Getting to know the Gladiators

By: Dhaw | November 5th, 2009

romans

9th July, 2009

My first day in the job and I was already feeling good about this adventure, After a quick press conference where I state my happiness and give assurances that everyone at the club would get a chance to prove their worth, I was straight into the nitty gritty of sorting out Associazione Sportiva Roma.

Next on the agenda was meeting up with my backroom staff. Within the next few minutes, in comes Christian Damiano. He is my assisant, it seems he is happy to work under me and willing to give his all for the club & get this team back on track. I found some notes about Damiano which lists some of his qualities and he is a pretty decent guy to have around. He is one of those coaches who has a good eye for talent and believes in youth development.

We then call in Bruno Conti and both of them brief me on what happens next. Damiano has already arranged six preseason friendly games. He proposed a intrasquad game set to be played tommorow which I was quick to reject. I don’t want to rush things and put the players under the hammer right away. Last season was terrible for Roma because the players were burnt out and they were constantly hampered by injuries, there is no way I am going to let that happen under my regime.

I then ask about the rest of the backroom staff.

“This is it,” says Christian, waving towards himself and Bruno Conti, “oh, and there’s a GK coach Giorgio Pellizzaro and 2 physios, Vito Scala & Riccardo Capanna.

Without much ado I made a list, that’s what the professionals do, isn’t it ? They all make lists. I believe I need atleast two new coaches and adding another physio wouldn’t be such a bad idea. I want this out of my way real fast as ideally I would like to get the new recruits in within the next couple of days before we play our first preseason friendly.

The candidates that have interested me are :

- 54 year-old Italian, Ivan Carminati as a First team coach
- 48 year-old Italian, Gianpiero Ventrone as a coach.
- 49 year-old Italian, Gian Nicola Bisiotti as a Fitness coach.

After the brief meeting I decide to meet up with my players, I swagger over to the ground along with Damiano and Conti where the players are just arriving for the first training session of the new season. Damiano gathers the players around us who introduce themselves & congratulate me as we soon kickstart our preseason.

10th July 2009

I thought that went quite well really. For a first day in training the players seemed as fit as could be expected. The following is the low down of my squad :

Goalkeepers

Doni, 28 GK
1st choice keeper, experienced and a good goalkeeper. Will be out of action for atleast 3-4 months. Never a good feeling when your first choice keeper is not available to you from day one.

Artur, 29 GK
Second choice keeper behind Doni, but will start until Doni recovers from injury.

Lobont, 31 GK
Veteran GK who is On loan from Dinamo Bucharest.

Defenders

Philippe Mexes, 27 DC
If Mexy has the discipline to match his talent then he will be a worldclass centre-back, I expect him to be a rock for us this season.

Juan, 30 DC
Made of glass. A brave determinded centre back. Key player in my set up. Will miss the start of the season as he is out with an injury. Should return in 4-5 weeks.

Nicolas Burdisso, 28 DC
On loan from Inter. Hard working, aggressive, hard tackling defender. The thought of starting him with Mexes scares the shite out of me.

Marco Andreolli, 23 DC/R
A young competent centre back. Has the potential to be a good centre back.

Cicinho, 29 D/WB/M R
Wingback with flair and pace. Needs to work hard over his defending.

Marco Motta, 23 D/WB/M RL
Promising wingback with flair and pace, should challenge Cicinho for the starting spot.

Max Tonetto, 34 D/WB/M L
Max is a veteran defender but lacks both pace and technique. Emergency use only.

Marco Cassetti, 32 D/WB/M R
Cassetti is a decent wingback who once made Roma look good but his performances last season were horrific, he isn’t getting any younger and needs to train extremely hard and impress me in training to earn his place.

John Arne Riise, 28 D/WB/M L
Determined Wingback with a mean left foot, Just don’t expect him to do anything clever with the ball.

Midfielders

Matteo Brighi, 28 DM/M LC
Has incredible work rate and stamina, going to be a very important player in my set up.

Divid Pizzaro, 29 DM/MC
A good creative midfielder, should be my deep-lying playmaker. Needs to work hard on his defensive qualities.

Daniele De Rossi, 25 DM/MC
Vice-captain and a worldclass defensive midfielder. He is an exceptional talent. I am glad to have a player of his calibre in my team. Brilliant lad.

Riccardo Faty, 22 DM/MC
Moderate defensive midfielder. Unlikely to break into the starting XI anytime soon.

Simone Perrotta, 31 DM/AM LC
Attacking midfielder who isn’t highly skilled but makes up for it with his immense work rate and determination.

Stefano Guberti, 24 AM RL
Moderate winger who can dribble, needs to put his head down and work hard to improve his game.

Rodrigo Taddei, 29 AM RLC
Determined Winger with modest ability who like Simone Perrotta makes up for it with his immense work rate.

Alessio Cerci, 21 AM RL
Young speedy winger from whom big things are expected. Should challenge Taddei for the starting spot.

Jeremy Menez, 22 AM RLC, FC
Quality creative footballer. Has the potential to be an amazing player. A little selfish at times but he is young and can improve his game.

Forwards

Julio Baptista, 27 AM LC, FC
Strong, skilful striker. His second season at Roma and I expect him to shine this season.

Mirko Vucinic, 25 AM LC, FC
Striker with blistering pace, He certainly is talented and will be a very important player for me.

Francesco Totti, 32 AM/FC
Giallorossi legend and Captian. A player of his quality are rarely produced these days. Inspires everyone at the club. Key player.

Stefano Okaka, 19 ST
Only 19, but I believe he can make a impact in the first team. He is talented and I believe he is certainly for the future.

A decent squad at my disposal, I would have loved to add a couple of new faces to the current roster but with lack of funds I have to work with what I have. Nevertheless I shall try and clear some deadwood from my “Reserve Team” which will help me free up some wages and bring in some much needed cash.

With that out of my way, now comes one of the most important part : ” TACTICS ”

So what formation do you guys suggest ??

The players I have at my disposal makes me think that 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-2-1-2 would suit this team.
What say you ??