Bayern v Roma
In an ideal world, Francesco Totti can really run that fast and a palpable simmering accompanies this game as the battle for the fourth Champions League spot between Germany and Italy continues.
Not quite the ideal world right now, so it's back to basics. Sounds a bit like Ranieri's mantra after the second league game last year, eh?
Basics:
- Not coming close to ending the careers of club director offspring while getting sent off. Unless Montali or Prade have a bastard child living an anonymous life in the Bayern system* this one's probably safe.
The second, however, is key. Eleven men. All game.
- Defending...just defending.
You know, no free headers in the box to quality goal scorers. That's a start.
- I know Marco Motta's at Juve, but let's keep up with the whole 'not defending with the trap like you're five' concept.
- A straight approach. Less Spalletti-esque/Sampdoria first half of wowing the crowd with fancy skills and backheels and sombreros and rabonas (oh my) with nothing to show for it; rather becoming more...German. Ball in the net type of stuff.
Wins football games occasionally.
- The solid team approach which righted the ship last year - an extension of above. Solid Ranieri football.
- Other things which form the 'basics' and are too numerous to list, paramount among them hitting the ball to the right team, not headbutting people and generally wearing pants - a lesson we'd all be wise to heed.
* - I've long thought it's Josue, Wolfsburg's captain, who's the love seed of a Brazilian scouting trip gone wonderfully passionate for Prade. I have no basis for this, like most of what's said here.
Do all those and they might just build a nice, strong foundation for the season while running away with the kitty.
Remember: three points are excellent, but one point is better than none. A good showing - that's all we ask.
Squad
1 LOBONT Bogdan Iounut
2 DE CESARE Cicero Joao - Cicinho
4 JUAN SILVEIRA DOS SANTOS Juan
7 PIZARRO CORTEZ David Marcelo
8 ADRIANO Leite Ribeiro
10 TOTTI Francesco
16 DE ROSSI Daniele
19 J. BAPTISTA Julio Cesar
20 PERROTTA Simone
22 BORRIELLO Marco
23 GRECO Leandro
25 BURDISSO Guillermo Enio
27 J. SERGIO BERTAGNOLI Julio Sergio
29 BURDISSO Nicolas
30 SIMPLICIO Fabio Henrique
32 DONI MARANGON Donieber Alexandre
33 BRIGHI Matteo
77 CASSETTI Marco
87 ROSI Aleandro
94 MENEZ Jéremy
XI
Julio Sergio
Rosi, Burdisso, Juan, Cassetti
Pizarro, De Rossi, Perrotta
Menez
Borriello, Totti.
Liveblog up tomorrow early, in which I'll ramble on about the luck of Roma's weak fullbacks lucking out of the RibRob & RobRib duo while also bitching sporadically about Germany's UEFA coefficient being almost wholly derived from the second-tier UEFA Cup/Europa League. They don't give out Olympic Bronzes for lapping the Special Olympics field, do they?
No, they don't, which I have on good authority from Rodrigo Taddei.
Game: 2045 CET