The Franco Sensi AS Roma 2013/14 Season Thread

Gervinho now hits the post with an open goal at his mercy.

Gervinho now scuffs one into the net.

Torino star Alessio Cerci has reiterated his desire to play for home-town club Roma at some stage in the future.

The 26-year-old is a product of the Giallorosso youth sector, but he was sold by the club in the summer of 2010 to Fiorentina.

ā€œIt is no secret that I would like to return to Roma one day, Iā€™ve said that before,ā€ the attacker told Tiki Taka.

ā€œI feel as if I am ready to play in the Champions League. Iā€™m mature, I think the time may have arrived for me to take a step up in quality.ā€

Cerci is having another fine season at Torino and he is fighting to be on the plane for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

ā€œIā€™m calm about the competition for places in the national side, thatā€™s because I know my qualities and what I can do,ā€ he maintained.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfokLJgNrDY

Bring him home.

Whats this in?

The latest reports of our transfer activity is that we are close to signing Paredes from Boca but we need to find him a club until June as we canā€™t register another non-EU player until then.

Also being linked again with Pastore despite his agent ruling out a move for him recently, it would apparently be a loan move with no option to buy.

We have signed this young man according to my sources.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARpa6AK1p0o

It will be interesting to see how Garcia shapes up the attack for tomorrow night, De Sanctis, the back 4 and the midfield 3 will pick itself so the only really decisions to be made are in attack. Destro has been in great form with 3 in 3 since returning from injury, Totti has now got two games under his belt since his absence and Ljajic, Gervinho and Florenzi are all fit.

I think Garcia will go with the most conservative line-up in this game with regards to his attack - this means he will choose only one of Destro/Totti. Choosing both would mean one having to play out wide and I feel he would be hesitant about their ability to track back. I think Totti will get the nod as he will take up a deeper position and allows us to feed the runners. Gervinho should start and Iā€™d imagine the final berth will go to Florenzi over Ljajic even though Florenzi has been on the bench for our last number of games. He has a fantastic work rate and is probably the player who will benefit most on having Totti in the team.

De Sanctis; Maicon, Benatia, Castan, Dodo; Pjanic, De Rossi, Strootman; Gervinho, Totti, Florenzi.

Totti and De Rossi have Antonio Cunte badly rattled with their pre-match comments.

Roma captain Totti and midfielder Daniele De Rossi stoked the flames this week by suggesting their team was ā€œbetterā€ than Juve.

ā€œWhen there is pub talk provocation, you have to take it as a joke and relax,ā€ said Conte in his Press conference.

ā€œI donā€™t want to respond to Totti and De Rossiā€™s comments, as I am accustomed to responding on the pitch. In the last two and a half years we gave a very clear response on the pitch, soā€¦

ā€œIt seems to me that in Italy the controversy in the papers has more importance than what happens in a match situation. Instead, words are swept away on the air and facts are all that matter.ā€

Nice little video on Destroā€™s recovery from injury.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5-5nBdG2lo

I think he will be the greatest striker in our clubā€™s history. Heā€™s got everything I like in a striker, the physique, the movement, the confidence, the instincts, he struggled when he joined here at first but heā€™s looking more confident and relaxed now. Very much in the mould of Bobo Vieri.

Inter look like they have nabbed Danilo Dā€™Ambrosio from Torino for ā‚¬2m. He had been linked very strongly with Roma and Milan and Iā€™m very disappointed we missed out on him because I believe he would have been a better option at left back than either Balzaretti or Dodo.

It will be interesting to see whether he is likely to dislodge Nagatomo or Jonathan as he is very comfortable on both flanks. Itā€™s also being reported that Wallace will return to Chelsea after his unimpressive loan spell.

Garcia had only two real selection choices to make tonight and it looks like Totti and Ljajic have won out over Destro and Florenzi.

More of this tonight please.

http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view3/2279958/totti-vs-tudor-o.gif

Confirmed.

De Sanctis; Maicon, Benatia, Castan, DodĆ²; Pjanic, De Rossi, Strootman; Ljajic, Totti, Gervinho

Think I would have preferred the running power of Florenzi over Ljajic but we have some decent options with Florenzi, Destro and Bradley on the bench.

Links for tonightā€™s game.

http://www.wiziwig.tv/broadcast.php?matchid=236559&part=sports

Richard Hughes thinks Juventus have better players than us. We will see, Richard Hughes.

James Horncastle looks like a very ugly woman.

Destro will rise off that black and white seat tonight and be decisive.

Vidal is a fucking maggot.

Bonucci is struggling on Totti. Heā€™s trying to roughhouse him but Totti is too strong.