11 December 2006

WE WON!!!

3-0 in the derby, a very impressive showing! It also puts Lazio in 5th place, just two points out of a Champions League position! I haven't watched it yet, because my DVR crapped itself and didn't record it, but I downloaded it (the Fox Sports World broadcast is available on Bittorrent) and will watch it soon. Full recap then. For now

FORZA LAZIO!!!

09 December 2006

Promises I can't keep

I shouldn't do things like plan out posts for a whole week, especially when I know that I won't have the time to follow through on it. Here's the condensed version of Derby Week:

Curva Nord
The Irriducibili have pledged to suspend their protest for the Derby. They are claiming that they're doing it as a favor to the Laziali who usually sit in the Curva Sud at home games. Since all of the Laziali will be crammed into the Nord, the IRR say it wouldn't be fair to subject them to a somber atmosphere. I think the protesters have really wanted to be cheering, singing, and lighting things on fire all along.

Roma merda in Champions
Roma merda advanced to the knockout stage with a 1-0 win over Valencia on Tuesday. Totti didn't play, and there was some doubt as to whether he'd be ready for the Derby. All indications currently point to the fact that he will start on Sunday.

Preview
Lazio will be fielding its number one team, with no injuries or disqualifications lousing up the lineup. Behrami is ready to go, but will probably start on the bench. Rossi is right not to start him in his first game in six months in a derby situation. The defense will have to be very strong and Mauri will have to be the keystone of the offense in the trequartista role. Prediction? I'm not gonna tempt fate on that...

Why I'm not watching live
Tomorrow I'm making the drive down to South Bend for the second game of a home and home hockey series between Michigan and Notre Dame. Say I'm low on Lazialità, but I have lots of pride in my other teams, seeing a game live is important, and jeez after last night's dismal performance they'll need someone cheering them on. I am of course recording the game and I'll watch it later Sunday evening.

Apologies for the cursory treatment of all of this.
FORZA LAZIO!!! NON MOLLARE MAI

04 December 2006

DERBY WEEK post schedule

In celebration and preparation for Sunday's upcoming derby, I am going to try to make a post every day this week (despite having a very busy time of things in "real life"). Here's a tentative schedule of what's coming up.

Tuesday: The IRR and the Curva Nord's preparations for the match
Wednesday: Roma merda - Valencia and general Champions roundup
Thursday: TBD
Friday: traditional match preview
Saturday: Why I'm not watching the derby live
Sunday or Monday (or maybe Tuesday, it depends): derby recap

Fiorentina 1-0 Lazio: in your face!

What should have been a strong Lazio side struggled mightily against La Viola in Firenze on Sunday. I was unable to see the game, but I listened on Radio Incontro and gleaned most of the important points. From what I gather, Lazio and Fiorentina had about equal chances to score. The balance tipped due to the midfield play of Fabio Liverani (ex-biancocelesti, and how we miss him) and the fact that Luca Toni is...well, Luca Toni. The man scores, however necessary. Even if that means putting his boot in Stendardo's face.


This photo accompanied every article recapping the match. How this isn't a dangerous play, I have no idea. I suppose that because the ball found the back of the net, there's no way that the referee could call it back. Still, when two players have an equal challenge on the ball, but one goes in head first and the other cleats first, the header should get possession.

The biancocelesti are lucky to have allowed just the one goal. Another strike by Toni just after the half time break was disallowed as offside. The offensive rush by Fiorentina in just the 4th minute of the second half was probably due to the fact that Oddo was pulled in favor of Sivigila at the break. Vicious rumors abounded over at Laziofever that Oddo was hurt. This was not the case, and Delio Rossi confirmed this after the match.

Oddo ha avuto problemi in settimana, non si è allenato benissimo per l'influenza, l'ho sostituito per questo.
"Oddo had problems during the week, he didn't train well because he had the flu, I substituted him for that reason."
While Oddo's misfortune and the club's loss were disappointing, the worst news of the day came from outside the stadium. Four Lazio supporters were arrested for firebombing a police car that was on security duty. That is truly shameful, and something that I'd like to think that even Romanisti di merda wouldn't do. If the Irriducibili need something to protest (more on their preparations for the derby tomorrow), let it be those four people. They did not show Lazialità, and this is the week we will need it most. Avanti Lazio, la prossima è il derby!

02 December 2006

Fiorentina - Lazio preview

Fiorentina (5 pts, 18th place)
vs.
Lazio (18 pts, 7th place)
15:00 CET (9:00 AM EDT) Sun, Dec 3
Stadio Artemio Franchi, Firenze


US TV: RAI International (live)

Lazio will face a difficult match on the road at Fiorentina this Sunday. La Viola have only scored 5 points in their as many matches, but the numbers may be deceiving. Two of their most recent losses were to Palermo and Roma merda, who are among the lead pack of the classifica. Fiorentina's low spot on the table also doesn't portray them accurately. Since they were the only team of the original four penalized teams to not receive a lessening of their punishment, they have stayed at the bottom of the table while Lazio and Milan have moved up. In fact Fiorentina, starting at -15, have earned 20 points while Lazio, starting -3, have earned 21. The clubs should be nearly evenly matched, with the home stadium advantage tipping the balance toward Fiorentina.

One area of play in which the two squads will not be evenly matched is central midfield. This will be the first time that former biancocelesti captain Fabio Liverani will play against his old squad. Speaking to the media earlier this week, he talked about why he left and how he will deal with Sunday's match:
Sarà un'emozione forte, anche se non sarà come giocare a Roma. A Roma ho fatto cinque anni importanti della mia carriera, sono andato via perché non ero in sintonia con il presidente Lotito. Non sentivo da parte della società la fiducia di cui avevo bisogno. Mi auguro di essere il più lucido possibile in campo. Non posso permettermi di lasciare spazio ai sentimenti.
"It will be a difficult feeling, and it will not be like playing in Rome. In Rome I played five important years of my career, but I left because I wasn't in agreement with president Lotito. I didn't feel confident that they needed me as part of the club. I hope to be as clear-headed as possible on the pitch. I can't allow myself to leave room for emotions."

Lazio can't allow itself room for emotions either. Fortunately they will be starting one of their strongest lineups. The only regular starter who will not be on the pitch is Stefano Mauri (serving a one-game disqualification) but he will be replaced by Pasquale Foggia, who excelled in the trequartista position in the first match that Rossi used the 4-3-1-2. The defense is all healthy and out of trouble, and the only question there is which two out of three Rossi will pick from among Stendardo, Siviglia, and Cribari. The lineup should look very much like:

Peruzzi
Oddo-Siviglia-Stendardo/Cribari-Zauri
Mudingayi-Ledesma-Mutarelli
Foggia
Rocchi-Pandev

Lazio will do quite well, but I can't be too confident of three points. Prediction: Fiorentina 2-2 Lazio.