Serie A Season 2013 - 2014

LuckyLloyd

CSF wrote: »

Yeah he doesn't get in. They're pretty well stocked in Messi, Aguero and Higuain (with plenty of decent cover) to not have to deal with such a character anyway. I'd do the same if I was Argentina manager.

Meh, he's too talented and too much of a big game performer for leaving him out to be a correct decision imo.

MD1990

CSF wrote: »

Yeah he doesn't get in. They're pretty well stocked in Messi, Aguero and Higuain (with plenty of decent cover) to not have to deal with such a character anyway. I'd do the same if I was Argentina manager.

id have Tevez ahead of Higuain
i think Tevez isnt in the squad but he doesn't work well with Messi

snowblind

Clarence told the players what had been achieved - we have not seen a difference between Milan and Juventus.

by Galliani.

Sheesh Adriano, I mean I'm not a footballing genius or anything. But I think you might consider the goals a difference. Maybe?

GTR63

snowblind wrote: »

by Galliani.

Sheesh Adriano, I mean I'm not a footballing genius or anything. But I think you might consider the goals a difference. Maybe?

Or the what 35 points in the table.

snowblind

GTR63 wrote: »

Or the what 35 points in the table.

That was actually in reference to the match last night http://football-italia.net/45935/%E2%80%98milan-can-compete-juve%E2%80%99

So many managers and affiliates are doing this thing nowadays where they claim they were good enough or deserved something even when the result does not reflect that. Sometimes this is understandable if there have been glaring refereeing errors for example. Have they forgot that the difference between two teams in Football is by definition the difference of goals they have scored in a match?

Moneymaker

That was a Juve side without Chiellini and Vidal too.

Tevez and Llorente have struck a great pairing now. Europa League is theirs to win too if they take it seriously.

Smithwicks Man

Moneymaker wrote: »

That was a Juve side without Chiellini and Vidal too.

Tevez and Llorente have struck a great pairing now. Europa League is theirs to win too if they take it seriously.

Was a Milan side without De Sciglio, Zapata/Mexes, El Shaarawy and Balotelli as well though.


Galliani has the most outrageous comments. I used to think it was him being clever but he actually seems a bit deluded. On the basis of the match last night I'd say Milan had the best of it but goals are goals and for Juve to not play well and still win 2-0 at the San Siro speaks volumes.

Headshot

What a brilliant team goal

GTR63

Milan losing to a team with a bit about them again. 5 defeat in 10 for Seedorf. Against Udinese 2x, Napoli, Juve and Atletico.

bradlente

GTR63 wrote: »

Milan losing to a team with a bit about them again. 5 defeat in 10 for Seedorf. Against Udinese 2x, Napoli, Juve and Atletico.

Couple of really big games coming up against teams ahead of them as well,Parma at home followed by Lazio and Fiorentina away.Winning in Europe would be a massive boost now,Think the game in Madrid could be a cracker.

Nuri Sahin

Napoli have been awful so far.

Jelle1880

Better second half so far, with Napoli ramping up the pressure.

GTR63

Nuri Sahin wrote: »

Napoli have been awful so far.

They have been woeful. Dunno whas going on with them. Usually a team that makes so many changes struggles early in the season & improves as the season goes on but they are the opposite.
Cerci coming on now, Napoli would be behind if he & Immobile had started I reckon.

Nuri Sahin

End to end to second half so far. Torino have been unlucky not to be leading.

Nuri Sahin

GTR63 wrote: »

They have been woeful. Dunno whas going on with them. Usually a team that makes so many changes struggles early in the season & improves as the season goes on but they are the opposite.
Cerci coming on now, Napoli would be behind if he & Immobile had started I reckon.

Yup, it seems they're petering out somewhat which is surprising considering how past 'Rafa' teams have really pushed on in the second half of the season far more often than that. So many silly draws. Maybe I had too high expectations of them this season, lot of a change as you pointed out.


edit - Immobile chance...

edit again - Out of interest, how's Mertens done overall this season so far? Watched a few Napoli games early doors, but only a couple since the turn of the year. Would have loved Liverpool or Dortmund to sign him last summer.

Jelle1880

Higuain wins it for Napoli, but should have been stopped because he pushed the Torino defender.

edit: very light though.

Nuri Sahin

Boom, Napoli 1-0

Nuri Sahin

Totti, who else makes it 1-0

Jelle1880

And Destro not far behind with the second.

Nuri Sahin

What a save to prevent Di Natale scoring!

Second goal for Roma was nice, Gervinho setting up Destro.

MD1990

Rudi Garcia is an excellent coach
can see a bigger club going for him if Roma don't have much money to spend

Nuri Sahin

MD1990 wrote: »

Rudi Garcia is an excellent coach
can see a bigger club going for him if Roma don't have much money to spend

Indeed he is. Big fan of his Lille side that won the league and it's no wonder Gervinho is looking like the player Arsenal thought they were signing. Like this Roma side, they were fun to watch as well. I really hope he stays at Roma, but Monaco should throw all the money in the world at him in the summer.

grenache

Nuri Sahin wrote: »

Out of interest, how's Mertens done overall this season so far? Watched a few Napoli games early doors, but only a couple since the turn of the year. Would have loved Liverpool or Dortmund to sign him last summer.

When Mertens has been on the pitch, I think he has eclipsed Hamsik as Napoli's best midfielder. In fact Hamsik has been poor this season, no goal since October. Mertens is direct and tricky and he does all his best work running at full backs. Problem is that Rafa more often than not starts him on the bench.

Moneymaker

Mertens has been very impressive anytime i've seen him.

GTR63

grenache wrote: »

When Mertens has been on the pitch, I think he has eclipsed Hamsik as Napoli's best midfielder. In fact Hamsik has been poor this season, no goal since October. Mertens is direct and tricky and he does all his best work running at full backs. Problem is that Rafa more often than not starts him on the bench.

Hamsik started off the season in amazing form but he & Inler have been very poor the last few months. Would like to see Insigne get more game time aswell. He is often in & out of the team aswell. The big problem is the defence, jaysus but they are woeful at the back.

snowblind

"At times there are errors in finishing, but at others there are elements we cannot control, such as the woodwork or the opposition goalkeeper."
"This is just one of those seasons, unless the wind changes in the next few rounds."
Classic Mazz.

grenache

Big game in San Paolo tomorrow night. Really hope Napoli can finally take Juve. With the exception of the Coppa Italia Finale victory two years ago in Rome, their recent record against the Bianconeri is wretched.

Team news:

Napoli:

There had been huge doubts over whether Belgium international winger Dries Mertens would be available, but he has been named in Rafa Benitez’s team.
Christian Maggio is still out after undergoing surgery for a collapsed lung, while Juan Camilo Zuniga and Rafael are long-term absentees.


Juventus:

Carlos Tevez is the Serie A top scorer, but Juve will have to do without his goals at the Stadio San Paolo because he is suspended.
Also absent are Andrea Barzagli, Angelo Ogbonna, Federico Peluso and Simone Pepe.
Sebastian Giovinco returns, but Fabio Quagliarella is left behind against his hometown club.


Forza il Partnopei!!!

mitosis

This is Napoli's chance. Juventus are looking very under the weather at the moment, and no Tevez.

population

Whatever happens it won't affect the league in any way. They could stop the league now really as at the end it will finish Juve, Roma, Napoli. However! In terms of giving Rafa's team a big boost going into the last few games and giving them a sense that they can at some point in the future overhaul this Juve side, it is crucial.

grenache

Napoli deservedly ahead 1-0 at half time through a Callejon goal.

mitosis

grenache wrote: »

Napoli deservedly ahead 1-0 at half time through a Callejon goal.

He was offside

Agent Coulson

What a great second goal from Napoli.

Smithwicks Man

Napoli deserve the win here, been the better team from the beginning.

Nuri Sahin

Chivu has retired it's been announced, his contract was terminated by mutual consent with Inter a little earlier. He wants to become a football agent. Awesome footballer back at his peak.

djPSB

I've put a few bob on Udinese tonight.

Smithwicks Man

djPSB wrote: »

I've put a few bob on Udinese tonight.

Can see them taking 3 points as well. Backed Di Natale to grab a goal and Udinese to win.

Headshot

Its sad to see how poor this Inter team is. One of the worse in my memory anyway

mitosis

Parma - Napoli.

Hard to believe that was the side that beat Juventus last week

Smithwicks Man

mitosis wrote: »

Parma - Napoli.

Hard to believe that was the side that beat Juventus last week

Very little motivation for them to be fair. Can't catch Roma and won't be caught by Fiorentina. Their season is over really. The season will just fizzle out for most teams it looks like.

jamaamaj

Llorente with two goals for Juventus in 3mins against Livorno.

1st one was a absolute peach of a goal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vJBgdBsjHI

2nd was dreadful G.keeping.

n32

great goal by pjanic tonight for roma v milan, 1-0 at ht

Mars Bar

n32 wrote: »

great goal by pjanic tonight for roma v milan, 1-0 at ht

The body movement to throw off the defender was brilliant. Much harder than it looks at such speed!

mike65

Apparently the defeat of Juventus in the semi final to Benfica means Portugals UEFA coefficient is now higher than that of Italy.

Ulysses Gaze

mike65 wrote: »

Apparently the defeat of Juventus in the semi final to Benfica means Portugals UEFA coefficient is now higher than that of Italy.

Ouch...Italian clubs really need to start doing better in Europe.

I mean Juve had 90 mins at home to score 1 goal against, albeit, a good Benfica side. You would have expected them to do better.

Their lack of creativity to break down the Benfica defence was worrying.

CSF

Ulysses Gaze wrote: »

Ouch...Italian clubs really need to start doing better in Europe.

I mean Juve had 90 mins at home to score 1 goal against, albeit, a good Benfica side. You would have expected them to do better.

Their lack of creativity to break down the Benfica defence was worrying.

The gap between Juventus and Benfica wouldn't be that big. Juventus are better but Benfica are a seriously good side too.

Pinturicchio

Juve's only creative player can't even run any more. They'll get no where in the Champions League until they scrap the 3-5-2 and replace Pirlo.

Smithwicks Man

mike65 wrote: »

Apparently the defeat of Juventus in the semi final to Benfica means Portugals UEFA coefficient is now higher than that of Italy.

They'll be ahead of Italy next year and will then drop back below them the following year by the looks of things.

klose

Pinturicchio wrote: »

Juve's only creative player can't even run any more. They'll get no where in the Champions League until they scrap the 3-5-2 and replace Pirlo.

Hasn't conte been implementing a 433 at times through the season no? I think they played it in a couple of cl games, looked a bit rusty from what i remember. All their current crop is really suited to that 352 which is quite an interesting set up.

Ulysses Gaze

All ready for the Coppa Italia final.

Really hope Napoli win this.

Any reason why Sky are showing it?

Would have thought Setanta would have the rights for it.

Lapin

Trouble in Roma.