Videographic Artifacts from Another Time

Two and a half years after the above scenes, Cicinho quietly moves back to Brazil and São Paulo on loan, leaving a couple of hundred fans scratching their heads, trying to remember why they were at the airport that day, and the remaining romanisti shaking their heads at the hysteria of that day. I was more in the camp of those at the airport, by the way. I was excited when he came, and I thought he was the future when he was playing for Real Madrid and Brazil. But bar a few games (Genoa 2009, what up?) the legacy of Cicinho x AS Roma is that of delusion and disappointment and the ten million spent on him is arguably a much bigger waste of resources than Baptista was/is. So that book's closed now, with a small bookmark left for this summer should he be signed outright from the loan, and that's just as well.

The Alchemists

I didn't see it personally, and have only read about it from others. Perhaps that's why my fascination with Lazio-Catania won't go away, and why it continues to allure me. As you no doubt know by now, Lazio lost A) to their closes rival in the relegation battle, B) who are coached by former Lazio hero Mihajlovic, C) all thanks to a Catania goal by Maxi Lopez - the same Maxi Lopez who was all but a done deal for Lazio in January, before they changed their minds. And then there's the photo of Lotito from yesterday: why is he sitting alone? Has he threatened all those who sat close to him, forcing them to flee their seats, or did they flee because of the fan protests a few dozen meters away, fearing they were heading the way of Il Generalissimo? Or is it simply an accurate gauge on the level of interest in Lazio in February of 2010?

Lost in all of the above material for hilarity, the actual formation played by Lazio escaped me. Il Corriere dello Sport points out a new, fascinating detail from the continued accident that is SS Lazio: they finished yesterday's game with a formation consisting of five defenders (Diakitè, Radu, Dias, Biava and Kolarov), four attackers (Floccari, Roc­chi, Zarate and Cruz) and one single midfielder (Baronio). ("Midfielder".) What does that formation (5-1-4) even look like on paper? It's the 21st Century sports equivalent of trying to find gold by combining lead and mud.

Fiorentina 0-1 Roma

This is something new, this is something very different. Quickly, when was the last time Roma played a game like this - inviting the pressure for 90 minutes, giving away the initiative and still coming away with an away win? And against a team as good as this Fiorentina? We're standing on the brink of the unknown, but I do not fear as long as Ranieri stands beside me holding my hand.

Let's make some things clear immediately: Fiorentina were very, very good. But they didn't deserve to win. You only deserve to win when you score more goals than the opponent, and for all of their advantage, they could not do that. It's not that I'm not ever so slightly sympathetic towards their plight yesterday, it's just that I'm overcome by the sensations only a triumph away in a hostile host city can create. If that means creating fewer chances and still coming away with every single point on the table, it's even sweeter.

I've already stated Fiorentina were very good, but the statement requires further qualifying. Even though good, even though perhaps better than Roma, Viola failed in the most important phase and for that there can be no mercy. Their first half was impressive, a statement of intent lasting 45 minutes, in which they loaded their left flank and ran circles around a largely helpless Motta. Even if it was not by own fault, Motta was the defensive flaw last night as he was overwhelmed by Viola's runs at and behind him. He should have gotten more help, he should have had more neutralizing cover - whatever, I'm not looking to hang him, merely point out a weakness of the team, and it isn't meant to single him out. Because of the success Fiorentina had in attacking him, it was strange to see that strategy largely abandoned in the second half. That was spent mostly hitting a couple of hundred crosses aimed for Gilardino, but intercepted without worry by Juan and Mexès. Every. Single. Time. God knows, as does every romanista, that Juan and - in particular - Mexès aren't perfect, but if there's one scenario in which I have blind faith in them is when the opponents' game plan consists of trying to beat them in the air. And for the times they weren't enough, Julio Sergio again, as per his custom, played a spectacular game, saving anything and everything that came near the goal line.

Totti's substitution is both appealing and discouraging at the same time. The appealing aspect of it is the nth confirmation that Ranieri genuinely adheres to the Italian idiom of not looking anyone in the face, meaning not to treat anyone differently based on who they are. I have problems imagining many other Roma coaches doing what Ranieri did last night, to pull Totti after only 45. But it was the right thing to do, because the captain was clearly out of it. That is, in turn, the discouraging aspect of the call - that Totti looked worse for wear, and visibly unfit. I'm sure being out for weeks and playing random games - Juve, Udinese - intermittently doesn't help, and it will most probably improve drastically with more match fitness.

This win completes a sweep of Fiorentina this season, and all but puts them out of contention with Roma for a CL spot come May. I still expect them to mount one of the strongest challenges to fourth place, but as we note Roma's 19th straight undefeated game, it is becoming ever more clear that the teams have different objectives, unlike last year. Viola might still make it, but that will probably be at the expense of Juventus or Napoli, and I welcome either scenario, with the warm embrace of a big brother condescendingly congratulating a little kid. Exactly like the embrace I want to give De Silvestri today, after his open goal miss yesterday. I want to hug him and pat him on the head, and thank him for doing something so phenomenally stupid as opening his mouth a day before the game to channel all Lazio icons before him by saying he wants to score against Roma. For his new team. I'd put that auto-jinx down to 70% of why he missed a clear goal scoring oppurtinity, the remaining 30% traceable to sub standard technique. And this on a day when Lazio slipped into the relegation zone, which DDR commented on after his game as such: "I cried this afternoon". Sweet, sweet tears of joy.

Roar

A) ˆ This is Juan with a lion.
B) This is a heart warming mini documentary about a lion.
C)ˇ This is Juan playing with the heart of a lion, in what was one of the undoubtedly best defensive performances I have ever seen.

Your Italian Word of the Day

Godere (di qualcosa) - To enjoy (something)

Musical Chairs No More

Updated below.

Remember the world as it was one week ago? Remember the discussion of who Ranieri would play from the start, and who he would keep on the bench. Remember the impossible math of trying to fit all the good attacking players into one team?

That was ages ago. For tomorrow's game against Siena, Roma has one available attacker in the entire squad, Julio Baptista. Toni's out, and Totti wasn't even ready for Juve as evidenced by his omittance now. Reports says he wanted to play, but Ranieri opted against it, saying his body wasn't ready for a game every three days. In this, I trust Ranieri who can be more objective than Totti who might not realize his limitations (those limitations, however, only make him more lovable). Vucinic is out too, and Ménez isn't in the team either. It feels weird to even consider the thought, if you think about it, but thankfully it's because of his knee injury which forced him out of practice all week, and not because of disciplinary issues stemming from this week's game with Catania.

How quickly things change.

Update: It escaped me that Okaka is, in fact, included in the list. I wrongfully assumed he wasn't chosen due to the seemingly done loan transfer to Fulham, which everyone now takes for granted to happen by Monday at the latest. My bad.

Eternal Inspiration

 

Roma Catania 1-0

So there was a Coppa Italia game last night, which Roma won. Out of that game was born a few insights, which I will now share with you:

• Ménez is a really terrible football player when he doesn't feel like being a good one. Which is too bad, because he has all the technical and physical traits to be a good one. He was pulled at half time, and I just hope Ranieri didn't go Mastro Titta on him after the game.
• Alessio Cerci has some good qualities. He's fast, he can kind of dribble, and beat players. Unfortunately he's missed one thing in his football upbringing: the kid doesn't understand the very concept of passing a football. I'm not talking about someone who just chooses not to do it against better knowledge; it is my genuine belief he has no earthly clue that the option to pass a team mate even exists.
• To complete the triangle of disappointment: I like Okaka. I like all three of them very much, Ménez and Cerci included, and actively cheer for them to do well. I get excited when they get to play, because any game could be a big breakthrough. But last night was the biggest collective disappointment since Ocean's Twelve. Okaka, like the others, has some redeemable qualities, but I can't imagine many things which would benefit him more than playing football continuously for a couple of months (or years, whatever), and learn the art of shooting a football towards the general vicinity of the goal.
• DDR is back to monstrous, super hero levels. His game last night was the single best 90 minutes he's put in since...I don't even know, I want to say Euro '08. 
  
• Going to football is great entertainment, even when the game itself doesn't deliver fully. Just watch this example of stalking, made fun Roman style:

From Another Perspective

We all remember the fun we had with Lazio's commentator De Angelis after the derby, right? "No no no, non è giusto, non è giusto, non è giusto", words that shall live in derby folklore until the end of time. Now we add to the collection the juventino calling Saturday's game for Mediaset.



My top five list of phrases:

1) "Puo' arrivare sulla palla Diego aaaeeeiiirgh!" ("Diego can get to the ball aaaeeeiiirgh!") @ 0:10
2) "Ci becchiamo anche 'tornerete in serie B' da parte della curva della Roma, una stagione incredible" (Roma's fans kindly suggests Juve to go back to serie B, to which the commentator sums up "an incredible season"). @ 2:18
3) "Noooo ma no questa no dai, ma daaaaii, ma questa no, è incredibile" ("Fuck.") @ 0:17
4) "Geppetto Manninger" (I have no idea, but it sounds hilarious) @ 0:45
5) "Questa sera abbiamo veramente toccato il fondo, ragazzi" ("Tonight we've really touched bottom, guys") @ 0:52

If I Told You Once, I Told You Twice. But Zampa Told You Nineteen Times

Because anything less than nineteen times "gol" wouldn't do it justice. Because this game was so immense, that to undersell it only ever so slightly would be an affront to the extraordinary work Ranieri has been able to do together with this squad. That's an important distinction to make, to me: "together with this squad". It's not about Ranieri possessing magical powers, and that he alone has turned around Roma's fortunes, nor is it about the players righting the ship by themselves. The turn of fortunes for Roma since the nadir of Spalletti's resignation has been remarkable, and it could not have been done without the combined efforts of coaching staff and players. To suggest otherwise is a failure to recognize the hard work they've put in. This win away to Juve is the ultimate proof of that, and it plays out in so man narratives: Roma's first victory in Torino since 2001 (only the second in a decade and a half); the symbolism in Roma using Juventus as a springboard to jump five points clear; Ranieri's vindication and vendetta against the club that fired him, and then spent 60 or so million on incoming transfers during the summer. It all ended on the night when Ranieri made sure that little more than halfway into the season, he had bettered Juventus' record by eleven points. What made it even more perfect, to me, is that even though we all know deep down Ranieri was dying to let lose the Roman within him, finally in its natural habitat, but refrained from doing so. He acted classy, putting Roma's interest in front of his own by so much that his own seized to be visible any longer. If he was happy, it was because Roma won. That, I think is harder to do than the opposite, which would have been to verbally reproach Juventus and gloat. It takes a big man to rise above that instinct and just talk about the team.

Most of my recollection of the game went out the window in the wake of Riise's feat, and what I do remember is scattered fragments, only being certain that some of it actually happened. The strongest memory is the feeling of fate kicking Roma in the teeth, as Toni went out injured after two minutes. It was less than ideal. It was even downright bad. Totti is Totti and shall forever be worshiped as semi-deity, but he entered the game cold, out injured since weeks, into the same chilly Torino evening that had just ambushed Toni's calf. Everything about the game was conditioned heavily by that change, and it was noticeable that Roma's game hadn't been constructed that night for a Toni-less approach. Totti did the best of a bad situation, however. Every touch he had was like a brush stroke of Caravaggio, challenging the very concept we held prior of what was possible to do with a ball or a brush. Every touch, every back heel, every pass, became an instant danger. It suffered for only having Vucinic to seek out most of time, not for any fault of his.

Then Del Piero scored. Again, it felt like that fate that took out Toni making its presence being felt for real. Del Piero, who hadn't scored since half a lifetime, who talked before the game about him and Totti being something special, created a masterpiece out of nothing. Flashes of Totti a few years ago. But then, somehow, someway, the shift. Roma had a penalty away to Juve - the words still seem alien to me, after years of being conditioned to consider a referee only slightly partial to Juventus a blessing - and as Totti executed it with steadfast dedication, it became clear that it was fate. Just of another kind than previously feared. Suddenly it was an open game. Suddenly it was an open game Roma had every intention of winning. Riise (Riise!) broke through the middle on a long ball and forced Buffon to take a red card. Riise played some sort of hybrid between left wing and attacker the final minutes, and exploited the naivety of Juventus' defense to win the game. The unlikeliest of heroes, but there can hardly be a more deserving one. He's put in nothing but complete dedication every single minute this season, and he's never missing. But, if I may. If I may shine the light on something different, something which made me just as ecstatic, if not more, than the actual header.

If I told you once, I told you twice: Pizarro is amazing. I'm not going to pretend the entire sequence that led up to his passing the ball to Riise was symptomatic of his game - you only see him making such a perfect tackle so often, after all. But that play was perfection given a face, a superior football brain and a diminutive physical frame, and we can't pretend for perfection to take place every time. The tackle, the hurried advancement with the intrinsic knowledge that if the game was going to be won, it would be in that small window of time, open for no longer than a few seconds. As he took the ball forward with his head lifted high above the fray, he operated on a level the opponents couldn't even aspire to, because they didn't know it existed. Riise called for the ball, and pointed out precisely where he wanted it; he got it. That delivery was the finishing touch of the nth masterpiece by Pizarro. If I told you once, I told you twice.