Serie A - The 2007-08 season thread

Is it also "worth noting" that Adebayor is scoring more goals than Drogba, Henry, & Ronaldinho put together?

Nice work Tweedy

Rossi is a promising player, good to see him do well. Pazzini and Palladino are fighting for playing time at bigger clubs, and are doing well whenever they get their chance... its a very different situation. Just coz you were only exposed to Rossi and not the other young italian talents does not make Rossi the best, thats the main point I am trying to make.

Tweedle wrote:Its worth noting that Giuseppe 'not as good as Pelle, Palladino or Pazzini' Rossi scored two goals today, so basically he's outscoring the other three put together. Nice work bluey

bluenine wrote:True story... but if we can notch up some wins even when in bad form, then we'll run away with the title when we strike form... we started slow last season as well.

gone wrote:

Milan dominated the game but, like against Siena, could make the last pass or the shot. And again a big mistake in defense. Our luck is that Inter doesn't have the form they had last year.

Well, you're not. Only 2 points in front so nothing is done yet. But Milan need to stop wasting easy points against small teams and we really need a striker. How good Suazo would have been right now. Thank you Inter.

Its not as though Villarreal aren't a big club. They were playing in the CL semi's only 2 seasons ago.

You're wrong on Rossi, just admit it. He played half a season in Italy and STILL managed to outscore all the other three and one was playing in serie B!

Villareal are a small club. Were it not for their president Roig, whose fortune means they can sign the top earners they still be in League 1.

Juego de las Okkas wrote:Villareal are a small club. Were it not for their president Roig, whose fortune means they can sign the top earners they still be in League 1.

Ok, I didn't mean a BIG cub, I meant a club that are competitive and in which you have to be pretty good to be a first team starter

Like I said, outscoring does not make a better player. Also playing as the main striker for Parma (Rossi), and competing with Toni and Mutu for a starting spot (Pazzini) are very different circumstances.

And Villareal are not as big as Juventus or Fiorentina. Palladino at the mo competes with Treze, Iaquinta, & Del Piero for a starting spot!!

Look at their performances for the team where they were competing for the same spots - the Azzurini.... Pazzini and Palladino were the first choice stars strikers for a reason. This is their record for the Azzurrini U21/U20:

Pelle 7 (21)
Pazzini 5 (17)
Palladino 4 (15)
Acquafresca 3 (7)*
Lupoli 2 (5)*
Rossi 2 (13)*

*these guys are still playing for U21.

However, you can never tell how well a youth record can translate into a senior record. Some players just don't have the built to make the cut in the senior game. However, the top 3 above have better physique than the bottom 3. All 6 are reasonably talented, and I am sure 2-3 of them will come good in a few years. Rossi could be one of them, infact any of them could make it.

You are just overhyping Rossi coz you are exposed to him and not the others. Thank God you gunners stopped hyping Lupoli, now that he clearly plays second fiddle to Pazzini at Fiorentina.

Right now, if they were all playing for teh same U21 team and I had to pick two starters, I would probably go for Pazzini and Acquafresca, with Rossi as a supersub (4-4-2) or all these 3 starting with Rossi playin in the hole (4-3-3).

Tweedle wrote:Its not as though Villarreal aren't a big club. They were playing in the CL semi's only 2 seasons ago.

You're wrong on Rossi, just admit it. He played half a season in Italy and STILL managed to outscore all the other three and one was playing in serie B!

I may have been exposed to Rossi but in fairness, he was $h!t in the EPL. At Newcastle he played about 15 games without scoring of generally doing anything of worth.

I only started to sit up and take notice of him when he went to Parma.

Dude, you are comparing them to Juventus and Fiorentina!!! Not the same thing.

Tweedle wrote:

Juego de las Okkas wrote:Villareal are a small club. Were it not for their president Roig, whose fortune means they can sign the top earners they still be in League 1.

Ok, I didn't mean a BIG cub, I meant a club that are competitive and in which you have to be pretty good to be a first team starter

Lets get this straight, Villarreal are BETTER than both Fiorentina and Juventus. They aren't as a big a club though. Getting into their first team squad is pretty tough.

bluenine wrote:Dude, you are comparing them to Juventus and Fiorentina!!! Not the same thing.

Thats about when I started to take notice too.... before that I thought he is just another hyped up kid, english media style... after parma I think he has potential, in the same league as the best of his peers. But these guys have to prove themselves at a BIG club before that potential is realised, and Pazzini is the closest to achieving that. Poor kid has to face a stiff competition for his starting spot from an improving Vieri - never an easy ask!!

I still think Lupoli is mostly hype, whenever I see him he does nothing of note. The only reason I still put him on that potential list is that Prandelli saw enuf potential to take him into the viola squad. And I rate Prandelli's judgement on talent, its as good as Wenger's.

Tweedle wrote:I may have been exposed to Rossi but in fairness, he was $h!t in the EPL. At Newcastle he played about 15 games without scoring of generally doing anything of worth.

I only started to sit up and take notice of him when he went to Parma.

Lupoli is decent, but he's not got an X factor. He can become a decent scorer for a mid table club though IMO

Oh bluey, mentioned it in another thread but have you been impressed by the way Udinese have started the season? They've been playing as good football as the Viola, possibly even with a bit more flair thanks to The dynamic front three they have.

Marino's done good

Thats a tweedy statement!

Atalanta are above Juve and Milan in the Serie A standings, does not mean they are better!!!!

As for competition for starting roles, lets compare:

At Villareal for Rossi: Tomasson, Franco, Kahveci
At Juventus for Palladino: Trezeguat, Del Piero, Iaquinta
At Fiorentina for Pazzini: Mutu, Vieri, Osvaldo, Lupoli

Hmmm.... tweedy, tweedy!

Tweedle wrote:Lets get this straight, Villarreal are BETTER than both Fiorentina and Juventus. They aren't as a big a club though. Getting into their first team squad is pretty tough.

bluenine wrote:Dude, you are comparing them to Juventus and Fiorentina!!! Not the same thing.

Bluey!!!!

Lets take a look at recent league and cup success shall we

Year---LeaguePos----Euro Cups

03/04-----8--------------UC semi
04/05-----3--------------UC quarter
05/06-----7--------------ECL semi
06/07-----5--------------Intertoto

I'm sorry but that pisses all over Fiorentina's record. It doesn't piss all over Juve's but Juve aren't the team they were a couple of years ago. HAving said that, they're attacking quality is very good, better Than Villarreal's. Juve's midfield is pretty average in comparison though

bluenine wrote:

Thats a tweedy statement!

Atalanta are above Juve and Milan in the Serie A standings, does not mean they are better!!!!

As for competition for starting roles, lets compare:

At Villareal for Rossi: Tomasson, Franco, Kahveci
At Juventus for Palladino: Trezeguat, Del Piero, Iaquinta
At Fiorentina for Pazzini: Mutu, Vieri, Osvaldo, Lupoli

Hmmm.... tweedy, tweedy!

Tweedle wrote:Lets get this straight, Villarreal are BETTER than both Fiorentina and Juventus. They aren't as a big a club though. Getting into their first team squad is pretty tough.

bluenine wrote:Dude, you are comparing them to Juventus and Fiorentina!!! Not the same thing.

Apart from the 5 goal thrashing they got at home from napoli, they have done extremely well. Marino has done extremely well for the squad he has.... his strategy of playing 3 strikers is working well, and I like the way his 3 strikers fall back and chase the ball, and then follow it up with quick counter attacks.

It seems to work very well against top sides, whose defences are sometimes caught napping (like against Inter & Juve), and they have the quality to beat the small teams into submission (like against Reggina)... but against mid table teams with equal quality who do not commit too many bodies upfront, it can cause problems (like against Napoli). Marino needs to do somethig different there.

Also, a big factor has been Di Natale's form... both the exceptional goals against Reggina were scored from half chances at best, and a striker not in such good form would not have been able to convert those. What happens when Di Natale loses his exceptional form? You can't expect Asamoah or Floro Flores to pull this kind of stuff, Udinese must be hoping that Quagliarella hits form soon!!

Quagliarella - Asamoah - Di Natale, thats a brilliant attack!

Tweedle wrote:Oh bluey, mentioned it in another thread but have you been impressed by the way Udinese have started the season? They've been playing as good football as the Viola, possibly even with a bit more flair thanks to The dynamic front three they have.

Marino's done good

[quote]

The Quagmeister will come good sooner or later. Yeh, Marino has taken a leaf straight out of Zeman's book.

Imagine if Zeman were to become a manager of another Serie A side and the two were to meet

It can be seen as a bit suicidal though you have to admire the guy for at least trying to make the team play attractive football.

Fiorentina have finished 4th and 3rd in the last 2 seasons in Serie A on points, you forget that they were deducted points. Infact last season, Fiorentina were as good as Roma on the field, and they recovered from a 15 point penalty to qualify for uefa cup!!!

In 2005-06: Fiorentina finished 4th ABOVE Roma.
In 2006-07: Fiorentina got 73 points, just 2 points behind Roma.
2007-08 (so far): Fiorentina are second in the Serie A table, along with Inter.

So no, Villareal's recent record hardly "pisses over" Fiorentina's!!! In Serie A since Prandelli took over (2005), Fiorentina have been (marginally) better than Roma!

As for Juve's midfield, it may be average when compared with inter or barca, but its very good when compared to Villareal. Don't go by yesterday, they had many stars missing:

Nedved, Camoranesi, Almiron, Marchionni, Salihamidzic, Nocerino, Tiago, Olivera, & C Zanetti.

It is much better than Villareal's. But thats besides the point, we are discussing the starting role for striker position (Rossi vs Palladino) and Palladino faces a much stiff-er competition.

Tweedle wrote:Bluey!!!!

Lets take a look at recent league and cup success shall we

Year---LeaguePos----Euro Cups

03/04-----8--------------UC semi
04/05-----3--------------UC quarter
05/06-----7--------------ECL semi
06/07-----5--------------Intertoto

I'm sorry but that pisses all over Fiorentina's record. It doesn't piss all over Juve's but Juve aren't the team they were a couple of years ago. HAving said that, they're attacking quality is very good, better Than Villarreal's. Juve's midfield is pretty average in comparison though

bluenine wrote:

Thats a tweedy statement!

Atalanta are above Juve and Milan in the Serie A standings, does not mean they are better!!!!

As for competition for starting roles, lets compare:

At Villareal for Rossi: Tomasson, Franco, Kahveci
At Juventus for Palladino: Trezeguat, Del Piero, Iaquinta
At Fiorentina for Pazzini: Mutu, Vieri, Osvaldo, Lupoli

Hmmm.... tweedy, tweedy!

Tweedle wrote:Lets get this straight, Villarreal are BETTER than both Fiorentina and Juventus. They aren't as a big a club though. Getting into their first team squad is pretty tough.

bluenine wrote:Dude, you are comparing them to Juventus and Fiorentina!!! Not the same thing.

Fiorentina's job has been made marginally easier though due to not really having any European football. The two seasons where Villarreal haven't done so well have been seasons where they played in semi final competitions in Europe.

Tweedle wrote:Bluey!!!!

Lets take a look at recent league and cup success shall we

Year---LeaguePos----Euro Cups

03/04-----8--------------UC semi
04/05-----3--------------UC quarter
05/06-----7--------------ECL semi
06/07-----5--------------Intertoto

I'm sorry but that pisses all over Fiorentina's record. It doesn't piss all over Juve's but Juve aren't the team they were a couple of years ago. HAving said that, they're attacking quality is very good, better Than Villarreal's. Juve's midfield is pretty average in comparison though

bluenine wrote:

Thats a tweedy statement!

Atalanta are above Juve and Milan in the Serie A standings, does not mean they are better!!!!

As for competition for starting roles, lets compare:

At Villareal for Rossi: Tomasson, Franco, Kahveci
At Juventus for Palladino: Trezeguat, Del Piero, Iaquinta
At Fiorentina for Pazzini: Mutu, Vieri, Osvaldo, Lupoli

Hmmm.... tweedy, tweedy!

Tweedle wrote:Lets get this straight, Villarreal are BETTER than both Fiorentina and Juventus. They aren't as a big a club though. Getting into their first team squad is pretty tough.

bluenine wrote:Dude, you are comparing them to Juventus and Fiorentina!!! Not the same thing.

Maybe bluenine is still upset about when they knocked inter out of the cl

i like villarreal but they are not better then fiorentina imo. they were when they had riquelme and forlan in that season where they reached 3. place and maybe that season where they reached the semis. but currently they are stronger then villarreal. juve im not to sure about because player for player i think villarreal might be abit better but as a team juve looks like they might be more solid then i expected. so i gues i would say

Fiorentina>Villarreal
Villarreal>=Juventus

I'd say adjusting to another league is something that needs to be factored as well.

Bluey left out Fernades in players that Rossi needs to compete with as well.

Douglas Maicon will miss three big games after his dismissal against Livorno and there's a touchline ban for Walter Novellino.

Reports in Italy suggest that Juventus are preparing for a January defender hunt after Jorge Andrade sustained a serious injury.

Most sources believe that Branislav Ivanovic is the likely replacement. The 23-year-old Serbian has impressed at Russian giants Lokomotiv Moscow and is attracting interest from some of Europe’s giants.

Lokomotiv have valued Brankovic at around £7m as he is under contract until 2011 and there may be something of a bidding war when the transfer window reopens.

Udinese’s Cristian Zapata is also reportedly on the shopping list. The Colombian stopper has been linked with Milan and Fiorentina in recent months and could fetch as much as £8m.

Zapata would be a real good signing.

What an idiot, specially when we are short in defence!! Now he is banned from Serie A and CL

Big big BIG game against Roma this weekend. But first we have to see off Doria on wednesday!

Kaká wrote:Douglas Maicon will miss three big games after his dismissal against Livorno and there's a touchline ban for Walter Novellino.

bluenine wrote: What an idiot, specially when we are short in defence!! Now he is banned from Serie A and CL

Big big BIG game against Roma this weekend. But first we have to see off Doria on wednesday!

Kaká wrote:Douglas Maicon will miss three big games after his dismissal against Livorno and there's a touchline ban for Walter Novellino.

What will be your defence for the Samp game ?

Rivas also fell unconcious in a training session last week, so he will probably be rested again.

Most likely our defence will be:

Zanetti - Cordoba - Samuel/Burdisso - Maxwell

I am more worried about our CL game, specially if Rivas and Vieira do not recover... Materazzi and Chivu are long term injuries, and Maicon, Burdisso, Cordoba and Cruz are suspended... So Mancio has only 3 fit defenders (Zanetti, Samuel, & Maxwell) which means cambiasso will have to play as a CM... but if Vieira is not back, we will be extremely light in the midfield as Dacourt is also not fully fit.

And I thought we had too big a squad, thank God I am not Inter president coz I would have sold Samuel and Cesar A in the summer

Sgoater1 wrote:

bluenine wrote: What an idiot, specially when we are short in defence!! Now he is banned from Serie A and CL

Big big BIG game against Roma this weekend. But first we have to see off Doria on wednesday!

Kaká wrote:Douglas Maicon will miss three big games after his dismissal against Livorno and there's a touchline ban for Walter Novellino.

What will be your defence for the Samp game ?

As you say bluey, the CL will be a problem selection wise with so many injuries all at once + suspensions. I feel you will really struggle unless Mancio gets it right tactically. Although Maicon misses 3 big games in Serie A, that defence is good enough to do its job.

The Roma game is big, the result effects Milan's standing, depending on our result. A draw would be nice. As long as Milan win, which is more important.

Hopefully Palermo will give you problems on Wednesday, thats not an easy game...

If we can get 6 points from teh next 2 games, not only will we take the sole lead in Italy, but also be in an excellent position to win the scudetto... but its easier said than done, specially on current form.... if someone offers me 4 points from the next 2 games, I'll gladly accept!!

But even if we take 4 points from next 2 games, it will exactly mirror our start last year - we started slow last time too... when we striker form, and how well we do when we strike form is what really matters now!

I am much more worried about the CL, seriously think that we may go out in group stage, which will be terrible.

Kaká wrote:As you say bluey, the CL will be a problem selection wise with so many injuries all at once + suspensions. I feel you will really struggle unless Mancio gets it right tactically. Although Maicon misses 3 big games in Serie A, that defence is good enough to do its job.

The Roma game is big, the result effects Milan's standing, depending on our result. A draw would be nice. As long as Milan win, which is more important.

We all know Inter want to do much better in the CL, but I just don't see them doing well or potentially winning it right now. They have the squad, but it just never happens.

Palermo is a tough game and will be close, I just hope we start clicking, Serie A is very important and we need to start some consistent form before we start to fade behind Roma etc.

Remember bluey, it's not the same Serie A as last season, it will be tougher to stay top, look at Roma and were not that far behind. Winning each and every game is hugely important as a few points might make the difference.

Juve's defence is in tatters now with Andrade out as well. Don't know what they are going to do till January?

I think Grygera plays as a CB now. If Salihamidzic can play as a RB, then between Criscito & Boumsong as the other CB, we might be able to see of the middle & bottom order teams. Boumsong & Criscito will have to play out of their skins now.