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Roman Soldier: Complacency Will Not Win Roma The Derby Against Lazio
The Derby della Capitale beckons and ‘Roman Soldier’ Vince Masiello fears the Giallorossi will take the struggling Aquile for granted.
Dec 2, 2009 8:00:50 AM
It’s derby week in Rome, but I can hardly feel the vibe that traditionally envelops the Italian capital before Roma and Lazio lock horns.
Far be it from me to speculate about the feelings around Formello as the D-day approaches, but I’m sensing a relaxed atmosphere within the Giallorossi camp. Perhaps too relaxed.
Just look at that happy smile on Claudio Ranieri’s face. He conveyed a sense of security after Sunday’s hard-fought win at Atalanta that was a rarity, to say the least.
Why was ‘Er Pecione’ so gleeful? Was it because he feels he has finally managed to rev up the rusty Maggica engine? Probably.
Or was he just basking in the misfortunes of his old club Juventus who mercilessly kicked him out the door last May and are now already picking up the pieces of a shattered season? Also likely.
And the Lupi’s inebriated mood was there for everyone to see on Monday as captain Francesco Totti launched his new official website in a lavish ceremony that was attended by Ranieri and Daniele De Rossi.
Amid all the razzmatazz, I could barely discern any kind of giddy anticipation for admittedly the biggest footballing event in the Eternal City.
Sure, Totti was sucked by the famished media pack into aiming some sort of petty jibe at Lazio’s current woes and their star striker Mauro Zarate in an attempt to add some spice to the derby build-up.
“Lazio are favorites…” laughed ‘Er Pupone’. But he seemed more keen to entertain questions about his impending new contract or his potential return to the national side rather than to issue a war cry and inspire his comrades to avenge last April’s 4-2 debacle in the Stracittadina.
Am I making a mountain out of a molehill here? Am I wrong in hoping that Roma get some perspective to finally bring some balance to their seesaw season?
Ten points from the last four games is certainly a commendable achievement that has allowed the Giallorossi to sneak into more familiar surroundings, but that doesn’t mean the storm has passed. Far from it.
Ranieri may have somehow squared the circle up front by pairing fantasy duo Jeremy Menez and Totti with a reinvigorated Mirko Vucinic, but his efforts to plug Roma’s leaky defense have been to no avail.
And after watching Atalanta’s Fabio Ceravolo bamboozle the hapless Juan on Sunday, I suppose the last glimmer of hope Ranieri had of keeping a single clean sheet in Serie A this term ultimately faded.
That is exactly why I find this apparent new-found euphoria hard to understand, particularly in the crucial week of the Derby della Capitale, the one game that can make or break your season around here.
Of course, the halcyon days when this clash used to be a Scudetto decider are a blurry memory now, and as Inter maintain their tyrannical stranglehold on Serie A, the Rome derby has gone decidedly parochial.
But extra significance is and will always be attached to this match in the Eternal City and the affront of defeat is an unbearable burden to carry until at least the next one.
We all know how derbies are unpredictable by nature and I refuse to believe Roma are going to take this clash lightly. And yet my gut feeling tells me there is too much overconfidence around Trigoria and Roma might be in for a tough awakening on Sunday night. Let’s call a spade a spade: Lazio may be comatose and without a win in over three months, but that counts for nothing when the city’s bragging rights are at stake.
“The Biancocelesti are beatable, but I don’t trust them,” has in fact warned the more practical De Rossi.
“They will be fired up. It’s always the same story: they struggle and then give the performance of their lives against us.”
If nothing else, the words of ‘Captain Future’ should knock some sense into the team.
Besides, De Rossi has an extra incentive to win this weekend: he is hoping to complete a family derby double over Lazio after his father guided the Primavera side to a 2-0 win over Lazio on Monday. Does a good beginning make a good ending?
Vince Masiello, Goal.com
Who is the Very Best? Just the coolest world music group right now. They talk about their love of football--Henrik Larsson!--in the DEC/JAN issue of Goal.com Magazine.
Far be it from me to speculate about the feelings around Formello as the D-day approaches, but I’m sensing a relaxed atmosphere within the Giallorossi camp. Perhaps too relaxed.
Just look at that happy smile on Claudio Ranieri’s face. He conveyed a sense of security after Sunday’s hard-fought win at Atalanta that was a rarity, to say the least.
Why was ‘Er Pecione’ so gleeful? Was it because he feels he has finally managed to rev up the rusty Maggica engine? Probably.
Or was he just basking in the misfortunes of his old club Juventus who mercilessly kicked him out the door last May and are now already picking up the pieces of a shattered season? Also likely.
And the Lupi’s inebriated mood was there for everyone to see on Monday as captain Francesco Totti launched his new official website in a lavish ceremony that was attended by Ranieri and Daniele De Rossi.
Amid all the razzmatazz, I could barely discern any kind of giddy anticipation for admittedly the biggest footballing event in the Eternal City.
Sure, Totti was sucked by the famished media pack into aiming some sort of petty jibe at Lazio’s current woes and their star striker Mauro Zarate in an attempt to add some spice to the derby build-up.
“Lazio are favorites…” laughed ‘Er Pupone’. But he seemed more keen to entertain questions about his impending new contract or his potential return to the national side rather than to issue a war cry and inspire his comrades to avenge last April’s 4-2 debacle in the Stracittadina.
Am I making a mountain out of a molehill here? Am I wrong in hoping that Roma get some perspective to finally bring some balance to their seesaw season?
Ten points from the last four games is certainly a commendable achievement that has allowed the Giallorossi to sneak into more familiar surroundings, but that doesn’t mean the storm has passed. Far from it.
Ranieri may have somehow squared the circle up front by pairing fantasy duo Jeremy Menez and Totti with a reinvigorated Mirko Vucinic, but his efforts to plug Roma’s leaky defense have been to no avail.
And after watching Atalanta’s Fabio Ceravolo bamboozle the hapless Juan on Sunday, I suppose the last glimmer of hope Ranieri had of keeping a single clean sheet in Serie A this term ultimately faded.
That is exactly why I find this apparent new-found euphoria hard to understand, particularly in the crucial week of the Derby della Capitale, the one game that can make or break your season around here.
Of course, the halcyon days when this clash used to be a Scudetto decider are a blurry memory now, and as Inter maintain their tyrannical stranglehold on Serie A, the Rome derby has gone decidedly parochial.
But extra significance is and will always be attached to this match in the Eternal City and the affront of defeat is an unbearable burden to carry until at least the next one.
We all know how derbies are unpredictable by nature and I refuse to believe Roma are going to take this clash lightly. And yet my gut feeling tells me there is too much overconfidence around Trigoria and Roma might be in for a tough awakening on Sunday night. Let’s call a spade a spade: Lazio may be comatose and without a win in over three months, but that counts for nothing when the city’s bragging rights are at stake.
“The Biancocelesti are beatable, but I don’t trust them,” has in fact warned the more practical De Rossi.
“They will be fired up. It’s always the same story: they struggle and then give the performance of their lives against us.”
If nothing else, the words of ‘Captain Future’ should knock some sense into the team.
Besides, De Rossi has an extra incentive to win this weekend: he is hoping to complete a family derby double over Lazio after his father guided the Primavera side to a 2-0 win over Lazio on Monday. Does a good beginning make a good ending?
Vince Masiello, Goal.com
Who is the Very Best? Just the coolest world music group right now. They talk about their love of football--Henrik Larsson!--in the DEC/JAN issue of Goal.com Magazine.
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