much defensively with a three-man defense as Cafu, the defender in a 4-4-2 who advances farther forward to midfielder in the 3-4-1-2, is more of an offensive type of player to begin with.

Supercoppa (Super Cup): Juventus vs. Inter

2005-08-19T15:52:00.000-04:00

Juventus (Scudetto winner) hosts Inter Milan (Italian cup winner) Saturday night in a preview of two of the favourites for the Scudetto this year.

As you can see from the expected starting line-ups (as posted on Kataweb.it), both teams are taking this game seriously:

Juventus (4-4-2): 12 Chimenti, 27 Zebina, 28 Cannavaro, 6 Kovac, 19 Zambrotta, 16 Camoranesi, 4 Vieira, 8 Emerson, 11 Nedved, 17 Trezeguet, 9 Ibrahimovic. (32 Abbiati, 3 Chiellini, 7 Pessotto, 23 Giannichedda, 20 Blasi, 10 Del Piero, 18 Mutu). All: Capello.

Inter (4-4-2): 1 Toldo, 4 J. Zanetti, 2 Cordoba, 23 Materazzi, 16 Favalli, 5 Stankovic, 14 Veron, 19 Cambiasso, 15 Solari, 10 Adriano, 30 Martins (12 Julio Cesar, 25 Samuel, 13 Zé Maria, 6 C.Zanetti, 8 Pizarro, 20 Recoba, 9 Cruz). All. Mancini.

Interesting to note if Inter will really start Materazzi over Samuel. I'd rate Samuel as a better player but perhaps Materazzi gets the nod based on his understanding of Mancini/Inter's system better at this point. Figo is expected not to dress. A lot of Argentinians in the Inter line-up.

Can't wait to see Adriano play this season...quite possibly the most dominant player on earth...size, strength, skill, speed...this man possesses it all!

EPL Action: Chelsea takes on Arsenal

2005-08-19T15:28:00.000-04:00

Chelsea is at home to Arsenal this weekend for the second round in the EPL. This game would never happen in Italy where they purposefully avoid scheduling the "big" teams against each other in the first few weeks.

I'm not really sure which method is better.

I think the fact that Chelsea has to come away with a win so early in the season against Arsenal at home is to Arsenal's favour. Now, while neither team is in peak performance mode, would likely be the best opportunity to pull off an upset

Chelsea is no weaker than last year and arguably Arsenal has not improved enough to bridge the gap. Vieira was a big loss no matter how poorly he played last season. Juventus is not stupid. There's a reason that team wanted him even when it has someone in his style in the likes of Emerson.

Arsenal would score a big blow if they even held Chelsea to a draw. Newly promoted Wigan almost pulled it off against Chelsea last week so anything is possible.

Also worth noting is that grumbles are starting to resurface at Chelsea over playing time. With such a deep team this is not surprising. Chelsea's second team would likely finish top 5 in the EPL. Even Mourinho favourite Ricardo Carvalho, who Mourinho brought over with him from FC Porto, will likely start on the bench.

This game represents Arsene Wenger's 500th in charge of Arsenal. In 499 games to date his record is: 294 Wins, 89 Losses, and 116 Ties.

Cassano saga continues

2005-08-19T11:40:00.000-04:00

The Italian transfer season is a soap opera of the highest order. Case in point: the Cassano plot line. Cassano refuses to accept Roma's offer extending his contact beyond this season even though it's the same amount annually that Gilardino just signed for with Milan. And between the two of them, Gilardino is much more likely to produce consistently for the amount he is paid. But Cassano has shown glimpses of greatness that still make him a hot prospect, with Juventus, Milan and Real Madrid all showing serious interest in the man with child-like tendencies.

Juventus' Moggi claims that Juventus' transfer dealings are closed and that Cassano is not in the cards. Juventus knows that if Cassano doesn't sign this year with Roma that it can obtain him free of charge next year. This public sentiment is clearly a leverage ploy that Juve can use against Roma's Sensi clan.

But reports continue today that Moggi is actively working out a way to get Cassano (rumored to be going to Roma are Mutu or Chiellini or both). I believe that Juventus is now a serious step behind Milan with the season starting in just over a week. Milan has more depth than Juventus and with Buffon out, Juventus is starting the season on the wrong foot.

I like Cassano's talent. But as a romanista I'd prefer to see him play elsewhere. I think his antics have done enough damage to the team and Roma needs a clean slate to forget about last year's dismal season.

Azzurri beat Ireland 2-1 in Dublin friendly

2005-08-18T23:16:00.000-04:00

The Azzurri looked good yesterday. Normally I'd remain skeptical...but an away victory against an Irish team that is much further along in physical preparation and is leading its World Cup qualifying group (France is also in it) can not be easily dismissed.

True...Ireland was missing the Keanes (Roy and Robbie Keane - not related)... but at the same time Italy was missing Totti and Buffon - arguably two of the team's best four players (I'd include Nesta and Zambrotta along with them).

Vieri and Gilardino both played very well up front. Gilardino proved once again how refined his scoring instincts are with a pretty trap & spin in the box at full stride and subsequent shot that was saved by the Irish keeper. But the rebound was pounced on by Gila and he deftly chipped it into the net. That made it 2-0 for Italy (earlier Gilardino had almost scored the first goal but the keeper pushed the ball out where Pirlo hopped to it and blasted it in decisively).

Vieri had a couple of good chances and hit the crossbar on a skillful difficult volley. Most importantly Vieri played with an energy level I haven't seen from him in years. Listening to the RAI commentators I noted that some of them believed Vieri to be in better shape and physically lighter than in years past. Wouldn't surprise me based on the way he looked last night (poor Inter - could they be burned again by releasing an "underperforming" player once again in the summer only to see him play incredibly well for a rival???? Think Cannavaro in 2004 all over again).

Del Piero also started as a forward - more of a left-winger/forward and he clearly had an increased defensive assignment compared to the other two forwards. He played well enough although I suspect his days as a starter are numbered once Totti and possibly Cassano are back.

De Rossi, Pirlo and Gattuso started in midfield. De Rossi looked a little invisible - especially offensively - although he did seem to be covering a lot of ground defensively considering that Ireland played with five midfielders. Gattuso looked intense and played hard as usual. With Pirlo, who is more offensively inclined and perhaps on the weaker side defensively, in the line-up I suspect Gattuso has himself an ongoing role to provide the ball winning characteristics to the team.

Zambrotta looked like a running machine as usual from his left-back role. Italy's best player at Euro 2004 Zambrotta looks like the most dynamic and energetic presence almost every time he steps foot on the pitch for Italy. Zaccardo was Zambrotta's opposite starting at right-back for Italy but was largely unimpressive and was clearly at fault in turning over the ball to Ireland on its only goal. I suspect it was in large part due to nerves but that may be his last chance to stake a spot as a starter on the team as Lippi has clearly said that experiments are no longer in the picture as Italy attempts to round into form with limited games remaining as the World Cup approaches.

Nesta and Cannavaro started at central defense and both played well. Flavio Roma was the starting goalkeeper and, while not as imposing as Buffon, was largely effective and did not look out of place. A surprising start for him since he plays on Monaco and Italian coaches rarely look outside of Serie A to make up the National team let alone the starting eleven.

Materazzi came on for Nesta in the 2nd half and looked solid particularly clearing balls on set pieces and crosses. Ditto for Barzagli replacing Cannavaro after about 20 minutes in the second half.

Grosso looked aggressive, if rusty, offensively but replacing Del Piero. With a solid left foot shot Grosso has the ability to add a different dimension to the team if needed. Diana replaced De Rossi and looked to have good speed and penetration on a few runs.

Iaquinta played well and showed some nice creativity replacing Gilardino. Barone played limited minutes for Pirlo but showed flashes of energy in that limited time.

But the real story of the night, in my opinion, is the emergence of Andrea Pirlo as the man in the middle who can hopefully take the Azzurri to the next level.

Pirlo, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the AC Milan central midfielder, is a gifted technical player who has found a role for himself on Milan as a ball distributor. Typically he stands just ahead of the central defenders on the pitch and is the chosen reference point to play a ball to once an opposing team has lost possession to Milan.

Credit Milan's coach, Carlo Ancellotti, for finding this niche for Pirlo who was previously more accustomed to playing behind the forwards.

Pirlo can dribble effortlessly and is very cool under opposing pressure. He is dangerous on set pieces and has scored some pretty goals off of free kicks. But the attribute which makes me love watching him the most is his passing. Next time you see him play note how he sprays balls from the back to the wings and upfield with exceptional vision. His accuracy on difficult mid-range passes is astounding. Often blocked by opposing players Pirlo will never hesitate to chip a ball over them right onto the foot of a fellow Azzurri and breaking the play wide open. This would normally be a dangerous pass from the foot of a lesser player - however Pirlo has the consistency and confidence to make this pass repeatedly. Think Joe Montana making a 12-yard pass to Jerry Rice.

Make no mistake about it - Totti is still the chosen offensive star of the Italian team. Out with a fever last night Totti will resume the mantle of the go-to guy on offense (particularly in the set-up role) once the National team resumes its official World Cup qualifying campaign. Totti remains a controversial figure both in and out of Italy. In Rome he is a god (except maybe if you are a Laziale - a Lazio fan). Within the rest of Italy he is highly regarded for his technical skill, creativity and ability to play both as a pure attacker and a trequartista - a 3/4 - somewhere between an midfielder and an attacker (think similar to what Zidane and Ronaldinho have played for France and Brazil respectively at times). But Totti is also disliked by Italian fans for his mental lapses and his many primadonna like gestures.

For many, Totti's spitting incident versus Denmark and subsequent suspension in the Euro 2004 was the straw that broke the camel's back. The tournament where Totti was supposed to win over Europe turned out to be a nightmare for him as he ended up playing only one game!

I, for the record, am a big fan of his. Aside from being a romanista I believe Totti is Italy's most dangerous, skilled and versatile offensive player. Consistently the most fouled played in Serie A Totti has unmatched scoring and playmaking ability and can shift effortlessly between midfield and forward.

Playing for Roma has limited his European and international exposure. His coming out party for the National team occurred at Euro 2000 where he played very well leading Italy to minutes of the title. World Cup 2002 in South Korea/Japan was a disaster that gives me stomach acid just thinking about (more on that another time). Euro 2004 was similarly disappointing.

Does this mean that Totti is not the man to lead Italy? I don't believe this to be the case. I think Trap made a big mistake designing the entire offense around Totti. So much so that he publicly stated how absolutely fundamental Totti was to the team and that Totti was the centre of the Azzurri universe . He practically handed the scouting report to opposing teams ahead of time. Denmark caught on quickly and shadowed Totti throughout the game at Euro 2004.

Lippi hasn't made the same mistake. He has acknowledged Totti as having a key role on the team but has also gone out of his way to emphasis the concept of the team. Having Pirlo and Totti on the pitch at the same time also makes it more difficult for teams to focus exclusively on Totti. In fairness to Totti (and to Trap) there weren't a lot of creative set up men available to the Nazionale. Pirlo was on the team in 2004 but was largely untested on the senior international stage (he was however quite impressive internationally with the under-23 team).

The bottom line is that if Lippi can figure out how to integrate Totti and Pirlo well on the field that Italy will be able to play an offensive and hopefully effective brand of football.