DDR

Over the next 2 months or so we're going to here a lot of talk about DDR being linked to other clubs which is normal because he's a top player and top players will be linked to other clubs no matter what..

But i just wanted to say to you guys ignore it don't even post news about it because he has said numerous times that he s happy at Roma and also Big Tom will hardly want to sell one our best players...

I wouldn't want him sold. Fantastic player and he is the future of the club. Obviously Roma need to phase out Totti and bring in fresh blood everyone knows it but I can't see it happening. De Rossi provides the same drive as Totti- but he isn't a liability like him.

mezzogiornese wrote:I wouldn't want him sold. Fantastic player and he is the future of the club. Obviously Roma need to phase out Totti and bring in fresh blood everyone knows it but I can't see it happening. De Rossi provides the same drive as Totti- but he isn't a liability like him.

How is our top scorer of the season a liability to the club? He was one of the only ones who stepped up this season during our rough times, the only attacker to do so... Menez, Vucinic, Borriello, Baptista and Adriano had their chances but didn't take them (Borriello did well but still wasn't reliable enough), Totti took the club forward almost single-handedly, so I don't see how he was a liability.

He scored 15 goals which is an excellent return but that figure is a little misleading as 8 of his goals were penalties.

This leaves him with 7 goals from open play- the same amount as a player like Amauri scored in half a season for Parma. Boriello scored 10 from open play and should be more consistent next season.

I'm not saying Totti doesn't have a role to play anymore- but in my oppinion he is simply not good enough to play a starting role in a squad challenging for CL at the very minimum.


Look at players like ADP at Juve who play their part- or even Gattuso for Milan who comes on and fires everyone up. I see that would be the best future for Totti.

mezzogiornese wrote:He scored 15 goals which is an excellent return but that figure is a little misleading as 8 of his goals were penalties.

This leaves him with 7 goals from open play- the same amount as a player like Amauri scored in half a season for Parma. Boriello scored 10 from open play and should be more consistent next season.

I'm not saying Totti doesn't have a role to play anymore- but in my oppinion he is simply not good enough to play a starting role in a squad challenging for CL at the very minimum.


Look at players like ADP at Juve who play their part- or even Gattuso for Milan who comes on and fires everyone up. I see that would be the best future for Totti.

Firstly, I personally disagree with the assumption that a penalty is an automatic goal and I find it rather naive when people make the differentiation. You always have to be cool and collected when it comes to taking penalties, many of which were decisive this season (e.g. the one against Udinese who had one of the best pk stoppers in the world, the one against Lazio to end the game, the one against Bari when our CL hopes were just hanging on). Put it this way, had Borriello, Pizarro or Vucinic taken those penalties, probably half of them would have been saved as they wouldn't have kept their nerve in all those situations and their technique is just nowhere near Totti's when it comes to taking penalties.

Second, you defined him as a liability; there's a difference between that and slowly being fazed out due to age. His age is a factor which can't be overlooked that's for sure and we must find a suitable replacement (or someone capable of bringing the team forward because a real replacement for Totti is extremely difficult to find, if not impossible). However, he is anything but a liability because whenever he's not on the pitch, it really shows. As someone who has watched Totti carefully for a very long time, I'm still to this day amazed by some of the touches he puts in, his incredible vision and just pure class. Is he still good enough to have a starting role on the team? If he stays in shape as he was this past season, absolutely yes.

And to compare Totti to the Gattuso, well it just can't really be done because they play completely different roles. Gattuso was they type of player that absolutely needed good legs to cover ground and put in crunching tackles. If he isn't fit, due to age or injury, it takes away from his game. Totti on the other hand could still contribute offensively by simply standing still, as his vision and passing is still top notch. I don't mean to be a hard-headed Romanista now which I'm sure I'm coming off as, but it's simply how I see things.

I understand what you mean about Totti affecting a game and that was the comparison I was trying to make with Gattuso that both are motivators of the team they play for.

I still find it difficult to give the same amount of credit to a goal from open play and one from a penalty. I know Boriello missed that penalty but you rarely see anyone but Totti taking the penalties and players are never going to start scoring them if they don't get the chance.

I don't think its a good enough reason to play him all the time just because he's a good penalty taker. He's still a great player with things to offer (especially the contribution he could make off the bench), but I just don't see him as a starter next year.

mezzogiornese wrote:I understand what you mean about Totti affecting a game and that was the comparison I was trying to make with Gattuso that both are motivators of the team they play for.

I still find it difficult to give the same amount of credit to a goal from open play and one from a penalty. I know Boriello missed that penalty but you rarely see anyone but Totti taking the penalties and players are never going to start scoring them if they don't get the chance.

I don't think its a good enough reason to play him all the time just because he's a good penalty taker. He's still a great player with things to offer (especially the contribution he could make off the bench), but I just don't see him as a starter next year.

I never said that's the only reason why we should play him, obviously not. But to take away credit because he scored off penalties I find isn't really fair. As I've said before, scoring on penalties is not at all easy given the intense pressure you're under. Borriello scored against Lazio on a penalty but nearly missed it as it just went under Muslera's arms, while he buckled under pressure in the Champions League against Shakhtar. Pizarro misses them more often than not. Even the best miss penalties, which is why it shouldn't be discarded when looking at goals scored. Those 15 goals were all very much earned.

And when I said that it shows when Totti doesn't play, I didn't only mean motivation-wise; I also meant in the way we play. He adds so much fluidity to the game which is just nowhere to be found when he doesn't play. He keeps the game going and helps Pizarro quite a bit in controlling the flow of the game. Players like Menez just aren't able to do it like Totti does, so his presence is more often than not vital.

If you don't see him as a starter, that's fine as you're very much entitled to your opinion. But defining him as a liability is way too harsh. And when it comes to whether or not he should be starting next season, we also have to take into account the fact that we need to improve many other areas of the squad. We need a good RW, a CM and some improvements along our backline, not to mention the fact that we are getting a new keeper (and Borriello isn't good enough to keep Totti out of the lineup). So replacing Totti just now is not the way to because we would be making way too many changes in a short amount of time.

Hate this if you want to, but I feel De Rossi has to go. Fine, I know he loves Roma a lot, and its all none sense rumors, however let's put this into perspective here. He's flopping... He isn't the same. His specialty is elbowing people I guess. Sell him away, gain much more money, but new players.

Yes you all will disagree, and I won't be surprised.