VERGOGNA!!!!!!! ok, i know it is early. i know that they only had 1/3 of the 1st team on the field but should we have at least had a pattern of play. roma players looked like they did not know the people playing on their team. not one good shot on goal. not one INTERESTING pass. not any emotion or grinta form the players (except for mexes.......good thing we got him) man, i am trying really hard not to be a fatalist 'pero quest era una mazzata'!! cufre' is the worst player in serie a, punto. we can't find a better player than that from serie b or c or even c2? montella should be put into the deal to get gilardino. i believed him when he said that he was ready to show that he has regained form......REALLY!? enough with the f***ing 4-2-3-1. it did not work for italia in portugal and it is not working for roma now. 1-4 against rangers and 0-3 against chelsea. maybe parma got lucky last year when gilardino scored all of those goals (and don't forget, there is a reason why sabastian frey was made to look so great, HE HAD TO MAKE ALOT OF SAVES!!!). didn't we decimate parma 4-1 in parma last year? siena want d'agostino for taddei. if it were up to me, GIA FATTA!!! ........AND TOTTI, SHUT UP!!! you want to win the champions league? play like it! he said the same crap before his shameful act in the euro (that this would be his tournament). we need players not talkers and cry babies. give me Nela, Conti, DiBartolomei, Giannini, Desideri, Falcao, Cerezo and Voeller (even Petruzzi) over the crap that we are after that we are making such a big deal about every day in the papers. let's not talk about how great the roma youth are when they play like that. i don't care who they were playing against. i know prandelli was not there but i hope that he gets to work. i am beginning to regret his being selected. and to think, we could have had ranieri or even gotten zeman back! at least they are coaches that demand output from their players. none of ours even broke a sweat tonight!! AHO ragazzi, questa potrebbe essere una lunga stagione! ahhhhhhhh. that's better.
Now THOSE were real players! Roma forgot to show up tonight. If not for Dacourt's dirty foul, there wouldnt be anything else to talk about.
Mexes looks a tremendous player, doesn't he. I saw the match and I have to say your lads did look a bit disjointed out there. Having said that our commentators in ChelseaTV were saying that we're about a week or a week and a half ahead of you in training at the moment. They also said that many of your players were young lads, some only 18 or 19, so that's bound to make a difference. Samuel was a big loss. With him and Mexes there I think you'd look pretty strong. I was absolutely amazed at Dacourt's clattering of Robben. I used to watch him a lot when he was at Leeds and I can't remember him EVER doing anything like that. There's never any real excuse for that sort of thing but I tend to think he was simply getting frustrated. Then we had to witness the 'handbags at dawn' scenario that usually happens with footballers. Quite amusing but not really what they're supposed to be there for. Anyway, good luck for next season fellas.
I don't know when Chelsea began training, but I do know the Serie A season starts almost a full month later than the EPL (not until Sept 12). Nevertheless, I have a hard time using that to explain this dreadful showing. Chelsea certainly looks the real deal this year, and granted, Roma were missing the likes of Cassano, Mancini, Panucci, Ferrari, and, last but not least, Pelizzoli. I guess Zotti is not quite ready for prime time - what a fumble. But still. Even though Delvecchio and, later, Montella, were very isolated up top, I still have to say, with some sadness, especially for Montella, that neither of them seems to have the quality anymore that is needed for a team aspiring to be at the top of Serie A. The Dacourt thing was a disgrace, especially for a friendly. Players at this level should know better. I noticed how Roma whisked Totti off the field immediately after that happened.
alot of "1st" team players missing but my point still is that a well trained team should be able to show some sort of style, pattern, system. for all of the preseason hype on prandelli's "modern" tactics the players on the field for roma looked like they just got together for a pick up game. they did not look like they expended any bit of energy. i've rarely seen a team look so flat. roma better get it together. their great 2nd place finish is water under the bridge. in the 1st half, how far did totti look like he was playing from delvecchio? at least 25-40 yards every time we did try to move the ball up the field, right? totti had better realize that he won't win the champions league based on his stylish hair or just because he says he wants to win. if he wants to win he's going to have to show something against chesea who will surely be seriously aiming for the cup next may. cufre' has got to go!
Great comments all. I am happy that my trip to Pittsburgh got canceled and I didn't waste my time and money viewing that match. Chelsea is loaded -- my pick to win the EPL and FA Cup. I'm not ready to concede the sky is falling for our side, but I would like to have seen something, anything from the squad to be optimistic about. Mexes was a pleasure to watch. When Totti decided to play on occassions, he showed hints of great form. But that was it. Long ball after long ball to Del Vecchio? I've seen more effort and creativity in pick up games. We've got a lot of work to do, and hopefully Prandelli and a complete Roma squad can get it done. I hope we show some pride and compete in Toronto and East Rutherford. Forza Roma!
There's something else you lot might want to bear in mind... Kezman has been bought and is struggling aganst Mutu, Drogba and Gudjohnsen for a starting spot. Joe Cole wasn't used at euro2004, (and is pretty sore about it I can tell you, particularly after our pathetic showing against Portugal), and is trying to force his way into the side against Lampard, Robben, Duff, Smertin, Makalele, Geremi, Parker and now Tiago Mendes bought for about $14m from Benfica The young lad, Glen Johnson, who played at centre half is actually a right back but is trying to keep Ferreira, (bought for about $21m from Porto), out of the side. John Terry, despite a reasonable showing at the heart of Englands defence at euro2004, is fighting for a place against William Gallas, (who played quite well in the same position for France at euro2004), and Ricardo Carvalho, (ditto, for Portugal and Porto), bought for about $36m from Porto. I could go through every position and the situation would be the same. We bought in 8 players this year and al the rest are working their socks off trying to grab a place. Nobody is safe, even guys like Lampard and Terry who were our best players last year. This may all go some way to explaining why my lot were running like their lives depended on it - it does.
It sure is nice to have money. We wouldn't know about that. Pure class is the only way to describe the talent on Chelsea. Competition brings out the best in everyone. We definitely saw that last night. Kezman is a natural scorer. He always seems to be in the right place at the right time and almost always finishes his chances. He reminds me of Shevy. The only way to stop him in this series is to get him sent off. Like I said earlier, Chelsea is LOADED this year, and will be fun to watch on both sides of the pitch. I hope we get a rematch in the CL with a fully manned Roma side
------------Pelizzoli -Panu---Ferrari----Mexes---Candela(Chivu) -----De Rossi----Perotta---Dacourt ------Mancini----------Totti ---------------Cassano With some direction, applying motivation and a good youth/coach relationship, Roma aint exactly out of the picture now are they? And hell if they can net Gilard, all the better! Most here would admit that depth is a problem but you dont see clubs like Ajax complaining when their rosters have an age average of like 23. The youth has strengh and be it now or later, they will prosper. whether you guys want to admit it or not: De Rossi, D'Agostino, Sartor, Corvia and Aquilani are all real keepers. This is some insane talent for a youth contigent that only maybe Juve and a few bottom table teams can compete with. If they are integrated well (come in Prandelli) I'd think Roma's chances for success are no worse than they were last year. Heads up guys...Roma is gonna turn on the style sooner than you think and its gonna brighten my Sunday mornings like they always have.