Woo Hoo, Friendlies!

By: Martha | August 4th, 2007

Freaking Cruz. Does anyone else struggle to get through football-free, summer weekends? Come on, don’t lie. You know the mornings and early afternoons drag out like nobody’s business when you’re used to lying on the couch, watching matches on RAI. Well, be strong, friends — we’re almost there. You can tell because everyone is finally playing friendlies against competition that, for the most part, doesn’t suck — things are getting increasingly serious.

Among others, Roma, Inter, Udinese, Lazio, Torino and Palermo were all in action today, and results were mixed. (That said, every coach — more or less honestly — will tell the press that, no matter the result, the important thing is the game experience, and the gradually improving fitness.) Roma, Inter, Lazio and Toro all lost, though reports indicate Roma outplayed West Ham and lost in the final minutes due only to be being two weeks behind in terms of preparation. Luciano Spalletti, however, was stern, and after saying the usual stuff about fitness, insisted his team’s defense has to improve.

Inter, on the other hand, were utter crap and were thrashed 3-0 by Aston Villa, just days after beating Manchester United. According to everyone Inter, the Italians were just tired after a long week of games and double training. Nothing to be worried about at all. No, really. Torino, too, were unimpressive in a listless 2-0 loss to Spurs, due in no small part to the absence of their badass, contract-extension-negotiating midfield Alessandro Rosina. And Lazio also lost, falling 3-1 to Atletico Madrid in a match in which they reportedly controlled possession but failed to finish and played precious little defense.

Palermo, meanwhile, won again and continue to praise whatever gods they prefer for arranging for the arrival of Fabrizio Miccoli. The little Italian scored again — his 36th goal of the preseason, give or take — in a comfortable 3-1 win over Serie B side Triestina. Udine, too, came out on top, easily beating Coventry City 2-0, despite having been in training for a far shorter time than the English club. And that’s without both Antonio Di Natale and Fabio Quagliarella. Whoa. Could it be that Udine are on the comback trail?

And, finally, Juve: Despite Claudio Ranieri’s fervent wishes to lose some more, his team managed a 1-1 draw again Sunderland, in a game staged to celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Stadium of Light. Seriously. They’re celebrated their tenth year in the ground. Jeez, talk about manufacturing reasons for a party.