Since you know her so well, tell all the posters on this Italian thread how much she can help Roma and what are her main strenghts.
Viens has been fantastic in the French and Swedish League, scoring many goals. Her goalscoring record there is superb. I know Paris FC where very pleased with her, her early return to Gotham from her loan did not help them in the fight for a champions league place.
Meanwhile, Italy NT's new coach should be announced in a few days (and it would be about time, given the fact that the Nations' League is already looming: Milena Bertolini did her part in resigning just after the World Cup, but the Federation slept on it ). Despite the rapid solution of men's NT's situation, it looks like I was right when I wrote here that it had probably interfered with the selection of the women's NT's coach, at least according to what President Gravina said (he claimed that, between the resingation of Roberto Mancini and the appointment of Luciano Spalletti, he didn't have the time to think about the women's NT situation ). Antonio Cabrini, who has coached women's NT before Bertolini-era (since 2012 and until 2017), said in an interview that he would gladly be back coaching the team, but he knows for sure that the name of the new coach has already been decided and it will be soon made public. Meanwhile, the names that are being dropped more frequently by the media are those of Roberto Donadoni, of Antonio Cincotta (former coach of Fiorentina and Sampdoria, very well renowned in Italian women's football; only experienced at club level, but very experienced in coaching women's teams) and of Patrizia Panico.
Juve dropped the ball pretty hard against Barca in a 5-0 loss. Goles: 1-0, Caroline Graham Hansen (min.5); 2-0 Lenzini (pp) (min.33); 3-0, Bruna Vilamala (min. 35); 4-0 Vicky López (min. 41); 5-0 Mapi León (min 76.). You could hope for better, but it's not that surprising a result from the reigning WCL champs.
After all, Roma's result in a competitive Champions' League match last season wasn't much different, and, unlike Juventus, they were going to win the Italian title, back then.
Allyson Swaby to Milan AC, official. If this year Milan AC don't grab the newly assigned third-place-awarded Champions' League spot, not only of course coach Maurizio Ganz will have to resign, but all of the management will have to hide in a cave. Between the signings from the last season (Kosovare Asllani above all) and those from this one (Valentina Cernoia, Andrea Stašková. Emelyne Laurent and now Allyson Swaby, to only mention the biggest names), Milan reinforced all of their departments and have now a roster that's arguably only second to those of Roma and Juventus on the Italian stage. Inter, the most reasonable rivals for that all important 3rd place, have sure secured some good players in the latest weeks (Haley Bugeja, Agnese Bonfantini, Matilde Pavan, Sofie Junge Pedersen), but they have lost the top-scorer of last Serie A Femminile Tabitha Chawinga, who went back to China, and everyone knows that the Malawian striker was the only player who could have given a reasonable edge to the team. Who else could compete for the 3rd place? Fiorentina? Sassuolo? Others? No-one really believes that. So this time is really a make or break situation for Milan and especially for coach Ganz.
Italian on-line magazine about women's football "Tutto Calcio Femminile" ceases publications. It often thrived on reposting content from other women's football's websites, but, apart from the fact that it was sometimes an useful outlet even just for that, it also had some original and often interesting content. I am not sure why they gave up (they mention the costs not being sustainable anymore, but I wonder if the defamation lawsuit against them that had been threatened by Pomigliano when they published news about possible financial problems for the club could have had a part in it), but it's a fact that their disappearance speaks volume about the state of women's football in Italy. For instance, the process of nominating the new coach of the women's team is taking so long that they couldn't even give the news about the final name before dismissing.
The latest news were that the club had assured that they would have been ready for the start of the league and the schedule has been made accordingly. The roster is still very thin though (not easy to attract players, given the recent history from this summer), although some loans were rumoured to be almost finalized (Asia Bragonzi from Juventus via Pomigliano, Martina Brustia from Sassuolo).
The 2023/24 Serie A Femminile season will start without a television rights deal agreed. After an incredible Women's World Cup this summer, the first five matchdays of Serie A will not be available to watch.#SerieAFemminile https://t.co/3bbFE9aoOz— Total Italian Football (@SerieATotal) September 1, 2023
As I told many times on this very thread, women's football is sadly much less than an afterthought in Italy. An example: Milena Bertolini resigned almost a month ago, on the 6th of August; on the 2nd of September, with a very difficult group of Nations' League impending, we still don't have an idea about the name of her replacement.
France is also MIA on TV this season. Just the kickoff game on Canal+ ATA should have the Serie A rights for 2023/2024 for most places outside of Italy, but there hasn't been a peep of a schedule since they were acquired by DAZN.
The game wasn't broadcast, as far as I know, but this afternoon Juventus started their 2023-24 Champions' League campaign with an easy win by 6-0 vs the Kazakhstani team of Okzhetpes (how exactly do you spell it? ). Of course, it was little more than a training practice, with 3 goals per half (Cristiana Girelli at 6', Martina Lenzini at 31' and Arianna Caruso at 45'+3' in the 1st Half; Cristiana Girelli again at 58', Sofia Cantore at 90'+1' and Ella Palis at 90'+3'; Lisa Boattin posted three assists): the really meaningful match will be the one vs Eintracht Frankfurt, who are also hosting the whole mini-tournament. By reading the line-ups, it appears that newly-signed Estelle Cascarino and Ella Palis were starting, while Maëlle Garbino and Lindsey Thomas were subbed-in in the middle of the 2nd Half (I just now realized that Juventus basically signed all French players, lately ). I can't help wondering how tough of a roadblock Frankfurt can reveal for Juve.
Dragoni moved to Barca first team for upcomming season ✅Vicky, Dragoni, Martina i L.Corrales estaran aquesta temporada 𝟮𝟯/𝟮𝟰 en dinàmica de primer equip #talent 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/UxeNwSRlqG— FC Barcelona Femení (@FCBfemeni) September 7, 2023
The Italy WNT finally have a new head coach, with Andrea Soncin's appointment being made official by the FIGC. The decision hasn't gone down well though, with many pointing to his lack of experience in women's football or in coaching in general.https://t.co/lBGvuoyy0S— Total Italian Football (@SerieATotal) September 8, 2023
Okay, this decision must be a joke! Managerial statistics As of 1 November 2022 Managerial record by team and tenure Team Nat From To Record Ref G W D L GF GA GD Win % Venezia (caretaker) 27 April 2022 9 June 2022 5 1 2 2 7 8 −1 20.00 [11] Venezia (caretaker) 1 November 2022 7 November 2022 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1 0.00 [11] Total 6 1 2 3 7 9 −2 16.67 —
I wish it was an ad interim decision, because a coach, whatever coach, was needed for the upcoming Nations' League, but I am afraid this joke of a choice (as you correctly call it) gives an exact assessment of how important women's football is for Italian Federation. Less than zero. I was prepared to some disappointing appointment, but frankly the way FIGC dropped the ball here goes beyond believable. Other confederations talk about choosing one of the top coaches of the women's football, others even about coaches from the men's football! Some prefer names with international experience at NT level, some others are ok with a good curriculum just at domestic club level. But only Italy can choose someone with no experience whatsoever, not even in women's football and at domestic level. A possible theory is that they actually wanted to appoint Viviana Schiavi (former U-16 women's NT coach), that's been appointed as second coach to Soncin, but they felt they couldn't for some reason, so Soncin would basically be her ghost-coach. But frankly it would be even sadder if they really felt the need to have a men officially cover-up for a woman. On a different note, and talking about jokes, what's up with your new avatar, @Lohmann?
GERMANY STUN USA TO GO TO THE WORLD CUP FINAL.#FIBAWC pic.twitter.com/fvzcMtCyAa— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) September 8, 2023 📺 Germany stun USA in a high-scoring, instant classic to advance to the Final! #FIBAWC x #WinForDeutschland 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/YVSF0TBEW8— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) September 8, 2023
When such things happen you can't help getting thrown into conspiracy theories and you do wonder if maybe FIGC plans to make sure that women's NT doesn't eclipse men's NT anymore by systematically doing better than them.
LFootball Magazine speculates that Andrea Soncin's choice could depend on the fact that FIGC only wanted a male candidate for women's NT's appointment, to support some kind of rule of thumb (made by them) imposing a turnover on the women's team's bench between men and women (so: Antonio Cabrini [man], followed by Milena Bertolini [woman], necessary followed by a man). One has the wonder why the same rule doesn't count for men's NT. That would be the reason why Rita Guarino wasn't considered (!) and the reason why Viviana Schiavi is just the second coach, instead of the first, as she could have at this point reasonably deserved. The actual existence of such a rule could sound like lunacy, but, living in Italy and having seen FIGC in action every day for years. I can assure you that it's at the very least believable. Doesn't actually explain why a good coach who worked a lot in women's football at the highest domestic level but is currently unoccupied, as Antonio Cincotta, wasn't apparently considered: his curriculum could have lacked international experience at NT level, but it would have been anyway better, by a country mile, than Soncin's one. It's been written that many more reasonable choices (as Roberto Donadoni) declined the appointment, even in front of decent offers by the FIGC, but this makes things even more ridiculous: everyone knew at least by a year that Milena Bertolini was going to leave after the World Cup and that an important tournament as Nations' Cup would immediately follow, and the Federation gets there without a clear plan, that could have been made some comfortable months in advance? And they have to frantically scramble together one in less than one month? Ok, what was "somehow" unpredictable (really? ) was the way women's NT crashed out of the World Cup, making their bench even less platable for most coaches, but this doesn't justifies FIGC for their embarassingly unprofessional lack of preparation. I (easily) predict dark times for Italy women's NT.