Tagged: Roma

Roma and Monaco Fortunes Contrast in Nascent Title Chases | Bleacher Report

Roma and Monaco Fortunes Contrast in Nascent Title Chases | Bleacher Report

Good piece here. As the author said, sometimes it doesn’t pay to make judgements so early on but things look good for Roma. If they continue this way, through the entire season this time, then things will be different. I never expected Monaco to do much more than they did last season, surprise in Europe and trouble the big boys domestically. Those chances have dimmed with the departure of Martial after Kondogbia, Berbatov and Kurzawa left.

League Focus: Where Serie A’s Big Hitters Need to Strengthen this Week

League Focus: Where Serie A’s Big Hitters Need to Strengthen this Week.

Agreed across the board. This is shaping up to be a very interesting Serie A season. Hopefully all the contenders perform.

Juventus, Milan and Roma stumble out of the Serie A starting blocks | Paolo Bandini | Football | The Guardian

Juventus, Milan and Roma stumble out of the Serie A starting blocks | Paolo Bandini | Football | The Guardian.

Very interesting start to the Serie A and some good pieces below about Milan and Juventus in particular. I think will have the hardest time of all the big teams, even with the return of Balotelli. They need some experience in defense. Still lot’s of time to go though.

AC Milan: Defeat to Fiorentina Shows Tactical Teething Problems for Mihajlovic

Juventus’ Loss Highlights Absence of Leadership and Creativity

Team Focus: Will Dzeko & Salah Signings Shift the Balance of Power From Turin to Rome?

Team Focus: Will Dzeko & Salah Signings Shift the Balance of Power From Turin to Rome?.

True, Roma’s attack was as poor as the defense last season and these additions will certainly improve Roma in that regard. I still have doubts about the Roma defense next season but Manolos and Yanga-Mbiwa should improve, and you’d expect Ashley Cole to as well. I guess we’ll see.

Can Roma challenge for Serie A James Horncastle – ESPN FC

Can Roma challenge for Serie A James Horncastle – ESPN FC.

Agreed. Roma, and Napoli if they get things right, are best-placed to unseat Juventus. As the author says, if they make the remaining moves needed to strengthen the squad then there’s a very good chance. I can see them learning from the mistakes of last year and building on the positives from the previous year.

Roma getting an education in expectations injuries and Europe – ESPN FC

Roma getting an education in expectations injuries and Europe – ESPN FC.

I was really hoping for Roma to give Juventus a run for their money this season just for some competition in Serie A. Maybe there’s still a chance but next season is more likely.

Player Focus: Has Bojan Finally Found a Home from Home at Stoke?

Player Focus: Has Bojan Finally Found a Home from Home at Stoke?.

Only time will tell. To be fair, I’ve not seen much of Bojan at Stoke besides highlights but the suggestion from Jonathan Wilson here is that he’s finally starting to adjust to the Premier League.

The first news about that transfer definitely sounded like something you only see in FIFA or Football Manager but it’s the real deal, and will be interesting to watch. I still don’t get what happened with Bojan at Barcelona, as well as his wandering adventures in the Serie A(with Roma and Milan) and the Eredivisie(with Ajax).

His time at Ajax was particularly disappointing. If the reason is that Bojan is more of a system player, having been bred at Barcelona, then why didn’t he succeed at the one other team that plays in s similar fashion?

It will be strange if Stoke is the place where his potential is realized but it has to happen somewhere, and he really should be pressing on at 24. We’ll see what happens.