Canna Caps Off A Dream Year...

Despite reports last week which placed buck-toothed (overrated) Brazilian star Ronaldinho in first place in the Fifa World Player of the Year award, reports today now say that Cannavaro has won the award ahead of Zidane, with Ronaldinho only in third.

I can only hope that these reports are true. Whilst the whole squad were simply brilliant during the summer, Canna was their leader, and his performances were outstanding in every game he played in. There were groans (particularly in France and this country) when he was awarded the Golden Ball for European Player of the Year, but hopefully this time they will simply acknowledge his achievements this year for what they are. I'm sure Canna will view the award as a reward for the whole squad, and he would be right to do so.

As well as picking up that award, he'll also get the silver ball for being the second best player at the Fifa World Cup (how he came second to Zidane is beyond me, but anyway), and he'll be joined by Pirlo, who was voted third best. Buffon will also pick up an award for being the best goalie at the world cup.

So, hopefully another night to remember - there have been many of them this year, but none quite as sweet as those during June and July when we finally put an end to years of suffering in the best possible way. I recently watched highlights of some of our games again, and I'm pleased to say that the same feelings of excitement and joy were there. The hairs still rise on the back of my neck when I hear Caressa and Bergomi's commentary of Grosso and Del P's goals against Germany!

PO PO PO PO PO PO - SIAMO CAMPIONE DEL MONDO! Singing that just doesn't get old!

Moving On Up!

Venezia 3-1 Lucchese

A tremendous result yesterday sees us climb to outright second in the table, and coupled with Monza's heavy defeat (5-2 at home!) to Massesse and Sassuolo's draw with Pistoiese, it means we are now only 2 points from the top of the table.

By all accounts it was a great performance, which even some dodgy refereeing could not stop (a dodgy penalty for Lucchese; no penalty for us when a Lucchese defender handballed in the box). Moro hit the bar after only three minutes before Manolo Gennari got us off to the perfect start after 7 minutes, tapping home Marco Moro's cross. We continued to dominate the first half, but Lucchese did hit the post with a header on 21 minutes from Bellucci, before being awarded the aforementioned dodgy penalty five minutes before halftime.

If they were annoyed to go in level, the boys soon made amends after the break - Capitan Collauto with a rocket shot from 25 metres seven minutes in put us 2-1 up, and Gennari got his second a few minutes later. After that it was plain sailing.

Despite the great result, there is still one more important task before Christmas - a tricky away tie to Pisa, who won at the weekend to climb into 3rd. Given that they have managed to play 16 games and score only 10 goals, letting in 5, there is a failry good chance of a 0-0, but as long as we don't lose, we can be happy with our first half of the season's work...

Serie C1/A:

1. Sassuolo P 16 W 8 D 7 L 1 GF 23 GA 11 Pts 31

2. Venezia P 16 W 8 D 5 L 3 GF 22 GA 13 Pts 29

3. Pisa P 16 W 6 D 9 L 1 GF 10 GA 5 Pts 27

4. Monza P 16 W 7 D 5 L 4 GF 22 GA 17 Pts 26

5. Lucchese P 16 W 7 D 4 L 5 GF 22 GA 12 Pts 25

Venezia to Play Host to Euro 2012

No, honestly!

They've apparently put themselves forward as one of the 12 cities to host games at Euro 2012, assuming Italy get it (which seems to be pretty much assumed from all I can find on it). The plan would apparently allow us to build the new stadium that we have been wanting to for so long, somewhere near the airport I think.

Would be great to a) have a new stadio (and one that is not made out of meccano!) and b) imagine it is good enough to host top class international fixtures. Having a good stadium would have to mean the infrastructure was there to back it up, which hopefully means city council backing and funding.

In other news, the VeneziaMestre 1987 Ultras have announced they are quitting the curva, but remain dedicated to the team - sounds like the curva will be half empty again for the game against Lucchese, but hopefully the support for the team will be resounding enough to spur the players on!

A Point Gained

Sassuolo 0 - 0 Venezia

A vital away point to the league leaders halted their run of wins and our run of away defeats, and, coupled with Monza losing 2-0 at Novara, sees us climb to joint second in the table.

By all accounts it was a bit nervy, but even the Sassuolo manager admitted the draw was the fair result. The only negative was that we continued our recent trend of having a man sent off, Melucci this time for two bookable offences. Scantamburlo was also injured, which means we will have to do without either of them for the big game against Lucchese on Sunday.

It sounds like the players are still giving their all, and hopefully come Sunday, the Ultras will as well - there have been mutterings that the curva will be fuller than it was last game, but no solution to the division has yet been found. Let's hope they keep working on it until kick off so that the players can play in front of a packed curva and receive the support that they deserve. A victory against Lucchese would be a big boost in terms of gaining a playoff spot, and depending on what Sassuolo do, could even push us closer to the top of the league.

Serie C1/A:

1. Sassuolo P 15 W 8 D 6 L 1 GF 22 GA 10 Pts 30
2. Monza P 15 W 7 D 5 L 3 GF 20 GA 12 Pts 26
3. Venezia P 15 W 7 D 5 L 3 GF 19 GA 12 Pts 26
4. Lucchese P 15 W 7 D 4 L 4 GF 22 GA 9 Pts 25
5. Pisa P 15 W 5 D 9 L 1 GF 9 GA 5 Pts 24
6. Cittadella P 15 W 5 D 7 L 3 GF 19 GA 14 Pts 22

Is the Power of the Ultras a Good Thing?

I ask this because it is has a very real chance of ruining our promotion chances this season - and could lead to the financial backers at the club to pull out.

As I said before, when I was there only 2 weeks ago, the curva sud was packed and rocking - impressive for a third division game - with all the choreographed singing and drum beating that you see at the bigger Serie A clubs.

However, as I said in last Monday's post, last Sunday's game saw the curva sud nearly empty as the various factions of Ultras sat at different parts of the stadium. It is apparently the usual Italian fan nonsense about some of the fans being right wing, and others left wing, and now they won't sit in the curva together. The effect appears to be that the support for the team is not nearly as strong as it was, and it did seem to affect the players as we only managed to scrape past Grosseto 1-0.

More importantly though, the Chairman and President have both come out to question whether all the money that they have invested is actually worth it if even the harcore supporters won't get together to support the team - by the sounds of things, they may be looking for a way to jump ship. And all of this is threatening to destabilise the team just before we play our most important three games of the season, away to leaders Sassuolo, home to fourth placed Lucchese and away to fifth placed Pisa.

There are undoubtedly other factors to Marinese's and Poletti's concerns (political and financial support from the city being noticeable by its absence), but it does seem to me that the present situation has largely happened due to the whims of the Ultras at the club, and the effect it is having is potentially crippling to our push for promotion - and if Marinese and Poletti pull out of the club, we could sink without a trace.

Updated League Table

Sassuolo beat Monza 2-0, which sends them 3 points clear at the top. The top three are now:

Sassuolo 29 Pts
Monza 26 Pts
Venezia 25 Pts

As I said in yesterday's post we play Sassuolo next, away. Looks like it could be a tough game, especially with our recent away form...

A Vital Victory

Venezia 1 - 0 Grosseto

By all accounts, this was a hard game - to watch and to play. Grossetto are a big, physical side, and they pressed us all over the park, which disrupted our normal passing game.

Chances were few and far between, but it was no surprise to hear that Moro was our main threat, twice coming close to scoring before eventually getting the only goal of the game late on, as pictured.

The only other thing of note from the game was the fact that the curva sud, which was packed and rocking when I was there was half full as the various factions of the Ultras have broken up, meaning that they are now positioned all around the stadium. Hopefully they can sort out their differences, because it was actually quite impressive when I was there to see and hear the packed curva.

Still, an important victory, particularly when you look at our next three fixtures - away to Sassuolo (currently second; they play leaders Monza tonight), home to Lucchese and away to Pisa (who must be the most boring team in the world to watch - they have played 14 games, scored 8 and let in 5!!! What are the bets on a nil-nil in that one?!) Our chances of promotion will be a lot clearer once those three games are out the way - if we can still be within 3 points or so from the lead come Christmas, we have real reason to be optimistic. Here's hoping...!

Serie C1/A

1. Monza P 13 W 7 D 5 L 1 F 20 A 8 Pts 26
2. Sassuolo P 13 W 7 D 5 L 1 F 20 A 10 Pts 26
3. Venezia P 14 W 7 D 4 L 3 F 19 A 12 Pts 25
4. Lucchese P 14 W 6 D 4 L 4 F 17 A 7 Pts 22
5. Pisa P 14 W 4 D 9 L 1 F 8 A 5 Pts 21
6. Pro Sesto W 5 D 6 L 3 F 9 A 7 Pts 21

Back Down To Earth...

Pro Sesto 2-0 Venezia

I actually got to see Venezia twice in the space of a week as they were involved in the anticipo for C1 which was shown on Raisport Sat on Friday evening. Unfortunately, it didn't make for as enjoyable viewing as the previous Sunday...

Again, we started well and played good stuff in the first half, but crucially we failed to make the breakthrough. The second half was a different story - the defence looked more shaky, and it wasn't long before Pro Sesto scored with what was their first real chance of the game, a long range shot that beat Lotti. Things got worse a few minutes later when Lotti was taken off injured.

We pressed for an equaliser without really creating a clear-cut chance, and Pro Sesto got their second from the penalty spot late on, which had the added bonus (for them) of reducing us to 10 men as Taccucci was sent off for the professional foul.

A performance to forget really, but it does seem that we are a very different proposition on the road - something which needs to change quickly if we want to try and secure the automatic promotion spot.

Well Worth The Visit!

Venezia 5-0 Pro Patria

Well, that was worth the price of flights and hotel alone. The Lagunari put on a tremendous show last week for my visit to the Penzo, thrashing Pro Patria and playing some nice football while they were at it.

When Moro scored the first after five minutes, you knew it was going to be a good day. Collauto, our captain and the best player on the park, broke down the right wing and crossed the ball to the far post for Moro to head in. There was a slight scare a few minutes later when a Venezia old boy, Fabian Valtolina, hit the bar with a 30 yard volley, but we soon got our second - another Moro header, this time from a cross from the left wing after good work by Pradolin. Moro had a couple of chances to grab a first half hattrick, most notably after Pradolin slalomed past four players and laid it on a plate for him, but he chipped tamely into the goalkeeper's arms.

The performance was so dominant that the only question after halftime was whether we woud continue to press for more goals. In fact, we did change style slightly, allowing Pro Patria to attack (without creating anything) and then hitting them on the break. Gennari got our third - Pradolin again going down the left and crossing, Gennari chipping the ball over the keeper then following it up to head into the net. Moro then came off for the legendary Paolo Poggi, who added the last two - the first a beautiful chip after he broke the offside trap, and the second a late penalty in injury time.

It really was great to be there when that happened - definitely makes me want to see them play more (though I wonder if I would have been saying that if we lost...of course I would!) Standout players are the aformentioned Collauto, Moro and Pradolin, but the whole team look pretty good for that level and we play a nice passing game. Definitely gives hope for the rest of the season - even with their subsequent result, which I'll post about in a minute...!

Our Shaky Away Form Returns

Cremonese 3 - 1 Venezia

A bit of a hiccup this weekend (at least that's all I hope it was) - 3-1 against a team that was struggling to win in recent weeks. Taccucci got our only goal.

Still, we can take the loss on the chin if we can get back to winning ways this Sunday - and we better, since I'm going to be there in person to watch them! Quite excited about seeing the boys in the Penzo for the first time - I hope they don't disappoint!

Serie C1/A:
1. Monza P 11 W 7 D 3 L 1 GF 19 GA 7 Pts 24
2. Sassuolo P 11 W 6 D 5 L 0 GF 17 GA 6 Pts 23
3. Venezia P 11 W 5 D 4 L 2 GF 13 GA 10 Pts 19
4. Lucchese P 11 W 5 D 3 L 3 GF 12 GA 6 Pts 18
5. Pisa P 11 W 3 D 7 L 1 GF 5 GA 3 Pts 16

Staying on Track

A couple of updates as I was too ill - and, okay, too lazy - to update last week. First, last week's game:

Cittadella 0-0 Venezia

Not a lot to say about this game - a local derby against one of the better teams in the league, so I suppose an away draw isn't too bad. Apparently we had our goalkeeper Lotti to thank for keeping us in the game.

An important result in the sense it kept our positive run going - and a nice platform for the game on Sunday:

Venezia 2-0 Novara

This wasn't an easy game on paper, but an early Gennari goal (who else?) set us on our way to a fairly comfortable victory. Marco Moro added the gloss with a late penalty in the second half.

As well as the result, the performance was a good one, which sets us up nicely for the run in to Christmas. More importantly, I hope the boys can put on a good performance like this in their next home game in two weeks, because I will be there in person to cheer them on!! (You see, there are advantages to extravagant birthday gifts to the girlfriend - I'm sure she'll be delighted to spend the afternoon freezing her ass off at the Pierluigi Penzo!)

Serie C1/A:

1. Monza P 10 W 6 D 3 L 1 GF17 GA 7 Pts 21
2. Sassuolo P 10 W 5 D 5 L 0 GF 15 GA 6 Pts 20
3. Venezia P 10 W 5 D 4 L 1 GF 12 GA 7 Pts 19
4. Lucchese P 10 W 5 D 3 L 2 GF 12 GA 4 Pts 18
5. Padova P 10 W 4 D 3 L 3 GF 10 GA 5 Pts 15
6. Pisa P 10 W 3 D 6 L 1 GF 5 GA 3 Pts 15

3 points, 3 victories, 3rd place...

Pizzighettone 0-1 Venezia

Massimo Taccucci, our right back, gave us all three points yesterday to hand us our third victory in a row and propel us into third place in the league.

A brilliant first half display saw us go in 1-0 up thanks to Taccucci getting to the rebound after Gennari had headed the ball against the bar from a corner in the 40th minute. Moro had the chance to double our lead two minutes later, but his header was off target.

Pizzighettone came at us in the second half, but only created one real chance which Lotti did well to save. At the other end, Taccucci nearly made it two with a spectacular overhead effort that crashed off the bar.

Okay, so Pizzighettone aren't the strongest (they now sit second bottom with 6 points), but it was important to continue our run of victories. Next week brings another away game, and derby, against Cittadella. A victory there and we really will be flying.

Serie C1/A

1. Monza P 8 W 5 D 2 L 1 GF 16 GA 7 Pts 17
2. Sassuolo P 8 W 4 D 4 L 0 GF 10 GA 5 Pts 16
3. Venezia P 8 W 4 D 3 L 1 GF 10 GA 7 Pts 15
4. Lucchese P 8 W 4 D 2 L 2 GF 11 GA 4 Pts 14
5. Pro Sesto P 8 W 3 D 3 L 2 GF 6 GA 6 Pts 12
6. Pro Patria P 8 W 3 D 3 L 2 GF 9 GA 10 Pts 12

Gennari Gol!

Venezia 2 - 1 Pavia

Another victory, and finally we can start to think about promotion again this season.

A good performance in the first half saw us go 2-0 through a Poggi penalty and Gennari, but we allowed Pavia back into the game midway through the second half which made for a nervy finale.

Nonetheless, it was the first time this season we were able to win back-to-back games, and that is an encouraging sign. There is still plenty to do, but we suddenly seem to have found our ability to score (Gennari in particular). We have two away games in a row now, but if we can come out of them with 4 points or better, we will be in good shape. Let's not forget it was about this stage last season when we started to slip into gear on our run of 11 victories in a row...that may not be realistic in C1A, but hopefully we can be challenging for top spot around Christmas.

League Table:

1. Monza P 7 W 5 D 2 L 0 GF 16 GA 5 Pts 17
2. Sassuolo P 7 W 4 D 3 L 0 GF 10 GA 5 Pts 15
3. Lucchese P 7 W 4 D 1 L 2 GF 10 GA 3 Pts 13
4. Venezia P 7 W 3 D 3 L 1 GF 9 GA 7 Pts 12

Last Train from Georgia

Last night's victory has certainly given the group a better look from an Italian point of view. Coupled with Scotland's loss in Ukraine, it means we sit only two points behind the leaders going into the winter break in international matches.

To be honest, it wasn't the greatest performance - in my opinion, we played worse than on Saturday, but that matters not a lot at the moment. The important thing was to get a victory out of this tricky away fixture and we managed that.

Looking at the match itself, De Rossi's opener was a good strike from 35 yards, but in truth, a decent keeper would have saved his shot. But then we seemed to sit back a little, and Georgia scored from their first shot on goal, before hitting the post with their second just before half time. In between, Toni had missed a sitter from 6 yards out.

The second half was looking pretty grim as it seemed our players - and the midfielders in particular - weren't entirely sure where they were meant to be playing, with Pirlo in particular looking out of sorts (though to be fair he hadn't trained since the Ukraine game due to a cold). But just as he was about to be subbed, the game turned when Pirlo was first fouled to get a man sent off, before a sublime reverse pass to Di Natale allowed him to cross for Camo to power a header into the bottom corner. From then on, we were in control, and Perrotta added a third via a deflection.

Overall, we did deserve to win, but it wasn't a vintage performance. But, as I say, who cares? We now sit third in the group, and Donadoni has 5 months to work on his tactics.

Both games this week have shown me enough to say Donadoni does deserve more time in the job. Di Natale, despite my skepticism, is a decent addition to the squad. But perhaps his best move - and the one that shows he is his own man - was his decision to drop Del Piero not just from the team, but even from the subs bench last night. Del Piero's days at this level are done, his lack of pace too much of a hinderance now. It was refreshing to see Donadoni took the hard decision to realise that.

Next up - Scotland, a match I fully intend to travel to. After reading more comments this morning that "Italy are there for the taking", I am even more determined to be there when we slot a couple of goals past them!

Forza Azzurrini!

Great result - and performance - from Casiraghi's boys tonight, picking up a 2-1 victory in Spain to send them into the finals of the U21 championships in the Netherlands next summer.

After weathering an early storm, they were soon 2-0 up thanks to two absolutely fantastic goals. The first came from Chiellini, a left footed, outside of the boot lob from 35 yards over the Spanish keeper. And just when you thought you wouldn't see a better goal for a while, Palladino broke into the box on the left, ran to the goal line, crossed to the far side where Montolivo met the ball with as sweet a right footed volley back across the goalkeeper as you will see.

The final half hour was made a bit nervy after Spain got the goal, but in truth, they rarely threatened. Instead, they just moaned and got dirtier as the match went on, getting the inevitable straight red for one of their players fouling Montolivo off the ball near the end. That Soldado in particular looks like a dirty little moaner - no doubt a player I will be shouting more abuse at over the next few years!

The encouraging thing from the perspective of the full Nazionale is that so many of these boys look like they could be real stars in the future - Rosina, Pelle, Curci, Andreolli, Potenza, Aquilani...the list goes on. But the best two tonight were the goalscorers themselves, Chiellini and Montolivo, who I suspect will break into the full squad before too long if they continue playing like this.

Forza Azzurini!

Back on Track

Venezia 2-1 Pistoiese

Our season got back on track - just - against Pistoiese on Sunday.

After an excellent first half which saw Gennari and Moro put us 2-0, our game dropped off in the second half again, nearly letting Pistoiese scrape a point. Fortunately, we were able to hold on to three valuable points, which puts us back up to 6th in the table.

Next up is another home game against Pavia, who are one place above us in the table. If we can pick up another three points then we can consider ourselves back in the hunt for promotion. If not...well, let's not worry about that just now.

Finalmente!

Finally, a good result for the Azzurri yesterday! And perhaps more encouraging than the result, the performance in general was good as well.

Winning was of course vital after Scotland's heroics earlier in the day, and I'll admit to starting to feel nervous after the hour mark when it was still goaless. But then came one of the most blatant penalties I've seen in a while, followed shortly after by a simply brilliant goal from Luca Toni.

I'm not convinced he picked the correct starting XI - Del P and Iaquinta forming two prongs of a trident attack offers not a lot down the wings; last night proved (again?) Del P just doesn't have the pace for that level anymore, and we looked far more sprightly when Di Natale came on. Also, Iaquinta is a player of limited skill - yes, he did okay last night, but he can't beat a man, and he's not that good a striker. Camo would be a better choice down that wing in my opinion, but apparently he had a slight injury so could only come on as a sub.

I should also say that Di Natale was the surprise of the night - as I said, he changed the game, and his link up play with Toni (not just his brilliant ball for the 2nd, but also a superb one-two that nearly lead to a great third) was superb. Maybe I am just trying to justify my previous criticism of his selection, but I'm not so sure it was Di Natale that made the difference, so much as the introduction of a winger with some pace...but whatever, it was a good tactical change by Donadoni.

Apart from that, Buffon was superb, and the defence looked a bit more solid than it has recently. Pirlo and Gattuso were, as ever, great.

That's part one done. Now let's get a win on Wednesday and we will truly be back in the hunt in the group. Altogether now - PO PO PO PO PO PO, SIAMO CAMPIONI DEL MONDO....

Gila Drops Out

Donadoni's latest squad hardly does enough to dispel the doubts surrounding his capabilities as manager.

Okay, so it is heartening to see the likes of Nesta, Materazzi (who'd have thought I'd be happy to see him 4 months ago), Camo and Del P back. But it is the players who are not in the squad that are the cause for concern.

Let's start with Gila - easily Italy's best young striker, who scored, let's not forget, against France last time out. Okay, he's not in great form for Milan, but I've seen him in a few games this season and he is playing well, just not scoring. I don't understand the decision to drop him in favour of someone like Di Natale, a man with no international pedigree whatsoever and who is hardly banging the goals in himself. If he wanted to gamble, why not gamble on someone like Rolando Bianchi who is in top form? But whatever, I wouldn't have dropped Gila. It just doesn't make sense to be dropping one of our best players.

And then there's Cassano. He's a trickier argument - he seems to have fallen out of favour at Real already this season, so I suppose there's the lack of games argument. But then again, he is a tremendously skilful player and offers us something that our other forwards don't. Again, I don't see why he is out of the squad.

I think it says something about Donadoni as a manager that he built his attack around Cassano in the last two games and yet know he can't even make the squad. To me, it indicates that he's flapping around looking for a team, a formation, and he doesn't really have a clear idea of how he should be playing in his head.

I can only hope I'm wrong and that Donadoni and Di Natale can make me eat my words come Saturday. Let's hope so anyway...

Full Squad:

Portieri: Buffon, Abbiati, Amelia.
Difensori: Zaccardo, Barzagli, Cannavaro, Grosso, Zambrotta, Nesta, Oddo, Materazzi, Pasqual.
Centrocampisti: Camoranesi, Pirlo, Gattuso, De Rossi, Perrotta, Mauri, Delvecchio.
Attaccanti: Del Piero, Di Michele, Di Natale, Iaquinta, F. Inzaghi, Toni.

Oh dear...

Sangiovannese 2-1 Venezia

Well, that didn't go according to plan. A terrible result yesterday has seen us drop even further down the table. Let's not forget San Giovannese were bottom of the league with 1 point until yesterday. Now they're only a couple behind us.

Gennari got our goal in the 94th minute, but it was too little, too late. Apparently we gifted them two goals, but even so I'd have hoped we could create more chances to score, particularly given the fact that they went down to 9 men towards the closing stages. Unless we can get a couple of wins on the trot, any hopes we had of achieving promotion will fast disappear...I'm hoping this isn't going to turn into a blog about whether we can actually stay up in C1!!!

Still Unbeaten...

Massese 0-0 Venezia
Venezia 2-2 Monza

Four points thrown away, or two points gained in our last two games? Well, against Massese I think we probably should have won, but Monza were on top of the league, and by all accounts we outplayed them, so I still think we're on the right trail. Moro scored for the first time this season on Sunday after the ref had given them a dodgy penalty. He was our main goal threat last season, so it's good to see him getting amongst the goals. Zerbini is apparently looking pretty good as well, so if they gel no doubt we'll be banging the goals in! Sangiovannese on Sunday - they're bottom of the league with 1 point after 3 games, so if we don't win that one, we can perhaps start to worry...

1. Monza P4 W3 D1 L0 GF13 GA 4 Pts 10
2. Lucchese P4 W3 D0 L1 GF8 GA1 Pts 9
....
6. Pavia P4 W1 D3 L0 GF6 GA5 Pts 6
7. Pisa P4 W1 D3 L0 GF1 GA0 Pts 6
8. Venezia P4 W1 D3 L0 GF4 GA3 Pts6

Derby stalemate

Venezia 0-0 Padova

A goalless draw in the derby saw us drop out first points of the season yesterday, but given that Padova, along with Lucchese, are favourites for the league there is not too much to be disappointed about - despite Zerbini (ex Padova) missing a penalty for us in the 85th minute!

According to the reports, a draw was the least we deserved, which is an encouraging sign, particularly this early in the season. Hopefully we can build on this in the next few weeks, which sees us involved in a couple of tricky looking ties, away first to Massese and then home to Monza. Another 4 points from those games would cement our position as real challengers for back to back promotions.

Serie C1/A:

1. Monza P 2 W 2 D 0 L 0 GF 9 GA 1 Pts 6

2. Lucchese P 2 W 2 D 0 L 0 GF 6 GA 0 Pts 6

3. Sassuolo P 2 W 2 D 0 L 0 GF 5 GA 3 Pts 6

4. Pavia P 2 W 1 D 1 L 0 GF 3 GA 2 Pts 4

5. Venezia P 2 W 1 D 1 L 0 GF 2 GA 1 Pts 4

Forget Paris...

Well, what can you say? A poor, poor performance from the boys last night, and despite France's first goal being offside, and us being denied at least one penalty, you can't argue that we deserved to lose, so inept were we at creating a single chance from open play.

Okay, so we knew the French would be more up for it than us after losing the World Cup Final, and there is no shame in losing to France in France. They are a very good team after all. No, it was the performance that was worrying. With the exception of Gilardino, who did well when he could, and to a lesser extent, Grosso, Pirlo and Gattuso, everyone played poorly. And at least some of that must be Donadoni's fault.

I don't buy into the "lack of conditioning/fitness" argument - French players have only just started back and some of our players have been involved in Champions League qualifiers, and, of course, a couple now play abroad. Vieira looked pretty fit to me and he's with Inter. It is true that we never play that well in September, but playing so poorly was a worrying sign.

To me, the players Donadoni has drafted in are mediocre. For example, and no offence to the man, but who the hell is Gennaro Del Vecchio?? Where did he get the idea that Dainelli or Semioli can play at international level?? Playing well for Chievo is one thing. Playing at international level is quite another. He should be keeping with the world cup squad, where he can (and I see he is now talking about getting Totti, Del P, Toni etc for next month's games), and if he is wanting to draft a couple in, bring some of the younger promising talents - like Montolivio or Aquilani.

Add to that the fact that his tactics are at least misguided and, at worst, bizarre. Perrotta is not and never has been a right winger. The substitutions that he made last night were perplexing - it was obvious 5 minutes into the second half the midfield needed shored up and we needed to try and get hold of the ball, but instead he waited until we had conceded a third and then he brought on Di Michele, who didn't seem to know where he was meant to play. Then he brought on Inzaghi, when up front wasn't the area that needed fixing - midfield did. I think he would have been better to bring De Rossi on for Semioli and push Cassano out wide.

There is a school of thought (voiced by my cugino, amongst others) that Donadoni was put in there to tide things over until we can get one of the more established managers - eg. Ancelotti, Capello. Let's face it, taking over at the world champions is a pretty tough task as any slip up will be viewed as failure. But the fact is Donadoni has never proved himself at a high managerial level and has not been involved in big games like last night as a manager. Perhaps we are wrong to expect so much from him so soon - the difficulty is that at national level, unless you are in a group like England's, you don't get much time to bed in.

There are still 10 games to go, and two wins next month will put us in a fine position in the group, but the performances need to improve. The concern is that I am not sure that they will under Donadoni.

The Perfect Start

Ivrea 1 - 2 Venezia

That's a headline worth seeing! A great start from the boys on sunday - Pradolin and Zerbini were the goalscorers, but by the sounds of things, it was a great performance from everyone, only a last minute lapse in concentration allowing Ivrea to grab their consolation goal.

I know Ivrea were with us in C2 last season, but it was still important to get off to a good start, and we have done. There are tougher tests ahead, no doubt, but I think we can be quietly optimistic about the season ahead...

A Sign of Things To Come?

So the race to qualify for Euro 2008 has begun - and by the looks of things, it is going to be a long hard struggle for the Azzurri.

Last night's disappointing draw with Lithuania was, I have to say, not entirely unexpected - few of our players have played any competitive football so far this season, so much so that some who you would have thought would start (eg. Zambro, Toni) never got a look in - Toni of course not even being called up.

Focussing on the positives first, Cassano looks like he is back to his old self, and was easily our best player. He brings something to the side that is a bit different from any of our other attackers, and was unlucky not to score a fantastic goal last night.

The negatives - De Rossi and Perrotta. I know I won't be popular with Roma fans, but neither of them played well last night. I think they are both great players, but they looked off the pace last night. I don't think they are helped by Donadoni's tactics - they were both asked to play wide, when both are far better in the centre.

I also have to say, although he scored, I am not convinced we should be starting with Inzaghi ahead of Gila. Inzaghi is what he always is; frustrating, always moaning, falling over, offside. Gila on the other hand is very good at holding the ball up - better even than Toni. I think if we are only playing one striker, it should be him ahead of SuperPippo.

On the back of last night's performance, France on Wednesday does not look like an appetising proposition. We need to improve quickly to avoid a morale crushing defeat - not to mention that it would leave us 5 points behind after only two games.

This is not meant to sound wholly negative - some of the play last night was excellent. We can, and no doubt will, play better in the future. Let's hope it begins on Wednesday...

PS - Have been in Italia for a week or so, hence the lack of updates. Now I am back in Scozia, the updates should become regular again, starting with a report on Venezia's first game of C1 against Ivrea later today.

Back Down To Earth With A Bump

Another late free kick, but this time for the opponents saw the Lagunari knocked out of the Coppa Italia before the competition has really even begun. Floro Flores scored for Arezzo in the 100th minute with a free kick, having hit the post earlier in the game. Gennari and Corradi had also hit the woodwork for Venezia.

It's disappointing to be out this early in the competition, but then again, from what I understand, we played pretty well in the second half and were unlucky to have to go to extra-time. Let's face it, this competition is never a priority (for anyone, apart from maybe Inter when they realise once again they can't win Serie A...) but at the same time it's always a bonus to have a good cup run, particularly for a smaller side like us.

Let's just hope these two games have helped us develop more as a team and have helped prepare us for the season ahead. By the sounds of things, we have shown some nice play in these two games, so hopefully we can develop that in advance of the first league game.

Forza Venezia!

Bring on Arezzo!

So it's Arezzo we face in the 2nd round of the cup - on Wednesday as well, which makes it all the better that Capitan Collauto was able to score his last minute free kick against Treviso and avoid us having to play extra time.

By all accounts, it was a "vittoria sofferta", as Paolo Poggi put it, but at the same time I don't think Treviso were able to create much in the way of goalscoring chances, which is encouraging.

Let's hope for more of the same on Wednesday!

Venezia 1-0 Treviso

Fantastic result for the boys in the Coppa Italia! And what a way to win it by the sounds of things - Mattia Collauto grabbed the winner in the 89th minute. Not read a full match report yet but the scoreline tells its own story - Treviso were in Serie A last year (okay, they were the worst team by quite a distance) and we were in C2. Plus they are of course our local rivals, so it is a great result whatever way it is looked at!

Let's hope this good form can continue into the league, the make-up of which was finalised yesterday. There had been talk that we were going to be put with all the southern teams, meaning very long away trips, but fortunately they have decided to divide the leagues by geography, so we are with all the Tuscan teams like Lucchese and Pisa:

GIRONE A

Cittadella
Cremonese
Grosseto
Ivrea
Lucchese
Massese
Monza
Novara
Padova
Pavia
Pisa
Pistoiese
Pizzighettone
Pro Patria
Pro Sesto
Sangiovannese
Sassuolo
VENEZIA

Totti Says "Yes" to Donadoni

Great news for La Nazionale - Totti has said he is ready to play on.

For some reason, Francesco is the type of player that divides even Italian fans, with some calling him a show-pony, and saying he has never really delivered for Italia. But for me, it's very simple - he's the most talented player Italy have, and, in my opinion, one of the best in the world. You only have to look at a highlights reel of all the things he's done for Roma to see what a player he can be - he has vision, skill, strength.

Until recently, he undoubtedly also had a vicious temper, which helped to ruin his reputation outside Italy, but he seems to have matured - perhaps getting married and having his baby helped him settle down. And without that negative aspect to his game, he has become an even greater asset to the Azzurri than he was before.

Sure, he didn't play consistently well in the World Cup, but let's not forget he was making a hurried return from 3 months out with a broken ankle. And in the games against Ukraine, Germany, and in his cameo appearance against Australia, he was his usual brilliant self, with all the flicks and tricks, but also delivering the final ball when it mattered, or, in the case of the Australia game, keeping his cool to convert THAT penalty.

He's said he wants to be fully fit before returning, which probably means no Lithuania and France for him, but I have no doubt his long term contribution for us will be indispensible.

Forza Totti! Forza Azzurri!

A Pointless Exercise

As predicted, last night's game was a bit of a pointless exercise. I must admit up front to not having seen it - but more on that it a moment.

As to the game itself, it sounds like the reserve squad played okay, but were nothing special and although Croatia apparently scored from their only two chances, they deserved their victory. At least we have now got the usual excuse of being behind in our physical preparations for the season out of the way!

Let's face it, very few of those boys who played last night are going to feature for the Azzurri in the future - maybe Amelia, Ambrosini and Semioli will get into a squad or two, but they're not going to be first choice picks, so there's no need to be too downheartened. That said, it was a pointless way to lose our 26 game unbeaten run. Let's hope we are just looking to start another unbeaten run from here on in. Certainly, the proper team had better be physically ready for the France game - we do not want to lose that one, simply as a matter of pride.

One final word on last night's game - you will see from the picture above that we did not seem to be playing with the golden ball which we played the World Cup final with. I thought the whole point was that the World Champions get to play with that ball in every game until the next world cup. Is it only official games?

As for why I missed the game - our world cup watching crew (my dad, sister, girlfriend, uncle. cugini and various others) decided to all get together for a meal out to celebrate the world cup win as it's the first time we've all been able to get together since we won. News of the score from Livorno brought the mood down briefly, but fortunately that wasn't something that a few more peroni and grappas couldn't sort out!

Incidentally, you will see I have changed the name of the Blog. It is probably still open to change if anyone can come up with any better suggestions (and no Ginkers, that is not a cue for you to think of more insults to throw my way!)

A Vote

I am unsure about the Blog Title I've got going on here, so I thought I would put it to a vote. Which of these is best:

• The Lion's Roar (and should it just be Lion singular, or are we talking multiple Lions here??)
• The Lion's Den (and the above applies as well)
• The Doge's Palace (too pretentious-sounding?)
• View from the Lagoon

That's all I can come up with just now - feel free to suggest others though.

And what about the template? Too dark? Easy to read?

Let me know!

A Pre-Season Tripletta

The Azzurri take to the field tomorrow in Livorno against Croatia, in what is their first game since lifting that trophy 5 or so weeks ago. But unfortunately it will be a bit of a damp squib of a game - of the 23 World Cup winners, only Amelia is even in the squad (listed below).

I have to say, it all seems a bit pointless and a bit of a disappointment. Apparently they will parade the World Cup, but who will show it to the crowd since 'Il Capitano' is not there? I had envisioned a game with the whole World Cup squad getting a runout to be applauded and cheered by all the Italiani - a celebratory match. But holidays and a lack of fitness have put paid to that idea.

Instead it is perhaps the most experimental squad I've seen for Italy - more an Italy 'B' squad - I can't see players like Rocchi, Morrone and Zenoni ever getting a real game for us, but who knows, I may be wrong. I would have thought the likes of Marchionni and Tavano would feature as well, as they are actually fringe players who could pull on the azzurro in a real match one day.

Another disappointment is the fact that we will not be displaying the new shirts with four stars - although given the lack of world cup winners, this is maybe no bad thing!

More exciting is the U21 squad - as with Donadoni, but to a greater extent, Casiraghi has a lot to prove as a manager, but his selections for his first squad in charge are exciting. I'm pleased to see Giuseppe Rossi in there as he has looked pretty decent for Man U whenever I've seen him, and could one day be a strike partner for Gila. That's not to say he's the only good player there - Curci, Aquilani, Pozzi, Rosina, Potenza, amongst others, all have outstanding potential. It's also good to hear him talking about the likes of Pelle and Volpato, who I have heard very good things about.

As for the Lagunari, we've finished a successful pre-season beating those footballing giants like Favaro and Mezzocorona easily. Next up is our first real game of the season - the Coppa Italia derby match v Treviso. Will be interesting to see how we measure up against last season's Serie A strugglers.

Anyway, here's hoping for a hattrick of wins from all of them, starting with the U21s tonight!

Azzurri:

Goalkeepers
Marco Amelia (Livorno), Flavio Roma (Monaco)
Defenders
Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Giulio Falcone (Sampdoria), Gamberini, Manuel Pasqual (Fiorentina), Christian Terlizzi (Sampdoria), Luciano Zauri (Lazio), Cristian Zenoni (Sampdoria)
Midfielders
Massimo Ambrosini (Milan), Gennaro Del Vecchio (Sampdoria), Massimo Gobbi (Fiorentina), Fabio Liverani (Fiorentina), Stefano Morrone (Livorno), Angelo Palombo (Sampdoria), Franco Semioli (Chievo)
Forwards
Andrea Caracciolo (Palermo), David Di Michele (Palermo), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Mauro Esposito (Cagliari), Cristiano Lucarelli (Livorno), Tommaso Rocchi (Lazio)


Azzurrini:

Andreolli Marco (Inter), Aquilani Alberto (Roma), Coda Andrea (Udinese), Consigli Andrea (Sambenedettese), Curci Gianluca (Roma), Defendi Marino (Atalanta), Dellafiore Hernan (Palermo), Ferronetti Damiano (Parma), Lazzari Andrea (Cesena), Lodi Francesco (Frosinone), Mantovani Andrea (Chievo), Montolivo Riccardo (Fiorentina), Nocerino Antonio (Piacenza), Padoin Simone (Vicenza), Pazzini Gianpaolo (Fiorentina), Pisano Francesco (Cagliari), Potenza Alessandro (Fiorentina), Pozzi Nicola (Empoli), Rosina Alessandro (Torino), Rossi Giuseppe (Manchester United).

Looking Forward to a Long Hard Season

Welcome to the first post of what will hopefully be an ongoing blog following the rise and rise (I can hope) of SSC Venezia. C1 has been less affected than the leagues above it by the whole calciopoli scandal, so hopefully will start on time, and I can get used to the usual routine of doing my best to follow Venezia from Scotland (not an easy thing even these days!)

Il Mister, Nello Di Costanzo, remains in charge after an incredible season last year, when we went on an amazing unbeaten run (the exact number of games escapes me) after losing 4 of the first 5 games of the season under different management. Di Costanzo managed to lead us to our first ever C2 championship, thanks in no small part to the goals from the "gemelli di gol" Marco Moro and Davide Pradolin, two promising youngsters. Whether they have enough to cut it in the big leagues of C1, we will soon see...

Some summer signings have come in, but I have to admit to only recently starting to pay attention to these in any detail - like any Italian, I have been revelling in the events in Germany this summer - only recently have I stopped watching highlights of the Azzurri's top moments every day (now it's only every second day!)

Anyway, enough rambling from me for now. No doubt I will be back with more nonsense soon.

Forza Lagunari!