Posts Tagged ‘Simone Perrotta’

Arsenal vs. Roma: The PLAYERS

Wednesday, March 11th, 2009

arsenal-roma_cl-gazzetta

Continuing to surf on La Gazzetta‘s “Serie A vs. EPL” wave, here are ALL THE PLAYERS from UEFA Champions League’s Arsenal vs. Roma.

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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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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.

Waiting for Romania… Azzurri Changes on the Horizon

Thursday, June 12th, 2008

(From La Repubblica): From “Italia-Milan” to “Italia-Roma + ADP” seems the most likely change Azzurri coach Roberto Donadoni will make, as Italy step onto the Letzigrund stadium of Zurich for the team’s (already decisive) match vs. Romania. Indeed, the insertion of Daniele De Rossi and Alessandro Del Piero straight from the start seems almost a given for Friday, and could be coupled with 3 other new faces in the names of Giorgio Chiellini, Fabio Grosso, and Simone Perrotta/Alberto Aquilani.

Only 9 days have passed since Italy’s arrival in Austria and their first appearance at “Casa Azzurri” (the team’s traning ground facility at Südstad Stadion, Maria Enzersdorf). On that day the team was greeted by over 7,000 screaming fans as the Azzurri took part in their first and only practice session open to the public. Since that day however, it almost seems as if an eternity has gone by. When the team returned from their “Black Monday” match vs. the Netherlands, the World Champions found themselves rather lonely: only a few dozen people (crew, sponsor spokespersons and such) were there to provide some encouragement. Of course, the secrecy imposed around the training ground by the Azzurri staff doesn’t help to gather support (this morning, the press could witness only 15 minutes of the team’s practice session). But really, who can blame Roberto Donadoni for wanting to keep his squad isolated and fully concentrated over the next few days, as Italy prepare to bounce back from their shocking defeat vs. Holland.

The Don gathered his troops for one full hour on Wednesday morning, to further analyze want went wrong against the Oranje on Monday. The Azzurri’s overly defensive & cautious attitude while not in possession, and the resulting increase of the gap between Toni & colleagues were in the first order of business. Then, Fabio Cannavaro and Alex Del Piero underlined the importance of keeping a tight-knit group. “It is very important” they said, “not to restrict the responsibility of our loss to a few single individuals” (namely in this case Materazzi, Barzagli, and a few others). The key image to take away from the team’s morning session is that from now on, Italy’s Euro 2008 isn’t a group stage tournament anymore: the game vs. Romania will be played like a “Round of 32″ match and in case of a victory, France will become their “Round of 16″ opponent. In other words Starting from now, Italy must keep on winning. Period.

In order to achieve that, Donadoni will not hesitate at re-shuffling some key elements of his starting line-up, especially in order to facilitate recuperation from fatigue. There are two options available to the Italian coach: adapt the same tactics used in the second half vs. Netherlands (3 back midfielders, a trequartista -Camoranesi/Cassano- and two strikers -Toni & Del Piero), or copy the same formation as AS Roma (2 defensive midfielders, 3 offensive playmakers, and one striker). In either case, at least 4 or 5 players will change compared to the match vs. Holland.

To make a historical parallel: Roberto Donadoni was part of Italy’s roster (as a player) when coach Arrigo Sacchi switched no less than 5 starters between the first match (won) vs. Russia and the second match (lost) vs. Czech Republic at Euro 1996. That re-shuffling gamble cost the Azzurri their elimination from the tournament (the last match vs. Germany ended 0-0) but back then, motivations were completely different. This time unlike 1996 (where the objective was to give the starters a rest), Italy must change in order to WIN.

In the possible 4-2-3-1 formation for Friday, newcomers should include Giorgio Chiellini in the center (for Materazzi, who on top of his poor form is also struggling with a light calf strain) and Fabio Grosso on the left (resulting in the shifting of Gianluca Zambrotta to the right wing). Partnering Keyser Giorgio as central back should be either Andrea Barzagli or Christian Panucci (with the latter currently a clear favorite).

In midfield, the introduction of Daniele De Rossi is 99.9% certain, and it is very likely only one of the 3 Rossoneri (Gattuso, Pirlo, Ambrosini) will remain to complete the midfield trio (Aquilani is also waiting for an opportunity). On the out wings, Mauro Camoranesi and Alessandro Del Piero should provide the creative outlet, while Simone Perrotta could occupy the space behind striker Luca Toni (Antonio Cassano could serve as a wild card, replacing either Del Piero or Camoranesi).
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Buffon
Zambrotta, Panucci, Chiellini, Grosso
Pirlo, De Rossi
Camoranesi, Perrotta, Del Piero
Toni

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Alternatively, a 4-3-1-2 formation could see Mauro Camoranesi operate behind the two strikers ADP & Toni.
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Buffon
Zambrotta, Panucci, Chiellini, Grosso
Ambrosini, Pirlo, De Rossi
Camoranesi
Toni, Del Piero

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Either way, it is now “do or die” time for Italy. The Azzurri will transfer from Vienna to Zurich on Thursday morning, and have their first practice at Letzigrund stadium at 18:00 CET. On Friday at the same time, the team will play their decisive match vs. Romania: at the end of those 90 minutes Italy will know if their Euro 2008 adventure continues.

Italy’s Euro 2008 Roster – 23 Players, Aye to Cassano & Del Piero, Nay to Montolivo

Wednesday, May 28th, 2008

In accordance to the UEFA-imposed May 28 deadline, Italian coach Roberto Donadoni has made his final roster selection for Euro 2008: the 23 players who will representing the Azzurri this Summer have been picked and as many expected, Fiorentina midfielder Riccardo Montolivo was the player discarded from the manager’s Pre-selection list.

I was expecting it, I’m not too disappointed” said Montolivo. “The coach told me I had been excluded from the roster, and we’ll discuss the possibility of me staying among the group until Friday, and perhaps participating in the friendly vs. Belgium in Florence“. Donadoni himself however revealed, later in the day, that Montolivo would be leaving Coverciano. “The choice has been made yesterday evening. I gave [Montolivo] the choice of remaining with us, and he decided to leave tonight“.

It’s worth mentioning that Montolivo was, until the last minute, in serious contention with Quagliarella. It isn’t a coincidence that in the official team picture, both Montolivo and Quagliarella appear on the far ends of the second and bottom rows respectively (i.e. in easy “position” to be cut out). The same situation had taken place for Euro 2000 and Giuseppe Pancaro, who was then discarded at the last minute by then-coach Dino Zoff.

Also, many (myself included) had expected the Don to make his final choice between Montolivo and Aquilani (who was struggling with form & playing time in the last part of the season), but I guess Donadoni was reassured by the performances of the Roma player during practice, and reverted his final choice to Montolivo/Quagliarella (the Udinese striker also had a bleak end of the season, compared to his usual abilities).

In addition, the final shirt numbers have been submitted to UEFA. De Rossi has inherited Totti’s nº10, Del Piero will be keeping nº7, and Cassano wil take nº18 (formerly Pippo Inzaghi’s).

Here’s the full list with numbers:
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Number Goalkeepers: Club:
Nº14 Marco Amelia Livorno
Nº1 Gianluigi Buffon Juventus
Nº17 Morgan De Sanctis Sevilla
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Defenders:  
Nº6 Andrea Barzagli Palermo
Nº5 Fabio Cannavaro Real Madrid
Nº4 Giorgio Chiellini Juventus
Nº3 Fabio Grosso Lyon
Nº23 Marco Materazzi Inter
Nº2 Christian Panucci Roma
Nº19 Gianluca Zambrotta Barcelona
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Midfielders:  
Nº13 Massimo Ambrosini Milan
Nº22 Alberto Aquilani Roma
Nº16 Mauro Camoranesi Juventus
Nº10 Daniele De Rossi Roma
Nº8 Gennaro Gattuso Milan
Nº20 Simone Perrotta Roma
Nº21 Andrea Pirlo Milan
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Forwards:  
Nº12 Marco Borriello Genoa
Nº18 Antonio Cassano Sampdoria
Nº7 Alessandro Del Piero Juventus
Nº11 Antonio Di Natale Udinese
Nº15 Fabio Quagliarella Udinese
Nº9 Luca Toni Bayern Munich