AS Roma Transfer Rumor, Speculation, and Official Transfer thread

Re: Can't wait for next season!!! - which players

All three of the midfielders I listed are able to move the ball up the field. If Roma uses three strikers, then they won't need a fourth person to run at defences. Maybe De Rossi will change next season, and become more attacking.

 

Re: Can't wait for next season!!! - which players

It would be nice if De Rossi did improve his offensive contributions but I'm not holding my breath. I don't know if I agree with you about the three strikers and running at defenses. I'm thinking about the space between midfield and the 18 yard box. Montella and Cassano are usually camped out at or in the box once the ball gets to the midfield and Totti is just a step behind them. Mancini has been the main force moving the ball but can't do anything with it when it's time to cross. So, by comparison I'm thinking about players like Figo, Zidane, Duff, Robben, Ronaldhino, Deco, Kaka, Rui Costa. These guys can move the ball anywhere from the midfield in. If the middle of the field is closed off then they can cross the ball. Totti has these same skills but for whatever reason is no longer playing that role. (As a side note, it seems like he plays that role a bit more when he plays for the national team but I haven't watched Italy enough to say that with great confidence.) Ultimately I'm saying that we need a player (or players) like those that I listed above. Now I know that each of the players I listed is either considered a great player or on the verge of being a great player so these guys aren't easy to find. And notice they are listed in pairs which shows that teams with a ton of cash have stockpiled, but Roma can't expect to get anywhere with a solid back four and a solid front three. They need creativity in the middle. Take care.

 

Re: Can't wait for next season!!! - which players

Montolivo is a 19 year-old Atalanta player, which will switch clubs once Atalanta gets relagated. He is being hailed as the new Totti. The play alike, except Totti plays more forward. Your thoughts on this player?

 

Re: Can't wait for next season!!! - which players

Not a chance. At 19 Totti was already featuring for the Roma starting XI and lived up to his hype by scoring goals and making good assists.

Montolivo is lightyears behind I'm afraid to say.


Roma has a great squad of players, and has more then enough potential to win a scudetto. The constant coach swapping obviously didn't help anything and Emerson's void has be unfilled. De Rossi is an exceptional player and will be among the best in the world eventually, however he is not a midfield anchorman, he's more in the "Stevie G." category i.e. a player that can run back and forth in the middle of the park to ensure that the midfield keeps posession.

Emerson did this too, but he's a pure DM anchor which De'Rossi is not.

And if you think giving Cassano away will benifit the team, then you're all in denial. Antonio is the niche of players out there that survive's on pure genious alone. His ball control and audacious personality feeds the attack the creativity it needs, not to mention the kid can score from pretty much anywhere. Losing him would detrimental not the other way around.

Roma's primevera squad looks promising which is good because the club just doesn't seem to have the right amount of cash that would make any sort of impact in the squad.

If the club can make rich on Cassano, Roma fans should hope for something like this.

-----Panucci-----Mexes---Chivu----Parisi


-----Mancini-----De'Rossi--Perotta--Taddei

-------------Totti--------(Berbatov, Montella, Esposito)

Capello used the 4-4-2, and it worked really well. The club came close to winning it all. This would be an ideal line-up for a serious championship contender IMO.

 

Re: Can't wait for next season!!! - which players

Today, Esposito pledged his allegiance to Roma.

 

Re: Can't wait for next season!!! - which players

totti isn't a striker m8~ he is pathetic when used as one

 

Re: Can't wait for next season!!! - which players

Hey, here's another attacker who wants to come to Roma. Mauro Esposito already has 14 goals for Cagliari. Maybe, Roma can put together a package deal for him and Langella, Cagliari's other attacker, who also has expressed his desire to play for Roma.

www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/mar24f.html

 

Re: Can't wait for next season!!! - which players

De Rossi is nothing like Gerrard. Gerrard is the kind of guy Roma need. I'm starting to sound like a broken record here but he can run at defenses (starting anywhere), can cross, can take free kicks, and can score from close in or far out. He is pure class. I think De Rossi will become a top player but I think Emersen will be the comparison here (a few goals here and there but really a guy who can be a stopper). I would love to see De Rossi become a player like Gerrard but it isn't going to happen.

I don't think anyone here has denied his talent but I think that talent is relative. Given how I've described Gerrard above and how you describe Cassano here they would seem to be the same kind of players and I would ask who you would rather have. Gerrard gets hurt every season, which is his major downside, but he scores more, probably has equal (if not more assists) and he is a leader. Cassano has talent but he thinks his talent is greater than it is. If he didn't think this then he wouldn't be a coach killer. He wouldn't be a disruption. He would be the kind of guy, like Gerrard, who could carry the team on his shoulders when needed. But he's not. He is a creative passer and can score goals from most places in the box. But he's no Gerrard. (I'm not saying that you said he is.) And I also think it's important to note that nobody is saying that we should give him away; rather, I think it's safe to say that those of us who've said that he should be sold believe that we should sell if a team comes in with a nice offer. His deal is up next year; he will walk if he can. So we should get something for him. I think his 7 goals can easily be replaced. And I think his anitcs won't be missed. But if we don't add creative midfielders then his passing abilities in the box will be missed. Take care.

 

Re: Can't wait for next season!!! - which players

i completely agree with this statement. i know Capello wants him to come to Juventus but i am not so sure its a great idea. theres a great team spirit at Juve and cassano could very well upset that. hes not great enough to risk messing with team chemistry.

 

Re: Can't wait for next season!!! - which players

Stevie is the kind of guy every team needs. This is a rhetorical statement.

Look here. You and I both know that De'Rossi can score goals, sometimes at will. You know this. What was he doing for the Azzurini after all? He posed an incerdible threat on corner kicks and had great drive and motivation to go forward at the right time so he could get in position to score. We know he's capable and he's proved it.

However its my personal belief that his talents were tainted somewhat by his Roma coach. I think Del Neri did not permit him to commit forward, instead he insisted that De'Rossi play the anchormid role infront of the defense. This is what I have gathered watching Roma matches this season.

Same applies to religion and politics, but when the masses speak, your supposed to listen.

Ok, lets just trash the Stevie G. contrast for now, cause it really doesn't go anywhere.

Granted Cassano's personality is obtuse, and his ego has been noted; yet this does not withdraw his unbelievable talent.

His personality has everything to do with Roma and its' atmosphere and not the man. If Cassano had been a youth player for Juventus, I reckon he either would have morphed into a professional premature, or thrown out; so when considering the prestige and granduer of a big club, I think its fair to discount the latter.

Yes, what we speak of is relative, which is why I have the nerve to compare Cassano to the likes of Baggio (talent wise). Antonio has all the basic characterstics of a 1'st striker mastered i.e. great positioning, acceleration, quickness in the box, great timing, and a remarkable touch. Now add the other characterstics of an attacking-mid, and you have a prodigy in the making.

The fact that there's one more year left in his contract and that Roma management has yet to find an agreement with the young lad is not Antonio's fault. Roma have not delivered anything in a long while and both upper and lower management have failed to make the right impact. As a result Roma's transfer policy is handicaped and their expectations have lowered.

Now I'm not saying anyone here is responsible, but some of your reactions regarding the inevitable removal of Cassano is shocking. Here is Italy's next GREAT, and yet no one here seems to care. And then there is the illusion that some creative midfielder will solve all of Roma's problems, and better fullbacks are needed etc. I'm not gonna pretend that I know the answers cause I don't, but what I do know is that selling Cassano will not be for the better.

 

Re: Can't wait for next season!!! - which players

this is what i've been saying all along...i have been one of the few who think Cassano really is the next big thing; finally someone agrees with me

 

Re: Can't wait for next season!!! - which players

I agree that he's capable although I don't know if he's proved it. He has scored some goals but he hasn't shown that he is a goal scorer. I know that sounds like a game of semantics but I can tell that you'll catch the drift. I hope you're right that he will prove to be more than what we've seen so far because Del Neri was holding him back. But I will have to see him score consistently to believe that he is more than a defensive midfielder who will be good for 2-3 goals per year in all club competitions.

The question is when that "prodigy in the making" becomes the real deal. I know he's young but there are a lot of young players who have had the same playing time and we might say that the "in the making" has been lifted. His goal production has increased each year, which says something positive. But this season I predict he will be below where he was last year. And I think he lacks the killer finish of a first class striker. Now Cassano doesn't need to be the first striker if Montella continues to score like he is but Cassano would need to score more than 9 or 10 goals in all competitions for him to be the kind of player that will help Roma succeed in Europe and in Serie A.

I agree with your last sentence but can't agree with the first. I don't know why he hasn't been resigned. In general I tend to distrust owners when it comes to contract disputes. But in Cassano's case it's hard to believe that he isn't the problem. I know that what gets quoted is framed in certain ways by the media but it would seem that the constant discussion of Capello is a push by Cassano (or his agent) to facilitate a move to Juve. Again, that could just be a product of reporters constantly asking him questions about Capello but it could also be his agenda setting.

I haven't seen a lot of calls for new fullbacks on this board. I think people are in agreement that the return of Chivu is like getting a new transfer, Mexes was starting to adapt very well until the suspension kicked in, Ferrari has been hit and miss, and Panucci has been stable. There seems to be some disagreement about Curfre but that's part of the fun. As far as the midfield, I do believe that creative midfielders will solve the problem. We have the top scorer in Serie A, a bonafide superstar in Totti, quality defensive midfielders, and the backline is stable. What we lack is anyone who can move the ball from the midfield to the box and anyone who can cross the ball (since Mancini is useless and was a one season wonder).

With that said, I think you raise an interesting point about management. I'm still dumbfounded by Roma's inability to add a striker who can score a lot of goals other than Montella. Battigol was the last one. Carew was somewhat successful at Valencia. Didn't do squat for Roma. Mido was successful in the past. Nothing for Roma. And I know that strikers aren't the problem at this point but it speaks to a problem when it comes to buying attacking players. They seem to have the knack for fullbacks (Samuel, Cafu, Chivu, Mexes) but can't seem to get their heads around creative offensive threats. Perhaps they think Totti is the sole answer. But back to the matter at hand. I think you're seeing more promise in Cassano than I see in him. I see a guy who has good vision in the box and can make the right pass at the right time. I see a guy who is good for 8-10 goals in all club competitions (a tally that is below GREAT). But I also see a guy who is quick to show up a coach. (Hell, he was creating a specatacle in Del Nerri's first match; before Del Nerri could even show that he was the wrong coach for the job.) I don't see a guy that will be on par with Henry, Raul (when Raul was getting the job done), Ronaldo, or Owen (guys who lead/led their leagues and their national teams). At the end of the day we can only speculate. If we could predict the future we'd have mice following us through the hallways and better yet partners in our own psychic hotlines. But Roma is at a point, because of Cassano's contract, where they need to make a choice and if I was making that choice I would sell him to Juve (if they actually want him) and pick up another striker with more maturity and creative midfielders who can move the ball. Take care.

 

Re: Can't wait for next season!!! - which players

So here is what all this crap means if you don't want to read all the long posts.

IN:
Creative midfielders
A striker with maturity and skill



OUT:
Cassano

 

Re: Can't wait for next season!!! - which players

Never said he was a goalscorer. I just emphasized the fact that he is capable in offensive situations. Remember his goal against Real Madrid? I seem to recall a German dude in the giallarossi coach kit and not the puggy faced Neri.

Ruben Baraja, Andrea Pirlo, Xavi etc. put up small goal numbers yet they're considered among the best in the world.

De 'Rossi will reach that level in time, just you watch.

If Sensi came to terms with the public, he would probably confess to the world that the entire Cassano aquisition was irrational and impulsive given the circumstanes. The day he was purchased Roma had set a record for "the most expensive teenager" in professional football; the question is: was this the best course of action given the stakes?

And ofcourse any rational human being would acknowledge the risks, those being financial(easy one) and the potentially damaging effect that this endeavour would have on a developing player. Simply put: the boy went from nothing to everything in the space of one year, unholy growth acceleration at its best. How could Roma management not forseen this?

Did you see his performances with Italy? That should give you a hint about Cassano's capabilties as a front man. The kid can do it all and more; also assits are just as important as goals unless you do the whole thing on your own (do you see any Gearge Weah replica's anywhere cause I don't?)

His assist rate alone should be more than enough to want to keep him. The kid is a box-to-box engineer! Am I blind here?

Mancini was a great scratch, kudos to Capello for nabbing him. Unless you've completed forgotten last season, you'd know that Mancini has all the skill's and speed to provide Roma with another attacking dimension, unfortunately he's been completey neglected this year by Del Neri. )the guy has a bias for Italian players, why else would he start Aquilani?)

Very bold. If its a lost cause, then ofcourse Roma should do everything they can to get the most from the transfer, however between now and June Roma must exhaust their resources in trying to resign him. It would be poor business otherwise (remember he wasn't cheap when they got him from Bari) and therfore the must re-establish their assets.

If he must be swapped, then it will be another empty void no matter who the replacement IMO

 

Re: Can't wait for next season!!! - which players

Cassano is the Future of Italy

 

Re: Can't wait for next season!!! - which players

So true

 

Re: Can't wait for next season!!! - which players

You make some good points and I will come back to some of them later but for now let me address two things, That game against Madrid was Del Nerri's first match with Roma if I remember correctly. So Voller wasn't in charge. He quit after a league match. Roma was blazing that night and then decided to play dump the ball out for 70 minutes. And that was it for Roma's European season.

I don't have the stats for the quantity of games Mancini has played (anybody know a free site that lists info. on games played, against which teams, goals, and assists?) but I can say that Mancini was starting games for Del Nerri until Mancini proved that he couldn't cut it. You might be right about the Italian bias; I hadn't thought about it. But I know that in every match that I've seen (which is every game that has been on Gol or ESPN) Mancini has had problems getting crosses in and his corner kicks have been horrific. He can run at defenses and he has good speed but when it comes time to get the ball to someone else that someone else is almost always a defensive player because the cross ends up being a dribbler. At some point the coach has to give someone else a shot. And Del Nerri opted for Perrota or Aquilani. Neither of them have panned out either but Mancini is not what he was last year. He could just be having an off year. But he's only had one good year. Those aren't good odds. If he plays well (i.e., can create chances for Montella, Totti, and Cassano) then Mancini will get playing time. He hasn't done that this season. So, in short, I haven't forgot what he did last year but I also haven't forgot that he hasn't done squat this year. Take care.

 

Re: Can't wait for next season!!! - which players

Mancini is a right wing, so he didn't fit into Del Neri's formation. Panucci MUST stay. He is our experience in the back. When he plays, everybody else does.

 

Re: Can't wait for next season!!! - which players

-------------De Sanctis
Panucci-----Mexes--Chivu----Cufre
Mancini-----Mozart--Davids---Ze Roberto
----------------Totti
---------------Montella

Bench
Curci
Ferrari
Langella
Taddei
D'Agostino


Anyone else support this?

 

Re: Can't wait for next season!!! - which players

At this stage De'Rossi is better than Davids.

Instead of Mozart Roma should look into the mega talented Pizarro who's played exceptionally well this year.

Otherwise that's a great lineup.

 

Re: Can't wait for next season!!! - which players

Davids hasn't had enough playing time and last time I saw De Rossi, he was being sent off. Roma have enough hot-heads already. Maybe getting Davids and Mozart for a calm play mode is what they need.

 

Re: Can't wait for next season!!! - which players

Denying Italian talent in the worse thing that any Serie A club could do. Davids can go back to Ajax, I think mos tof the Roma fans would agree.

And Mozart is just not good enough.