Caffè e Cornetto: Friday February 17

Prima Pagina: Corriere dello Sport - Rome Edition

English summary: Edin Dzeko. That is all.

Headlines:

Villarreal-Roma, il web spagnolo: “Mica sono la Juve. Noi piu forti, passiamo senza problemi” (ForzaRoma.info)

English summary: Some delicious post-match reading. Pre-match takes from a Villarreal website on how they’ll beat Roma, win the final, Spanish football is the best, their keeper is the best in the world, etc.

4-0. Boom.

Villarreal-Roma, i tifosi spagnoli insultano Spalletti e lui gli manda dei baci (ForzaRoma.info)

English summary: Away fans had it out for TGIP once again. After his episode with the Crotone Ultras and a few fans over the weekend, last night Spalletti found himself being insulted by the Villarreal faithful. This time he responded a bit differently by blowing them all kisses. How sweet of him.

Florenzi: confermata la lesione al crociato, sarà operato fra le 13.30 e le 15 dal prof. Mariani (FOTO e VIDEO) (LaRoma24.it)

The bad news has been confirmed. Alessandro Florenzi has torn his ACL again. He’s actually heading into the operating room as I type this sentence. Procedure should be finished around 3PM local time.

Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

INFERMERIA, SI LIBERA UN POSTO. L’AGENTE DI NURA ASSICURA: “IL GIOCATORE È PRONTO AL RIENTRO (CarloZampa.it)

English summary: Roma and ACLs. You can’t make this stuff up. While we all attempt to digest the bad news surrounding the knee of a Roma right back, some good news about the knee of a Roma right back emerges! Yes, Primavera speedster Abdullahi Nura’s agent came out today and said the player will be back very soon. Nura has been back in training with the Primavera since January 23rd.

Zeman è tornato a Pescara. Il boemo ha accettato la proposta di Sebastiani: 100 mila euro per 4 mesi e mezzo milione per ripartire (Corriere dello Sport)

English summary: Zeman is back, bitches. However, he (and Pescara) may not be around for long. With 14 matches to play, they sit 13 points away from salvation.

Meme/Video/Gif of the Morning:

Since we didn’t have this post yesterday, here it is, one day late, still so worth it:

February 16, 2013: Roma 1 Juve 0

A rocket from a certain Roman...cue the Zampa:

Morning Match Ratings:

I wasn’t able to catch the match yesterday, but do not fear, Jimmy Miotto is here with the match ratings:

Alisson, 8.5: This game proved that Roma has an embarrassment of riches in the goalkeeper department. Wojciech Szczęsny got a deserved night off and Alisson seized the opportunity, looking incredibly comfortable leading the defense throughout the match. When called upon, the Brazilian was an excellent shot-blocker, particularly on Villareal’s many counters. He’s certainly proven himself to be a quality purchase - the question should now be what Luciano Spalletti will do to keep both of Roma’s excellent goalies happy.

Antonio Rüdiger, 6.5: Roma’s Head of Social Media Outreach didn’t have his best match ever, but his tackling ability made sure that The Yellow Submarine didn’t have many chances on goal.

Federico Fazio, 7: To quote History of the World, Part One: Nice. Nice. Not thrilling, but nice. Il Comandante had a slightly below-average night, but considering that his average this season has made him the best center-back in Serie A, I honestly can’t complain.

Kostas Manolas, 6: One word can describe the Greek’s performance tonight, and that’s nervy. He didn’t seem himself, and he’s honestly quite lucky that Roma’s attack was so potent - if this game was close, I’m not convinced he could’ve held it together for the full ninety.

Bruno Peres, 6: Roma’s second-best Brazilian fullback (didn’t see that one coming) had an okay game, but at some point he’s got to produce the performances that made him a star at Torino. We haven’t seen that yet, and I’m beginning to worry we won’t ever see it.

Kevin Strootman, 7.5: Er Lavatrice fought for the ball throughout the match, and he wasn’t apologetic about it. The attacking players (and Emerson) may get the best ratings from me tonight, but if the midfield didn’t perform, the scoreline would not have been as bloated.

Daniele De Rossi, 7: Capitano Quasi Presente had a solid night, working well with Strootman to command the middle of the field and make sure that Villareal didn’t get too many chances. Rumors are that he’ll be receiving a contract extension in the near future, and based off of his performances this season, I’d argue he deserves it.

Emerson Palmieri, 8: Walter Sabatini had his faults, but his nose for young South American talent certainly wasn’t one of them. Emerson has blossomed into one of Serie A’s best left backs, and this performance, defensively and offensively, was the Brazilian’s best match to date. The sheer confidence Emerson displayed on and off the ball is something to savor, and it’s no surprise that both Brazil and Italy are looking to incorporate him into their national teams. Whichever way Emerson goes in that regard, let’s hope that he stays with Roma for a long time to come.

Radja Nainggolan, 6.5: Considering how dominant Nainggolan has been this entire year, it felt odd to see him not perform at a world-beater level. However, he made no major mistakes and put his body on the line time and time again for the shirt. If only he was a little more accurate with his long shots.

Stephan El Shaarawy, 6.5: Roma’s newest investor (in the app market, anyways) had a quiet game, at least in comparison to Edin Džeko and Mohamed Salah. It’s a good sign that he got the start, though - as much as I appreciate Diego Perotti, SES can be a part of Roma’s long-term future and should be given the space to grow.

Edin Džeko, 10: Edin Džeko, so hot right now, Edin Džeko. He’s the leading goalscorer in Serie A, the leading goalscorer in the Europa League, and a major candidate for the Golden Boot. Raise your hand if you saw that coming (Bosnians, sorry, but you don’t count for this one). Let’s hope he continues to find the net - we all remember the last time Roma had that type of goalscoring prowess, right?