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Phalanx Prophecy: Welcome Back, Beckham
Back in Europe, David Beckham has once again transformed -- seemingly overnight -- into an elite player. Zac Lee Rigg investigates before breaking down the upcoming Serie A action.
Jan 8, 2010 3:55:35 PM
By Zac Lee Rigg
David Beckham is a different beast when on the continent of Europe.
Fans of the Major League Soccer version of Beckham looked on in awe Wednesday as Goldenballs churned out a performance those Stateside have waited two and a half years to witness.
Against a quite talented Genoa team-- the side Beckham scored against in last year's loan stint in the Serie A -- the Englishman created AC Milan's first chance in the fourth minute, a clever flat cross which Marco Borriello directed into the knees of the goalkeeper; helped create Milan's second penalty; meekly turned down the chance to take the third PK; and generally ran riot down the right flank.
The Los Angeles Galaxy version of Becks gives you tidy and mature performances in the middle of the park, helping work behind the scenes to string together attacks and launching diagonal long balls. The wildebeest Genoa faced was full of exploding acceleration, unnerving crosses, and an enviable work ethic. At times he switched spots with rightback Ignazio Abate to play a defensive role papers had tipped him to start in.
It's a testament to just how active Beckham was that Leonardo even considered him for the right side of a three-man attack, a slot usually occupied by Milan's liveliest player, the 20-year-old Alexandre Pato.
Because, you see, Beckham is different in Europe. Under the scrutinizing gaze of England boss Fabio Capello, the 34-year-old transformed back into the player who earned renown as an elite talent and a free kick specialist at Manchester United, who won over every critic -- including then club boss, Fabio Capello -- at Real Madrid, and who sailed right past 100 caps for England.
Capello's declarations that Beckham needs to play in Europe to make his 2010 World Cup squad perhaps contains less criticism of the level of play in MLS but rather chides the amount of motivation his most-capped player has on the other side of the Atlantic.
When asked what Beckham needed to do to make his 23-man roster for the World Cup, Capello mused, "Nothing. He needs to play like Beckham."
Well, the European version of Beckham at least.
Striker Swap
The January transfer window had barely creaked open when a series of teams sent a handful of strikers in a quick merry-go-round. One can only imagine that misfiring forwards would be subject to the same sort of cruel carousel coaches are in Italy were it not for the stern transfer system.
Most of the newly-outfitted strikers took the opportunity of Wednesday's round of matches to bed in quickly at their new clubs.
Top of the list was Sergio Floccari. Despite a big bucks move to Genoa in the summer, the 28-year-old had yet to adequately replace Diego Milito in the frontline. A loan move to Lazio promised another chance, and after only one training session with his new teammates, he notched a brace in his debut, in a 4-1 route of Livorno.
Taking up the open roster spot Floccari left in his wake, Honduran David Suazo started his first game of the season having been frozen out at Internazionale. Though his first touch showed the rust of riding the cold steel bench in Milan for several months, the 30-year-old struck quite a sweet consolation against Milan by lifting his left-footed shot into the top corner of the net.
Inter, in turn, quickly forgot about the loss of Suazo by fielding Goran Pandev. After Pandev submitted a transfer request at Lazio this summer, club president Claudio Lotito demanded 19 million euros for the Macedonian. As Pandev had only a year left on his contact, no club came even close to that price. Instead, Lotito isolated the 26-year-old, making him train separately and refusing to let coach Davide Ballardini call him up.
Lega Calcio, Serie A's governing body, rescinded Pandev's Lazio contract this week, allowing the hitman to join Jose Mourinho's side for free. Despite a lack of fitness, Pandev started against Chievo and headed home Mario Balotelli's early winner when it didn't look like the shot had crossed the line. Eventually the goal was given to Balotelli, but Pandev impressed in his role down the left.
In fact, the only new striker who didn't have a good outing was Luca Toni. After months of dispute with Bayern Munich, the 32-year-old finally secured a loan to Roma. He made his debut against Cagliari, coming on in the 81st minute with Roma two goals up. However, in injury time, the capital club managed to concede twice, dropping two points.
Last week: 1 / 2 (50%)
For the season: 18/28 (64%)
Centurion – AC Milan @ Juventus
Sunday, Jan. 10, 2:30 p.m. EST
Fox Soccer Channel
Two criticized rookie managers, as of yet unable to capture the glory of their playing careers. Two slumping giants, not quite ready to challenge for the Serie A title. Two arrays of star-studded sides lacking the cohesion and depth to be continental forces.
The timing of this game couldn't lend itself to more lip smacking. With Inter cruising back into an eight point lead atop the table, the winner here will be the nation's choice to chase the runaway leaders. Currently, only a point separates these two sides, but expect newspapers to announce the death of the losing team's title chances come Monday.
Milan comes into this one as the form team, having won six of the last seven. With Beckham fitting in seamlessly, Borriello ripening into a lethal predator, and even Klaas-Jan Huntelaar among the goals, Milan's attack looks dangerous. Not so Juve, which enters this match without Vincenzo Iaquinta, David Trezeguet, and Mauro Camoranesi. More detrimental is the injury to goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
Key Man: Marco Borriello (Milan) hit a brace against Genoa. With Beckham drawing the defense wide where Pato may have played too close to his partner, the striker found the space to poke home two opportunistic chances, the second a gorgeous scissor kick which clicked the post on its way in.
Prediction: Milan win. Reports indicate that a loss will see Ciro Ferrara lose his job with Guus Hiddink replacing him. The veracity of such claims will come to light soon enough.
Optio – Chievo @ Roma
5:00 p.m. EST, Saturday, Jan. 9
Fox Soccer Channel
Both teams enter this one with a grudge as the new year was not kind in either club's opening fixture. Roma conceded twice in injury time to draw and Chievo had a penalty turned down seconds before Inter raced down the pitch and scored the winner. Now both managers will look to use the chips in their players shoulders to earn the first win of 2010.
Despite the break, both clubs have casualties. Francesco Totti won't take part, a gigantic blow for Roma, and Frenchman Philippe Mexes will join him on the sidelines. Chievo is fretting over the fitness of star striker Sergio Pellissier. The scorer of five goals in all competitions crashed heads with Cristian Chivu midweek, fracturing the Romanian's skull and likely ending the defender's season. If Pellissier cannot take to the pitch, Erjon Bogdani would step in.
Key man: Luca Toni (Roma) will be desperate to avoid his miserable 10 minutes against Cagliari. In his Olimpico debut, the striker will take part from the beginning, moving Mirko Vucinic to the left and Julio Baptista to the bench. His chances of joining the Italian national team in South Africa rest perilously on how well he can perform for Roma in the upcoming months.
Prediction: Draw. Chievo's gutsy performance against Inter showed that, even without Pellissier, the Flying Donkey's have what it takes to trouble the best in Italy.
Decurion – Siena @ Internazionale
2:30 p.m. EST, Saturday, Jan. 9
Fox Soccer Channel
Two thirds of winter champions go on to win the Serie A. Jose Mourinho has proven over the past handful of seasons that he can ignore statistics such as that and deploy teams ready to beat the bread and butter teams like Siena without distraction. Bottom of the table after a 5-1 thrashing by Fiorentina to start off the year, the Bianconeri look destined for relegation. Not even the delightfully named Massimo Maccarone can save the team, despite his solid six goals.
Inter will look to rotate. Captain Javier Zanetti will slot back into the defense with Chivu injured, leaving room in the midfield for Thiago Motta and Dejan Stankovic to step into the wake of the departing Patrick Vieira. Up front, Pandev and Milito are likely to continue with Samuel Eto'o away for the month at the African Cup of Naitons.
Key man: Dejan Stankovic (Inter) pumps out his best performances when Wesley Sneijder takes the creative burden. The Serb's knack for scoring long distance shots could come in handy with Eto'o missing, but won't be nearly as crucial as his ability to hold down the midfield.
Prediction: Inter win.
Legionary – Bari @ Fiorentina
9:00 a.m. EST, Sunday, Jan. 10
Fox Soccer Channel
The team that thrashed Siena just a handful of days ago will have more trouble in its next matchup. Newly-promoted Bari sit level on points with the Viola, helping dispel the myth of the insurmountable gulf between Serie A and B.
Bari will bring with it a familiar face to Florence. Sergio Almiron spent most of his loan from Juventus last year riding the pine for Cesare Prandelli. Now with Bari, he has scored three goals in 16 appearances to help lift Bari into eighth place in table. With Cristiano Zanetti missing, Almiron will tussle with the youthful Italian pair of Marco Donadel and Riccardo Montolivo for midfield dominance. Prandelli will also have to do without the injured Alessandro Gamberini, Marco Marchionni, and Stevan Jovetic, and the suspended Gianluca Comotto. That should leave space for new signing Felipe to play his second game in the heart of defense and for the attack to pair Adrian Mutu with Alberto Gilardino.
Key man: Alberto Gilardino (Fiorentina) scored a brace against Siena, taking him to nine for the season. Despite a shifting supply-line behind him, Gilardino just keeps scoring.
Prediction: Fiorentina win. Without Europe to distract it for a couple weeks and the benefit of playing at home, the Viola should hone in on that last Champions League place.
Zac Lee Rigg is an associate editor of Goal.com
Keep up to date with Serie A and Italy news with Goal.com's Italy page
David Beckham is a different beast when on the continent of Europe.
Fans of the Major League Soccer version of Beckham looked on in awe Wednesday as Goldenballs churned out a performance those Stateside have waited two and a half years to witness.
Against a quite talented Genoa team-- the side Beckham scored against in last year's loan stint in the Serie A -- the Englishman created AC Milan's first chance in the fourth minute, a clever flat cross which Marco Borriello directed into the knees of the goalkeeper; helped create Milan's second penalty; meekly turned down the chance to take the third PK; and generally ran riot down the right flank.
The Los Angeles Galaxy version of Becks gives you tidy and mature performances in the middle of the park, helping work behind the scenes to string together attacks and launching diagonal long balls. The wildebeest Genoa faced was full of exploding acceleration, unnerving crosses, and an enviable work ethic. At times he switched spots with rightback Ignazio Abate to play a defensive role papers had tipped him to start in.
It's a testament to just how active Beckham was that Leonardo even considered him for the right side of a three-man attack, a slot usually occupied by Milan's liveliest player, the 20-year-old Alexandre Pato.
Because, you see, Beckham is different in Europe. Under the scrutinizing gaze of England boss Fabio Capello, the 34-year-old transformed back into the player who earned renown as an elite talent and a free kick specialist at Manchester United, who won over every critic -- including then club boss, Fabio Capello -- at Real Madrid, and who sailed right past 100 caps for England.
Capello's declarations that Beckham needs to play in Europe to make his 2010 World Cup squad perhaps contains less criticism of the level of play in MLS but rather chides the amount of motivation his most-capped player has on the other side of the Atlantic.
When asked what Beckham needed to do to make his 23-man roster for the World Cup, Capello mused, "Nothing. He needs to play like Beckham."
Well, the European version of Beckham at least.
Striker Swap
The January transfer window had barely creaked open when a series of teams sent a handful of strikers in a quick merry-go-round. One can only imagine that misfiring forwards would be subject to the same sort of cruel carousel coaches are in Italy were it not for the stern transfer system.
Most of the newly-outfitted strikers took the opportunity of Wednesday's round of matches to bed in quickly at their new clubs.
Top of the list was Sergio Floccari. Despite a big bucks move to Genoa in the summer, the 28-year-old had yet to adequately replace Diego Milito in the frontline. A loan move to Lazio promised another chance, and after only one training session with his new teammates, he notched a brace in his debut, in a 4-1 route of Livorno.
Taking up the open roster spot Floccari left in his wake, Honduran David Suazo started his first game of the season having been frozen out at Internazionale. Though his first touch showed the rust of riding the cold steel bench in Milan for several months, the 30-year-old struck quite a sweet consolation against Milan by lifting his left-footed shot into the top corner of the net.
 |
Lega Calcio, Serie A's governing body, rescinded Pandev's Lazio contract this week, allowing the hitman to join Jose Mourinho's side for free. Despite a lack of fitness, Pandev started against Chievo and headed home Mario Balotelli's early winner when it didn't look like the shot had crossed the line. Eventually the goal was given to Balotelli, but Pandev impressed in his role down the left.
In fact, the only new striker who didn't have a good outing was Luca Toni. After months of dispute with Bayern Munich, the 32-year-old finally secured a loan to Roma. He made his debut against Cagliari, coming on in the 81st minute with Roma two goals up. However, in injury time, the capital club managed to concede twice, dropping two points.
Last week: 1 / 2 (50%)
For the season: 18/28 (64%)
Centurion – AC Milan @ Juventus
Sunday, Jan. 10, 2:30 p.m. EST
Fox Soccer Channel
Two criticized rookie managers, as of yet unable to capture the glory of their playing careers. Two slumping giants, not quite ready to challenge for the Serie A title. Two arrays of star-studded sides lacking the cohesion and depth to be continental forces.
The timing of this game couldn't lend itself to more lip smacking. With Inter cruising back into an eight point lead atop the table, the winner here will be the nation's choice to chase the runaway leaders. Currently, only a point separates these two sides, but expect newspapers to announce the death of the losing team's title chances come Monday.
 |
Key Man: Marco Borriello (Milan) hit a brace against Genoa. With Beckham drawing the defense wide where Pato may have played too close to his partner, the striker found the space to poke home two opportunistic chances, the second a gorgeous scissor kick which clicked the post on its way in.
Prediction: Milan win. Reports indicate that a loss will see Ciro Ferrara lose his job with Guus Hiddink replacing him. The veracity of such claims will come to light soon enough.
Optio – Chievo @ Roma
5:00 p.m. EST, Saturday, Jan. 9
Fox Soccer Channel
Both teams enter this one with a grudge as the new year was not kind in either club's opening fixture. Roma conceded twice in injury time to draw and Chievo had a penalty turned down seconds before Inter raced down the pitch and scored the winner. Now both managers will look to use the chips in their players shoulders to earn the first win of 2010.
Despite the break, both clubs have casualties. Francesco Totti won't take part, a gigantic blow for Roma, and Frenchman Philippe Mexes will join him on the sidelines. Chievo is fretting over the fitness of star striker Sergio Pellissier. The scorer of five goals in all competitions crashed heads with Cristian Chivu midweek, fracturing the Romanian's skull and likely ending the defender's season. If Pellissier cannot take to the pitch, Erjon Bogdani would step in.
 |
Prediction: Draw. Chievo's gutsy performance against Inter showed that, even without Pellissier, the Flying Donkey's have what it takes to trouble the best in Italy.
Decurion – Siena @ Internazionale
2:30 p.m. EST, Saturday, Jan. 9
Fox Soccer Channel
Two thirds of winter champions go on to win the Serie A. Jose Mourinho has proven over the past handful of seasons that he can ignore statistics such as that and deploy teams ready to beat the bread and butter teams like Siena without distraction. Bottom of the table after a 5-1 thrashing by Fiorentina to start off the year, the Bianconeri look destined for relegation. Not even the delightfully named Massimo Maccarone can save the team, despite his solid six goals.
Inter will look to rotate. Captain Javier Zanetti will slot back into the defense with Chivu injured, leaving room in the midfield for Thiago Motta and Dejan Stankovic to step into the wake of the departing Patrick Vieira. Up front, Pandev and Milito are likely to continue with Samuel Eto'o away for the month at the African Cup of Naitons.
Key man: Dejan Stankovic (Inter) pumps out his best performances when Wesley Sneijder takes the creative burden. The Serb's knack for scoring long distance shots could come in handy with Eto'o missing, but won't be nearly as crucial as his ability to hold down the midfield.
Prediction: Inter win.
 |
9:00 a.m. EST, Sunday, Jan. 10
Fox Soccer Channel
The team that thrashed Siena just a handful of days ago will have more trouble in its next matchup. Newly-promoted Bari sit level on points with the Viola, helping dispel the myth of the insurmountable gulf between Serie A and B.
Bari will bring with it a familiar face to Florence. Sergio Almiron spent most of his loan from Juventus last year riding the pine for Cesare Prandelli. Now with Bari, he has scored three goals in 16 appearances to help lift Bari into eighth place in table. With Cristiano Zanetti missing, Almiron will tussle with the youthful Italian pair of Marco Donadel and Riccardo Montolivo for midfield dominance. Prandelli will also have to do without the injured Alessandro Gamberini, Marco Marchionni, and Stevan Jovetic, and the suspended Gianluca Comotto. That should leave space for new signing Felipe to play his second game in the heart of defense and for the attack to pair Adrian Mutu with Alberto Gilardino.
Key man: Alberto Gilardino (Fiorentina) scored a brace against Siena, taking him to nine for the season. Despite a shifting supply-line behind him, Gilardino just keeps scoring.
Prediction: Fiorentina win. Without Europe to distract it for a couple weeks and the benefit of playing at home, the Viola should hone in on that last Champions League place.
Zac Lee Rigg is an associate editor of Goal.com
Keep up to date with Serie A and Italy news with Goal.com's Italy page
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