Roma v Sampdoria
The ghost of Luciano lives on. It has lived on, and while the manipulator has changed, his aura has been hanging over this team.
That will end tonight.
Given his druthers, Vincenzo Montella would likely field a team which includes Doni, Cassetti, Juan, Burdisso, Riise, DDR, Pizarro, Taddei, Perrotta, Vucinic and Totti in the favored, flavored 4-2-3-1. The Romans are a different consideration entirely, but the rest are all staples, if not purchased within, the Spalletti regime. And after tomorrow, I, and I am likely not alone, get the distinct feeling this team will be nigh unrecognizable, if only the starting XI, and if only because teams of a certain stature tend to incur a significant changeover after ownership transition. Just the way it is.
And this is, though not entirely, a team tinged with Spalletti's calcio DNA.
For various reasons, next year's "on-pitch identity" will be different.
The game has meaning, and they need at least a point (which....come on), but this game has a grand significance. Tis truly the end of an era in more ways than one, more ways than one may realize.
The end of the end; tomorrow, but a mystery.
Enjoy what's left of it.
Squad
1 – Bogdan lobont
3 – Paolo Castellini
7- David Pizarro
9- Mirko Vucinic
10 – Francesco Totti
11- Rodrigo Taddei
15- Simone Loria
17 – John Arne Riise
20 – Simone Perrotta
22 – Marco Borriello
23 – Leandro Greco
25 – Guillermo Enio Burdisso
27 – Julio Sergio Bertagnoli
29 – Nicolas Andres Burdisso
30 – Simplicio Fabio Henrique
40 – Alex Daniel Pena
45 – Stefano Pettinari
47 – Gianluca Caprari
48 – Alessandro Florenzi
87- Aleandro Rosi
94 – Jeremy Menez
XI
Lobont
Rosi, Loria, Burdisso, Castellini
Perrotta, Pizarro, Simplicio
Vucinic, Totti
Borriello
Errr....try and enjoy it, at least?
Game: 2045cet