The worrying lack of spirit since Pavel departed... (1 Viewer)

Lo-Pan

Disciple of Gonzo
Feb 11, 2009
2,788
#1
I for one was hopeful, and overjoyed when Ciro wrestled the reins from Ranieri, then proceeded to win our last three games of the season, convincingly. Our purchases over the Summer filled us all with enthusiasm...A new coach. Two new brazilians, one of whom in particular has shown incredible promise over the last few years in Germ Land.

However...Nine games into the new Serie A campaign, three into europe, and much of that pre season enthusiasm has vanished. Because we have not yet shown anything like the potential we have on paper, on the field. Worst of all, to my eyes and heart, has been the worrying lack of passion and spirit from The Team as a whole...Generally, Chiellini and Buffon fly the flag with pride. They are enough, alongside the rejuvenated Cannavaro, to keep us secure at the back, and the three of them have done more than any others in the squad to keep our results and standing, at a near satisfactory level.

As for the same spirit to be seen in midfield or attack...unfortunately only Vincenzo's effort shows even a glimpse of it.

Nedved was ailing in his old age, physically, and technically, but whenever he played, he gave HIS ALL, and this determination was infectious.

Momo can certainly bring drive and spirit to the centre of the park, but he is not a natural born leader, in anything other than warfare...Yes, when the others around him see the dark beast crunching opponents left right and centre, it gives them confidence, but we need to see the same spirit in them, not just feeding off others.

It must be said that we have been most unfortunate with injuries. To key players. Also, we have not yet settled on a formation, which in turn is affected by the injuries...Lastly, and this is epitomized by the team selection against Siena, Ciro is making a few understandable, but frankly erronous decisions...

We scraped a victory against Maccabi. But there were a few very positive signs in that game, with the 4-2-3-1. Mainly the too bright to ignore performance of Giovinco.

To revert back to the same tried, tested and failed two target men in attack system, for the siena game, was ridiculous...as it was to ommit Seba...had we been flying in the last few games, in fine form, cohesive, overpowering, indomitable, then yes, I can understand giving a few key players a rest, in preparation for the Samp game midweek...but alas, our form, has been, at best patchy, at worst, wretched. It was imperative for Giovinco to play again, the same goes for Momo, and Grosso, and Camo. Scraping victories against terrible teams does little for our confidence. Playing our best team whenever possible will lead to better results, and how much more alive and confident would the team feel if we had played our BEST fit XI against Siena and thumped them 0-4???

We are lacking cohesion and heart and spirit. Without which, we are going to continue to struggle...

We have ALL seen enough of molinaro. he should never be playing, especially in a formation which demands the left back supports the attack.

Clearly, Diego is too isolated when he is the only creative force in the team. He looked better alongside Camo and Giovinco...so why revert straight back to the failing formation????

I am sure that the spirit and heart will return when we thread together a few victories, but that wont happen unless we settle on a formation, and first team, and give them time to gel together.

I am hoping, like many others I assume, that once Tiago is fit, we will see Melo and Momo(marchiso on the bench, or challenging Melo for a starting berth), behind Diego/Giovinco/Tiago (or Camo)...with ONE target man playing. If that fails to break down opponents, then we can switch to 4-3-3, but NOT with trez/amauri/iaq all together. Three target men is too much. Two is too much...If he must play Two in attack, then put Giovinco up there with one of the big men...this is rudimentary tactical knowledge.

Zebina is too often injured. A shame, as he has looked decent when he has played. Grygera is not up to the standard, so i can understand blooding Caceres, who, if we are being kind, needs time and patience...

De Ceglie is NOT progressing, though he seems like a half decent back up for Grosso.

With Marchiso, Tiago, Del Piero all to come back into the team, I will hope that by the end of November we are playing, at least the same team every match. Consistency can not come from chopping and changing.

I am not too agreeable to resting key players, unless they are tired. It is more important to gel, to gain continuity, which comes only from playing and playing...together.

Someone needs to take the lead in midfield, and in attack. I mean as a leader...One thing I was certain Ciro would bring to the fore was Spirit and Drive. but sadly both are lacking. Why????

Maybe we could bring back Pavel as a motivation guru...
 

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Lo-Pan

Lo-Pan

Disciple of Gonzo
Feb 11, 2009
2,788
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread Starter #8
    The core of the team, to me, is ....Buffon, Chiellini, Grosso, Canna, Melo, Momo, Diego, Marchiso, Giovinco, Trez....

    I think they are the players MOST likely to bring us both victory and decent football. Add in Camo, or DP, and have Amuri challenging Trez...then all that is needed is a decent right back.

    I am not relying on DP coming back and everything suddenly being OK. But it will force Ciro into putting some more flair and creativity into an area of the pitch he seems hellbent on keeping workmanlike, not pretty.

    And as asserted, we lack spirit higher up the pitch. A player who everyone can look up to, who drags us all by the balls and heart towards victory, glory, bloodlust and pillage... In the middle it must be Melo and Diego combined. One of them MUST step up their game.

    True, its still early days, but I see the Siena game as a missed opportunity. They are a very weak team, other than Ekdal!!!! hohohoh, of course...and they would have provided the perfect chance for some of our key players to find their form. But Ciro left out Grosso, Giovinco, Momo (for all but a handful of minutes).
     
    Apr 12, 2004
    77,165
    #10
    The core of the team, to me, is ....Buffon, Chiellini, Grosso, Canna, Melo, Momo, Diego, Marchiso, Giovinco, Trez....

    I think they are the players MOST likely to bring us both victory and decent football. Add in Camo, or DP, and have Amuri challenging Trez...then all that is needed is a decent right back.

    I am not relying on DP coming back and everything suddenly being OK. But it will force Ciro into putting some more flair and creativity into an area of the pitch he seems hellbent on keeping workmanlike, not pretty.

    And as asserted, we lack spirit higher up the pitch. A player who everyone can look up to, who drags us all by the balls and heart towards victory, glory, bloodlust and pillage... In the middle it must be Melo and Diego combined. One of them MUST step up their game.

    True, its still early days, but I see the Siena game as a missed opportunity. They are a very weak team, other than Ekdal!!!! hohohoh, of course...and they would have provided the perfect chance for some of our key players to find their form. But Ciro left out Grosso, Giovinco, Momo (for all but a handful of minutes).
    The ones I highlighted are still trying to either gel into the team, or find their form again.
     
    Apr 17, 2009
    1,890
    #11
    Yeah, I think the team still has to gel and find it's bearings. We've changed a lot in a short period so it's only natural. It's probably going to take a a few months.

    I do agree about Diego being too isolated. And the whole play two big men. I wouldn't mind seeing Gio given a shot at DP's role. Just to see whether he's capable.

    This team needs some work though. The personnel we have for this system isn't ideal either. It's being forced due to the two Brazilians we bought recently, so the quicker we get used to it the better. We still need a few pieces for our puzzle. Starting with - minimally - a RB, a CB, and a good passer of the ball in the midfield. If Tiago can't assume this role that is.
     

    swag

    L'autista
    Administrator
    Sep 23, 2003
    83,371
    #12
    Our usual captains have been absent. Including the likely surrogates. Buffon is in goal. Cannavaro has been injured. Del Piero has been absent.
     

    Bianconero81

    Ageing Veteran
    Jan 26, 2009
    39,075
    #14
    As far as I am concerned, The core of the team should be built around Buffon in goal (I still think he has at least 5 years left in him), Chiellini in defence, Momo, Melo, Diego, Marchisio and Giovinco in midfield, and..... There is no one in attack :sad: :cry:

    Obviously our weak defense and anemic attack need to be restructured before we can begin challenging for titles again. Amauri is unreliable and inconsistent, Iaquinta is a one chance in 10 kinda guy (not to mention that he is just as selfish as Amauri), Trez is past his prime and is leaving come season's end anyway, and Del Piero is turning 35 next month (i.e. he is not getting any younger, his injuries are becoming more frequent and recovery periods longer; we can't rely on him to save our assess anymore).

    Our defence is 3 players short of being world class. Legro is not getting any younger, and he was never a world class defender (just a solid, above average option when needed). Canna will in all probability retire after the world cup. Our RB and LB options are disgraceful. Therefore, we need a new CB, a new RB, and a new LB if we want to be anywhere near competitive.

    Obviously these problems won't solve themselves, and require a hefty investment. Hence, no quick fixes will do. This also implies no titles this year. The maximum we can aim for is 2'nd place in Serie A, and a QF appearance in the CL (depending on whether we qualify from our group, and who we draw in the 2'nd round). We are fortunate that competition is weak in Serie A, and that many teams will drop points; however, the Champions League is an entirely different kettle of fish. Therefore, let's not expect anything this season, and attempt to sign (or at least acquire rights to) a quality CB and a very good RB in the winter transfer window.
     
    Jul 26, 2007
    466
    #15
    they will gel eventually it needs time

    but it just seems that juve spirit that we once had isnt there
    The quality of the squad is just not comparable to the Capello one or Lippi's one. We have a lot of weak links in our squad now. Poulsen, Grygera, Molinaro and De Ceglie are the ones that are pulling this side down. And quite frankly, looking at our starting line-up today against Siena and our style of play, so is Ferrara. Our team also always does the exact same thing over and over again when we are attacking:
    Plan A:Give Diego the ball
    -----Success: Diego dribbles near the penalty box of the opposition while trying to get a fk to call up the big boys or play it to the wings to our fb who try (fail miserably) to cross the ball to Trez, Iaq or Ama.
    -----Failure: On to Plan B
    Plan B:Look to slow things down, keep posession for a bit, maybe find mr.Poulsen in the prosess so he can gently lay the ball back to our defence.
    -----Success: Wait till Diego is open and give him the ball (back to Plan A)
    -----Failure:On to Plan C
    Plan C: Blast the ball forward to Amauri, Iaquinta or Trezeguet and hope that the ball actually manages to land near them.

    The only difference in this and the notes that Ferrara gives players before a game is that his is written in italian.
     

    blondu

    Grazie Ale
    Nov 9, 2006
    27,404
    #18
    Our usual captains have been absent. Including the likely surrogates. Buffon is in goal. Cannavaro has been injured. Del Piero has been absent.
    the thing is that buffon will probably arrive on the operation table...i donno why the heck but in every year since we got out of B one of the key players is missing.
     

    .zero

    ★ ★ ★
    Aug 8, 2006
    80,149
    #19
    its threads like these that make me not want to post on this forum anymore.

    along with threads like:

    "del piero didn't eat breakfast the other day"
    "should camoranesi not wear underwear so that the team plays better"
    "how come ciro doesn't like over-grown premature babies like giovinco"
     

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