Serie A - race for UCL places

I have a soft spot for Fiorentina and BorjitoOoOoOoOo so I hope they get 3rd

Precisely what dream world are all you living in, in which Fiorentina would be more deserving of a place in the Champions League than Napoli? Napoli are being attacked on this forum for supposedly choking, when even if they held onto second place, it would be the best performance by the club in 23 years.

Fiorentina are an excellent project, however they are still heavily dependent upon Pizarro, struggling in midfield without him, a player who might I add will be 34 during next season's campaign. They are certainly going to be competitive during the run in for the European spots, however note that they have managed their campaign without the distraction of European football, which the likes of Napoli, Milan and Lazio have had to deal with, and who yet remain above them in the table. There is absolutely no reason to believe that Rossi will be immediately useful upon his return from injury, whilst Jovetic is every bit the risk to leave that Cavani is. As far as investment goes, Napoli have put their money where their mouth is already and will continue to build for the future.

If Napoli do collapse, which I still find unlikely, I hope that it is Roma who snatch the final Champions League spot.

dostoevsky wrote:Precisely what dream world are all you living in, in which Fiorentina would be more deserving of a place in the Champions League than Napoli? Napoli are being attacked on this forum for supposedly choking, when even if they held onto second place, it would be the best performance by the club in 23 years.

Fiorentina are an excellent project, however they are still heavily dependent upon Pizarro, struggling in midfield without him, a player who might I add will be 34 during next season's campaign. They are certainly going to be competitive during the run in for the European spots, however note that they have managed their campaign without the distraction of European football, which the likes of Napoli, Milan and Lazio have had to deal with, and who yet remain above them in the table. There is absolutely no reason to believe that Rossi will be immediately useful upon his return from injury, whilst Jovetic is every bit the risk to leave that Cavani is. As far as investment goes, Napoli have put their money where their mouth is already and will continue to build for the future.

If Napoli do collapse, which I still find unlikely, I hope that it is Roma who snatch the final Champions League spot.

oh, Dos. Napoli's only European distraction was deciding at which stage of the EL to give up.

Last time Fiorentina made it into the EL, they impressively stormed into the round of 16 after topping a group that included Liverpool and Lyon, only to be screwed over by one of the worst offside calls of all time against Bayern. Bayern went through on away goals. The ref on that night? Tom Hennig Ovrebo.

Contrast that with Napoli's disgraceful exit in their last CL foray to Chelsea. Granted they also got through a tough group and then lost to the eventual champions of the tournament, but the manner in which Napoli imploded was just awful. Meanwhile, they weren't good enough to manage Serie A and CL commitments due to lack of squad depth and failed to qualify for the CL in the next season.

In short, I see no reason for neutrals to definitively favour Napoli over Fiorentina, or vice-versa for that matter - other than personal preference, of course.

dostoevsky wrote:Precisely what dream world are all you living in, in which Fiorentina would be more deserving of a place in the Champions League than Napoli? Napoli are being attacked on this forum for supposedly choking, when even if they held onto second place, it would be the best performance by the club in 23 years.

Fiorentina are an excellent project, however they are still heavily dependent upon Pizarro, struggling in midfield without him, a player who might I add will be 34 during next season's campaign. They are certainly going to be competitive during the run in for the European spots, however note that they have managed their campaign without the distraction of European football, which the likes of Napoli, Milan and Lazio have had to deal with, and who yet remain above them in the table. There is absolutely no reason to believe that Rossi will be immediately useful upon his return from injury, whilst Jovetic is every bit the risk to leave that Cavani is. As far as investment goes, Napoli have put their money where their mouth is already and will continue to build for the future.

If Napoli do collapse, which I still find unlikely, I hope that it is Roma who snatch the final Champions League spot.

I agree about Napoli still being a top side. I just like Fiorentina is all

Anyway I don't think Napoli's bad run will continue for very long. They are bound to pick up form again.

Forza Rossoneri wrote:

dostoevsky wrote:Precisely what dream world are all you living in, in which Fiorentina would be more deserving of a place in the Champions League than Napoli? Napoli are being attacked on this forum for supposedly choking, when even if they held onto second place, it would be the best performance by the club in 23 years.

Fiorentina are an excellent project, however they are still heavily dependent upon Pizarro, struggling in midfield without him, a player who might I add will be 34 during next season's campaign. They are certainly going to be competitive during the run in for the European spots, however note that they have managed their campaign without the distraction of European football, which the likes of Napoli, Milan and Lazio have had to deal with, and who yet remain above them in the table. There is absolutely no reason to believe that Rossi will be immediately useful upon his return from injury, whilst Jovetic is every bit the risk to leave that Cavani is. As far as investment goes, Napoli have put their money where their mouth is already and will continue to build for the future.

If Napoli do collapse, which I still find unlikely, I hope that it is Roma who snatch the final Champions League spot.

oh, Dos. Napoli's only European distraction was deciding at which stage of the EL to give up.

Last time Fiorentina made it into the EL, they impressively stormed into the round of 16 after topping a group that included Liverpool and Lyon, only to be screwed over by one of the worst offside calls of all time against Bayern. Bayern went through on away goals. The ref on that night? Tom Hennig Ovrebo.

Contrast that with Napoli's disgraceful exit in their last CL foray to Chelsea. Granted they also got through a tough group and then lost to the eventual champions of the tournament, but the manner in which Napoli imploded was just awful. Meanwhile, they weren't good enough to manage Serie A and CL commitments due to lack of squad depth and failed to qualify for the CL in the next season.

In short, I see no reason for neutrals to definitively favour Napoli over Fiorentina, or vice-versa for that matter - other than personal preference, of course.

In Fiorentina's case, that was then and this is now. There is no guarantee that they can repeat their past exploits.

In Napoli's case they've shown that they have a plan for investment and there is quality in that Napoli squad. I'm pretty sure that if they get another crack at the CL they could at least equal last season's success, maybe even build on it.

I like Fiorentina, Napoli and Roma. They all play good football and they all stand a chance in the CL. Furthermore, they all have owners who are prepared to invest to build their respective teams. I dislike Lazio, but I am impressed by their commitment to the EL amidst their challenge for the top 3 in Serie A. Lotito is a tight-ass though.

We're bringing up Fiorentina's last Champions League campaign from about three years ago, really? Jovetic and Vargas are the only two players who remain from that team, the latter having declined significantly. It has effectively no relevance to their ability to complete in Europe mentally and tactically.

As you have brought it up though, Fiorentina failed to build on that last European campaign, instead slipping into mid-table mediocrity. Napoli however, responded positively by reinforcing the team the next season to make it possible to once more reach the Champions League whilst also challenging for the league.

I love Montella as a coach, however the expectations being put on this Fiorentina side are beyond that which they can handle at this stage. Whilst I disagree vehemently concerning the manner in which you have framed their exit to Chelsea, the fact of the matter is that the core of that squad still remains. It allows a team to learn and grow. If Fiorentina make it into Europe, then they have to learn everything from scratch again, so to speak. The challenge for Fiorentina isn't necessarily replacing Jovetic if he leaves, but finding a midfield general of Pizarro's quality to control the game and allow Aquilani and Borja the freedom to express themselves. Assuming they hold onto Montella, they're probably two years away from being equal to the expectations of this thread.

dostoevsky wrote:We're bringing up Fiorentina's last Champions League campaign from about three years ago, really? Jovetic and Vargas are the only two players who remain from that team, the latter having declined significantly. It has effectively no relevance to their ability to complete in Europe mentally and tactically.

As you have brought it up though, Fiorentina failed to build on that last European campaign, instead slipping into mid-table mediocrity. Napoli however, responded positively by reinforcing the team the next season to make it possible to once more reach the Champions League whilst also challenging for the league.

I love Montella as a coach, however the expectations being put on this Fiorentina side are beyond that which they can handle at this stage. Whilst I disagree vehemently concerning the manner in which you have framed their exit to Chelsea, the fact of the matter is that the core of that squad still remains. It allows a team to learn and grow. If Fiorentina make it into Europe, then they have to learn everything from scratch again, so to speak. The challenge for Fiorentina isn't necessarily replacing Jovetic if he leaves, but finding a midfield general of Pizarro's quality to control the game and allow Aquilani and Borja the freedom to express themselves. Assuming they hold onto Montella, they're probably two years away from being equal to the expectations of this thread.

I'll just play devil's advocate here.

Firstly, Fiorentina's European inexperience of 3 years ago did not hurt them then, so I do not think that re-learning their way out of Italy will be a significant issue for them should they make CL again this season.

Secondly, if we're talking about having to replace core players, Napoli have much bigger problems than Fiorentina, especially with regards to their ageing defence and midfield:

De Sanctis 35
Colombo 37 (back-up GK)
Grava 35
Aronica 35
Dossena 31
Maggio 31
Campagnaro 32
Mesto 30
Cannavaro 31
Gamberini 31

Of course, De Sanctis can keep going for a while longer, as can Cannavaro, but this is really a serious issue for Napoli. They need to rejuvenate like Milan did this season. Most worryingly, key players like Maggio are clearly on the decline, and the younger players and prime-age players like Inler, Behrami, Armero, Rolando, Dzemaili and Zuniga aren't able to step up to the plate.

Out of those players, Aronica has already left, Colombo, Grava and Dossena effectively never play and Mesto was only ever brought in as a utility player to begin with.

Napoli's central defence is certainly a worry, however it should be noted that this is has been a persistent problem on paper, not a new issue, and despite this weakness Napoli have the second best defensive record in Serie A. It is an area that they will look to address in the summer - they pushed heavily for Astori during the January window to add more physicality to their line-up - and whilst Rolando is far from the solution, there is plenty of evidence that the club has been looking to bolster the backline. Whether they can find the right solution is another problem, however it is not a problem being ignored by the management.

As for De Sanctis, Rosati despite his poor showings for Napoli, is a quality back-up who has struggled due to barely playing. If disaster struck and he got a run of games, his quality would begun to be seen. He showed himself to be a very competent keeper at Lecce, however every player needs time. Finding a new goalkeeper in any case is not the most pressing matter for the squad.

Alongside Rolando, Armero was brought in during January to provide a solution to the left. He has yet to properly adjust, however one can hardly accuse them of a lack of ambition in procuring to one of Serie A's most consistent wingbacks over the past two seasons - and also filling a void that you had specified with Dossena.

Napoli are also likely to further bolster their midfield with another bid for Naingollan in the summer. Along side his potential transfer and one addition in the centre of defence, all Napoli really need is either stronger competition for Maggio or a player capable of taking his starting role. Their forward line has depth and balance as it stands. It is a squad that needs polishing, however they're still currently in second and their ability to do far better than what paper suggests has always been a strength of this team.

It should also be mentioned that should Cavani actually leave, they are going to have bucket loads of cash to splash around, without even taking into account De Laurentis' eagreness to invest.

Milan are another step closer to securing that 3rd CL spot with a 2-0 win over Palermo. Balotelli x2.

Fiorentina are in 4th, 3 points behind us.

Milan 6 pts. ahead Fiorentina for the 3rd spot. Milan face Fiorentina next week! Than we face Napoli the week after. These next two weeks are going to be huge. Hopefully we keep our form in the league and take 2nd spot!

Looks like it will be Juve, Milan/Nap.

Next 3 weeks will be decisive, Fio can still pounce back

Some stuff happened today and some teams lost

-Roma are on the rise
-Inter are dropping a lot of points as of late
-Milan might not be able to keep grasp on that CL spot as they are 4 points ahead of Fio
-Siena out of relegation zone, Genoa still stuck in relegation zone

Yeah, that's my summary, feel free to add

Milan must win tonight if they want to secure the 3rd place.

If we defeat Siena on the final match day then we will qualify for the Champions League qualification stages regardless of tonight's result, however it would certainly be a relief to qualify before the final matchday. Our destiny will remain in our own hands regardless of tonight's result, particularly comforting given the difficulty of tonight's fixture. A draw or even a loss will not be crippling as we can be expected to defeat Siena, however going into the final day needing a result is asking for trouble.

Surag wrote:

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:1. Juve
2. Napoli
3. Milan

Mole

1.Juventus
2.Napoli
3.AC Milan

Arquitecto ---> Arquitescu !

Arquitesco sounds funnier

Arquitecto sounds better

El Shaarawy wrote:Arquitesco sounds funnier

We don't have 'esco' in Romania. We have 'escu'. So it is Arquitescu. He lost the bet.

But in Britain, they have a lot of Tesco's

El Shaarawy wrote:But in Britain, they have a lot of Tesco's

Man, I had a bet with Arq. Stahp!

Im just messing around

Ark-Tesco

Imo

My man Vlad is right. Just like my Justin Bieber Bonanza on twitter currently, I have lost the bet with Vlad in betting against Milan's chances for 3rd spot.

Difference is I don't mind changing it to look Romanian. Romania is awesome.

Bieber on the other hand...