Roma v Lazio: Clean Sheets All Around
By: Martha | April 29th, 2007
Not much in this one, really. Sure, there was the odd moment of brilliance from Mancini (who is really on fire lately), but it was pretty tame for a derby match in which neither team had any reason to be cautious. In addition to Mancini, Christian Wilhelmsson — who came on early in the second half — did his best to create something in attack, but Totti rarely offered much and Lazio were always up to the task; the aged-but-wonderful (and massive) Angelo Peruzzi was rarely troubled.
Really, unless you’re a rabid Roma fan, Lazio are the sort of team it’s hard not to respect: They know they’re tough and good at defending, so they focus on those things and do them darn well. It’s not as if they sit back and defend passively, though. They pressure, make it difficult to advance, and counter instantly as soon as they win the ball. Yeah, they’re physical, but that doesn’t mean they just whack the hell out of more skilled teams — it’s more a question of organization and intelligence which, again, makes them appealing. And, as a special bonus, Valon Behrami (whose hair, thankfully, is now all one color) is really growing into his new role as a right back and actually approach defending with the eagerness with which he used to attack. Damn is that kid good.
Also: The announcers said Roma are unlikely to try to keep Wilhelmsson this summer. Does anyone have the front office phone number at Fiorentina? Because he’s a skilled player with a nasty edge, and I would very much like to see him in purple. That is all.
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