[ITA] Serie A 2013/2014 (36 Viewers)

Dec 31, 2008
22,910
i see derby of the shitstains is today

broken legs pls

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Cellino has lost it.

“We play in a stadium worthy of Serie C, the players had to travel all around Italy for two years because we weren’t allowed a home stadium. I can’t keep anyone in these conditions.

"“Nainggolan will definitely go. Not even in January, he can go tomorrow,” snapped the patron.

“He has six or seven clubs looking for him and I can’t keep hold of him again. It’s not an issue of money, as even if they give me less than his price-tag, he’ll still go. If he doesn’t want to go, I’ll send him away."
:rofl:
 

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JCK

Biased
JCK
May 11, 2004
125,395
Cavani is worth 10 Higuains, I always said that from the beginning.

Higuain is a good striker, but Cavani is a true top player and a match winner. He saved Napoli's asses so many times over the years. IMO the Scudetto would have been a closer chase this season is Mazzarri and Cavani stayed.
But the deal was not Cavano for Higuain alone, it was Higuain and a bunch of other players who seemed to be ticking well together from the very beginning. This is why it was surprising how good they gelled in so little time. This is why many thought that they will be a tough opponent.
 

Bianconero_Aus

Beppe Marotta Is My God
May 26, 2009
81,189
I don't agree with you though, besides Callejon, I don't think they made any other "great" signings. They invested a lot in areas that didn't need that much investing in and neglected their defence. Also, playing a back four with Maggio and Armero/Zuniga as FBs was always bound to fuck up. Albiol-Britos is a laughably mediocre CB pairing as well.

Cavani on his own is seemingly more effective than the whole new collective of players they bought. Too bad for them they're a small(ish) club financially and in terms of prestige and they basically need to sell their top players every few years.
 

Xperd

Allegrophobic Infidel
Jun 1, 2012
35,136
It isn't just Cavani, they had a system that worked well for them too. Maggio and Armero aren't FB's.
:tup:

Exactly.It isnt easy moving to a 4 man system all of a sudden especially considering they've been playing with the 3 man backline ever since their promotion in Serie A.
 

Vlad

In Allegri We Trust
May 23, 2011
24,064
It could have been easier if they had acquired the right personnel for that task. At least on FB should have been their priority. I'm waiting to see how will they spend those 40m that ADL promised to spend this January, but I wouldn't be surprised if they continue strengthening their offense.
 

Bianconero_Aus

Beppe Marotta Is My God
May 26, 2009
81,189
It could have been easier if they had acquired the right personnel for that task. At least on FB should have been their priority. I'm waiting to see how will they spend those 40m that ADL promised to spend this January, but I wouldn't be surprised if they continue strengthening their offense.
:tup: exactly what I'm saying. They didn't purchase any FBs to play in a back four (Maggio, Zuniga, Mesto and Armero cannot play these roles) and I am FAR from convinced by Albiol and Britos as CBs.

And TBH with you their CM stocks aren't that crash hot either, need someone with better creativity/ball playing skills than Inler and Dzemaili.

They're just a very unbalanced team for me. Attacking wise, they can be deadly on their day, but that defence is weak as fuck and can be exploited.
 

Xperd

Allegrophobic Infidel
Jun 1, 2012
35,136
Lets just say they prioritized attack over defense and currently they arent left in that bad a position considering they narrowly missed out on CL qualification too and are in 3rd place which is a decent return.Benitez needed wingers in his system and a Cavani replacement ofcourse,and he did mange to get that.They might still reinforce their backline this coming window.
 

Vlad

In Allegri We Trust
May 23, 2011
24,064
They are rather good example @napoleonic that when you're building a team, you should start building it from the back. Defense comes first and later on, once you close the gaps, you may start strengthening the other areas.

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They're just a very unbalanced team for me. Attacking wise, they can be deadly on their day, but that defence is weak as fuck and can be exploited.
Their backline looks almost amateurish at times. I always chuckle a little bit when I see Armero on that left side. :D
 

Bianconero_Aus

Beppe Marotta Is My God
May 26, 2009
81,189
Lets just say they prioritized attack over defense and currently they arent left in that bad a position considering they narrowly missed out on CL qualification too and are in 3rd place which is a decent return.Benitez needed wingers in his system and a Cavani replacement ofcourse,and he did mange to get that.They might still reinforce their backline this coming window.
They need basically a RB and LB and a new CB. Buckley's chance they'll get them in the winter transfer window.
 

Amer

Senior Member
Feb 13, 2005
11,354
It could have been easier if they had acquired the right personnel for that task. At least on FB should have been their priority. I'm waiting to see how will they spend those 40m that ADL promised to spend this January, but I wouldn't be surprised if they continue strengthening their offense.
The thing is even if they decide to strengthen their defence, there aren't many quality players available out there in January. They have been linked with Astori for years now, but he's average as defenders they have now.
 

Vlad

In Allegri We Trust
May 23, 2011
24,064
The thing is even if they decide to strengthen their defence, there aren't many quality players available out there in January. They have been linked with Astori for years now, but he's average as defenders they have now.
If that is the case then they should withhold themselves from intervening on the market in January and wait for the summer, maybe by then some good opportunity will arise. Roma last summer made the most of it and signing Benatia is one of the reasons why their defense has looked more than decent so far.
 

Amer

Senior Member
Feb 13, 2005
11,354
Benatia is just of the players Udinese basically brought for free and then sold for a huge chunk of money. In the latest tranfer news I've noticed Paratici has been following and acquiring some youngsters that Udinese was also tracking. They have one of the most impressive scouting and players development programs out there. Recently I came across this:

http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/udinese-calcio/transfers-alle/verein_410.html

Tranfer balance sheet:

2013/2014 +10,1 million
2012/2013 +23,1
2011/2012 +43,6
2010/2011 +14,7
2009/2010 +15,6
 

Vlad

In Allegri We Trust
May 23, 2011
24,064
Moscardelli :rofl: Pirlo must be jelly.

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What does it mean?
We're not Napolitans. Now close the freeway. Or something like that.

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Benatia is just of the players Udinese basically brought for free and then sold for a huge chunk of money. In the latest tranfer news I've noticed Paratici has been following and acquiring some youngsters that Udinese was also tracking. They have one of the most impressive scouting and players development programs out there. Recently I came across this:

http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/udinese-calcio/transfers-alle/verein_410.html

Tranfer balance sheet:

2013/2014 +10,1 million
2012/2013 +23,1
2011/2012 +43,6
2010/2011 +14,7
2009/2010 +15,6
They've been doing this since the mid 90es. Players like Bierhoff, Helveg, Amoroso, Jankulovski all brought them significant gains. Impressive scouting system they have; and unlike us or any other big clubs they can give youngsters enough playing time, because there's no pressure on them to achieve anything other than to reconfirm Serie A status.
 

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