For a week-end in which huge football clashes abounded, the biggest entertainment surely came from the fields of Serie A. One field in particular, although it most certainly did not please the (Giallorossi) home fans. Aside from Roma, another team to lose big (although not quite as big) was Juventus, beaten 2-1 at Stadio San Paolo in Napoli.
His last match in the starting eleven had been over six months ago, but one has to seriously wonder if even a Totti at 200% capacity would been able to stop the Inter tsunami crashing over Roma on Sunday. Conceding four goals in your home stadium is already tough enough to swallow, but if that happens against those who in the past three years have constantly thrashed your Scudetto hopes, that’s when the taste gets really sour. Seriously, I can’t think of anything worse that could have happened to the Giallorossi this week… Losing to Lazio maybe?
Inter did not only beat Roma tonight, they destroyed them. Atomized them to tiny little pieces. So big was the difference in playing level in fact, that the Nerazzurri litterally dominated every aspect of the match and every zone of the field. As much as Roberto Mancini’s Inter often relied on bits of individual skill to get the job done, Mourinho’s touch on the team has impressed a distinctively-marked tactical superiority: the defensive, midfield, and forward sections are compact within one another, and ready to face almost any situation presented to them.
For the fourth time in FIFA Futsal World Cup history, Brazil conquered the gold medal on home turf Sunday morning. It was a match which all pundits anticipated to be a clash of the titans, with reigning World & European champions Spain providing a very worthy opponent for the Auriverde.
It the end, only a penalty shootout could settle a tied 2-2 score after extra time, during which substitute goalkeeper Franklin (stepping on precisely for that purpose) made two key saves on the Spanish shooters. After their gold in the Netherlands (1989), Hong Kong (1992), and Spain (1996), Brazil can chalk up a fourth title on the big Futsal chalkboard.
Before you answer that question, ponder the following. Your team is tied 1-1, the match is still very much left to play, and you, as a manager, are left with a choice. You can either keep fighting, trying to get the winning goal (as the spirit of the game compels you to do: you win by scoring more goals than your opponent) or, you can take off your only player capable of solving the match in an instant, with a pass, a shot, or a free-kick, to bring on a defensive wing-back. Based on today’s final result vs. Napoli, guess which option Juventus picked.
They say that if you find yourself in a hole, the best thing to do is to stop digging. Somebody please get the shovel out of Claudio Ranieri’s hands.
Chalk up the third consecutive Serie A win for Fiorentina. There was nothing earth-shattering in La Viola’s performance against Reggina tonight, but on day of mourning for the upper management (Maria Della Valle, mother of Diego & Andrea, passed away earlier this week) the brother-presidents will be satisfied to see their team is steadily cruising towards a good very good Serie A season.
Prandelli was rotating his team tonight, yet his boys played a calm game, in control (even during the -rare- offensive assaults of their opponents) and didn’t succumb to frustration when the ball refused to enter the net. What better way to prepare for Tuesday’s upcoming match against Bayern Munich (at Allianz Arena, for which Luca Toni is in doubt).
As for Alberto Gilardino, well… numbers speak for themselves. 18 minutes played, two goals. This team really can’t do without him.
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