Posts Tagged ‘Christian Panucci’

Soccer Bargains: All EXPIRING CONTRACT Players for 2009

Sunday, January 4th, 2009

Fabio Cannavaro, Carlos Tevez, Michael Ballack, Michael Owen, Mark Van Bommel, Fred… these are but a few of the players whose contract is set to expire at the end of the season. And with the january transfer window practically at our doorstep, it is time to give these “old timers” a chance to prove they still are champion material. Time to make that zero-cost buy to win you that elusive trophy, cup, or championship title (or in the worst cases, save you from relegation).

In other words: it’s “Bosman Bonanza” time, with some real bargains to be made…

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Roma 3-0 Reggina: After the Rain, the (Roman) Sun Always Shines (Serie A Matchday 3)

Sunday, September 21st, 2008

Third time’s the charm for AS Roma. After the (bad) draw vs. Napoli on matchday 1, the (worse) loss vs. Palermo on matchday 2 (and the disaster vs. CFR Cluj in the UEFA Champions League), the Giallorossi can smile again. Three unanswered goals will do that to ya…

On the grass of the Stadio Olimpico of Rome, Reggina could only stand there and assess the damage…

(From Gazzetta dello Sport): The Luciano Spalletti cycle isn’t over just yet. The 3-0 victory over Reggina (the first of the season) puts the Giallorossi back on track, and adds some very necessary gas in a tank which seemed to be running on empty lately. Nevio Orlandi’s Reggina tried to resist but due to their lack of attacking presence up front, succumbed under the goals of Panucci, Aquilani, and Perrotta.

Careful though: it’s still early to say that the crisis is over for Roma (their next UCL match against Bordeaux should help clear any remaining doubts on that regard). What’s sure, is that there’s still a lot of work to be done at Trigoria, especially on the team’s mental approach. In fact speaking of team psyche, that’s really the most alarming problem with Spalletti’s team at the moment: morale seems to be at its lowest, and this despite the progress displayed by Aquilani (killer goal today), Menez (slowly gaining in confidence) and Totti (back from injury, and almost “90-minutes” fit). Today’s win should definitely help in that area because if there’s one thing that Reggina’s match demonstrated, it’s that Roma are still capable of that dangerous short-passing style football they have become known for. If only placed in a downhill situation like today…

One thing’s still working in the Roma machine at least, and you may call him the “oil that prevents the gears from grinding”: one Mr. Christian Panucci. Already a goalscorer in mid-week action against Cluj, the 35 year-old vice-captain (with the armband today, due to Totti’s presence on the subs bench) added another to his ever-growing goaltotal today, just before the half-time break. It was a bit of a lucky one too, receiving a pass from Taddei (meant for Aquilani) just on the edge of the offside line, and applying an easy open-net finish after a defensive Reggina scramble. 1-0 Roma.

Luck factor aside, the goal was exactly what Roma needed to gain some confidence, especially because until then the main chance of the game had been created by the Amaranto (a long-range effort by Vigiani inches wide of the post). Alberto Aquilani litterally grabbed the bull by the horns in the second half, penetrating deep on a forward run and unleashing a unstoppable left-foot drive into the top corner. 2-0 Roma, and Spalletti finally being able to breathe.

Orlandi tried some changes by inserting Franco Brienza for Di Gennaro, but it had little effect on the match’s momentum. Roma were now solidly in control, especially thanks to Vucinic (who had an excellent chance saved by Campagnolo) and Totti (on for the last 15 minutes, and almost setting up Perrotta for the 3-0 goal). Speaking of Perrotta though, Simone would have his chance in the dying minutes, as he collected a Totti free-kick parried away by Campagnolo and sent the ball flying past the Reggina keeper. 3-0 Roma, a scoreline that must feel like holy water for Spalletti…

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A.S. Roma
ROMA-REGGINA
3-0
[Match Highlights]
Reggina Calcio
GOALSCORERS: 45’ Panucci al 46′ (R), 51’ Aquilani (R), 93’ Perrotta (R).
ROMA (4-2-3-1): Doni – Cassetti, Loria, Panucci, Riise – Brighi, De Rossi, Taddei, Aquilani (87’ Cicinho), Menez (69’ Perrotta) – Vucinic (77’ Totti). (bench: Artur, Mexes, Montella, Okaka). Coach: Spalletti.
REGGINA (4-4-1-1): Campagnolo – Lanzaro, Valdez, Cirillo, Costa, Vigiani (62’ Ceravolo) – Barreto, Carmona, Barillà (83’ Hallfredsson) – Di Gennaro (46′ Brienza), Corradi. (bench: Puggioni, Alvarez, Santos, Tognozzi). Coach: Orlandi

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AS Roma 1-2 CFR Cluj: Stadio Olimpico Stunned in Giallorossi UCL Debut (UEFA Champions League 2008-09)

Wednesday, September 17th, 2008

There’s an old 1962 movie with Charlton Heston (don’t ask me how I know that) that has a very appropriate title for this match: “The Pigeon That Took Rome“. CFR Cluj being the pigeon, a.k.a the David that no one knew but who at his first UCL appearance defeated the big Roma Goliath. Italian manager Maurizio Trombetta must be happier than a coondog on a bare leg (sorry, I watched Blue Collar TV last night).

Tonight, the Giallorossi were very from being that Goliath. Decimated by injuries in defense (above all: Philippe Mexes), Luciano Spalletti’s men were unrecognizable and simply put, appalling. To add insult to injury, the Giallorossi can’t even use the “we were unlucky” excuse tonight. CFR Cluj (by now most of you are wondering who the hell these guys are… they’re the Romanian first league champions, so there) fully deserved their win, especially in the second half when they had chance after chance to increase their lead.

As for Roma, defensive problems aside (counting the two from tonight, Spalletti’s men have conceded a total of 8 goals in their last 4 matches) the Giallorossi’s current fitness condition is somewhat alarming. And their new acquisitions aren’t playing up to par either: Riise was substituted, Baptista was a ship lost at sea, Loria was jittery, while Ménez was benched and even preferred to Montella as a substitute. One can only hope that by the time of their next match (October 1 against Bordeaux in France) these problems will have been sorted out. Because after that it’s Chelsea, and they aren’t ones to joke with either.

(From Gazzetta): In the first half, Roma started okay but ended poorly. Christian Panucci‘s header (his home special) gave Roma the lead in the 17th minute after a couple of chances to score by Vucinic, one of which bounced off the post. But back to Panucci: when the Roma center-back finished off De Rossi’s right-wing cross, it seemed as if Roma could finally chalk up their first victory of the season (after losing to Inter in the Supercoppa and ending up with only one point in the first two rounds of Serie A). 1-0 Roma.

Instead, Roma seemed distracted… and alarmingly “stretched out” on the field. The defensive line (without injured starters Mexès and Juan) was very far -perhaps too far- from the other lines: in part because they didn’t step up enough, and also because they were left isolated by the midfielders. Cluj on the other hand, who had nothing to lose, started to test the waters. Beginning to take long-distance shots (and showing discrete skills at it: Dubarbier’s left-footed howitzer was punched over the crossbar by Doni), the Romanian team eventually grabbed the equalizer in minute 27. It was a goal by argentine striker Emmanuel Culio, after a good central run finalized by a diagonal left-footer from outside the box. 1-1

The equalizer gave Romanians wings, and Roma started to suffer. Too much. The half-time couldn’t come at a better time, as the Giallorossi needed to clear their heads. But not before Cluj had one more scoring chance (a good shot by Dani deflected wide by Doni) and Spalletti added his nth player to the hospital ward (Panucci having to sub off for a back injury). Uncool… Even more uncool (“uncooler”?) was the 49th minute double by Emmanuel Culio, after a missed Cassetti attempt to head the ball away. It was a nice goal in all honesty (a great on-the run powerful volley), but one that hit Roma hard and with their pants down. 2-1 Cluj.

With his back to the wall, Spalletti couldn’t wait any longer and played the Francesco Totti card (still very far from top form). Riise made way for the Roma captain (who moved to the central forward position), Tonetto backtracked to left-back, and Vucinic reverted to the left wing. However, the Romanians weren’t done yet. Unable to believe their eyes at how much space they had on the field, Cluj came close to scoring some more: a free-kick from Gabriel Mureşan barely missed the net, while ex-Inter player Sixto Peralta sent a header crashing onto the crossbar.

Roma tried to end the game with dignity. De Rossi and Vucinic (the best ones from Roma today) tried to put up a fight, but the chances to score were few and far between. The Azzurri midfielder grazed the post from outside the area, but it was an isolated chance. Roma gave it one last try during the 4 minutes of stoppage time, to no avail. Truly a bad evening in Rome…

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A.S. Roma
ROMA-CLUJ
1-2
[Match Highlights]
CFR Cluj
GOALSCORERS: 17’ Panucci (R), 27’, 49’ Culio (C).
ROMA (4-2-3-1): Doni – Cicinho, Cassetti, Panucci (47’ Loria), Riise (52’ Totti) – De Rossi, Aquilani – Taddei (77’ Montella), J.Baptista, Tonetto – Vucinic. (bench: Artur, Mar.Brighi, Ménez, Okaka). Coach: Spalletti.
CLUJ (4-2-3-1): Stancioiu – Tony, Cadù, Viera, Pereira – Dani, Muresan – Dubarbier (88’ Panin), Trica (67’ Peralta), Culio – E.Koné. (bench: Nuno Claro, Alcantara, Deac, Didi, Diego Ruiz). Coach: Trombetta.

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Euro 2008 – Gazzetta rates the Italy Players

Tuesday, June 24th, 2008

Euro 2008 - Gazzetta rates the Italy Players

Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport rated the Azzurri players at the end of their European adventure. Along with Gigi Buffon, positive scores were obtained by Chiellini and Grosso. All the strikers flunked the test, while some midfielders could have done better. The overall form however, was never great.

VIENNA (Austria), 24 June 2008 – The best? Gigi Buffon. Our European campaign won’t leave any great memories, but once again everyone’s talking about the Azzurri keeper. On Sunday evening at the Ernst Happel stadium in Vienna, there was a heated debate in the press over whose skills were better: the Azzurri captain’s or Iker Casillas‘. A duel right down to the last save, but even though the Real Madrid keeper managed a miracle on Camoranesi’s close-range effort and saved two of the Azzurri shots from the spot, the Juventus nº1 still seems have the edge as World’s best. When accounts are settled, Buffon remains the guiding thread of the Italian national side, and a certain starting point for the next World Cup in 2010.


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Gianluigi BUFFON
8.0
Riddled with shots by Holland, not even Superman himself could have held out with no protection in front of him. Then came the Mutu penalty save, other fabulous interventions, and the hope he gave Italy fans by saving Guiza’s spot-kick during the shootout. What more could he have done?
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Marco AMELIA
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An understudy, as he knew he would be. Impeccable in training, he provided Donadoni’s cement to unite the group.
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Morgan DE SANCTIS
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Like Amelia he had no hopes of playing, but he kept his concentration up; a professional.
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Gianluca ZAMBROTTA
6.0
It wasn’t the Championship he was dreaming of. After an inadequate start against Holland on the left, the new AC Milan recruit became productive on the right side. Then there was that error against Romania which led to Mutu’s goal. Against Spain he couldn’t fully display his abilities.
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Christian PANUCCI
6.5
Four games out of four; the message to Spalletti is loud and clear. He gave his best playing in the centre.
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Giorgio CHIELLINI
8.0
Exceptional against Spain, he played a true veteran’s game. At the end of the Championship the youngster can be certain of his starting place in the national team. At the heart of the defence, he was relentless. A Cannavaro nº2.
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Alessandro GAMBERINI
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He had no chance to show off his qualities; important in training at Casa Azzurri.
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Andrea BARZAGLI
5.0
Unlucky; a jinxed European Championship, like Cannavaro. Only one performance against Holland to his name, and one he will want to forget very soon.
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Marco MATERAZZI
5.0
Overwhelmed by the orange tide, he paid the price for a mediocre season with Inter, one which started too late.
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Fabio GROSSO
7.0
As ever, he tracked along the wing for the Azzurri. With him the national side relived moments of World Cup glory, and against Spain he once again showed a cool head for penalties.
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Alberto AQUILANI
5.5
He was thrown into the mix against Spain too hastily. Out of his element, almost lost, he couldn’t achieve his potential.
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Andrea PIRLO
6.5
Curse that stupid yellow card against France. A bad start against Holland, then continuous improvement. Without him, the team lost its direction and its decisive touch. Irreplaceable.
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Gennaro GATTUSO
6.0
Out of form (and it showed) but he never held back. The absence of his weight in midfield was felt in Vienna.
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Daniele DE ROSSI
6.5
Among the best players of the championship, though he had some problems against Spain. Unfortunate to miss his penalty, but the Roma player, who is always willing to take a spot kick, was suffering a muscle problem.
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Mauro CAMORANESI
6.5
Once he came on, the match against Spain took a new turn; perhaps if he’d played from the start things would have been different. Improved throughout the tournament, with a great goalscoring chance and a perfect penalty.
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Simone PERROTTA
5.5
Out of form, and against Spain it really showed. On the other hand there wasn’t much more he could do, lacking support from Toni and Cassano.
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Massimo AMBROSINI
6.5
His usual combative self in midfield, providing the spirit and pressure of the team, and creating depth of play.
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Luca TONI
5.0
The mystery of the tournament. Heavy and ungainly, he never achieved acceptable form. Though he did win the penalty against France and Abidal’s resulting red card, not enough by LucaBomber standards.
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Marco BORRIELLO
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With Toni so out of sorts, he might have provided the added edge that was needed; a real shame.
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Antonio DI NATALE
6.0
Coming on against Spain, he revitalised play as only he knows how, making up for his poor start against the Dutch with several crosses and going close to goal. Shame about the penalty.
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Fabio QUAGLIARELLA
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Only played a few minutes; he deserved more of a chance too.
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Antonio CASSANO
5.5
At the end of the day, another disappointment after much promise. Only the good performance against France remains to his credit, but in Vienna a more practical and less flashy Cassano was needed.
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Alessandro DEL PIERO
5.0
He had a great chance against Romania and messed it up. Absent.

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Do you agree with Gazzetta’s ratings? Let us know in the comments.

I’ll get you started: I would give Camoranesi and Ambrosini 6.0 (not 6.5). Ambro did his job but made a few mistakes too many, and Camoranesi had a fairly okay game vs. Spain (and good penalty) but really not much else before that. In his defense, Donadoni was playing him as center attacking midfielder, not exactly his ideal position.

Finally, too generous on Di Natale (5.5 for me) since the Udinese striker was absent vs. Netherlands and seemed too psychologically affected by the boos vs. Spain. And too harsh on Cassano and Del Piero (an extra 0.5 for me), even though I will agree that a lot more was expected from them.

Have your say below.

France vs. Italy in 30 Pictures

Thursday, June 19th, 2008

Since I’m in an “uploading-pictures” kind of mood, here are selected snapshots of Euro 2008′s France vs. Italy match two days ago. Emphasis on “selected” (i.e. by me, because I thought they were funny and because I just can).

Also, since every self-respecting picture should include a caption, I have provided two for each. By hovering over the picture, the real (serious/boring) caption (as well as any photo credits) will pop up. Below the picture, a funnier (I hope) version of the same caption by me.

Note that with regards to the match timeline, pictures are in no particular chronological order.

Enjoy!
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