Roma Continue to Grow Under Zeman's Rule

After a disappointing summer transfer window for the Serie A, looking around at the possible contenders for the scudetto, it's evident that this season's race will have a few surprises in store. Teams like AC Milan, have lost many key players and weren't able to replace them properly, and others like Juventus and Inter just weren't able to clinch that world class player signing which could've helped set them definitively above the rest. Thanks to this lull in the Serie A's transfer market, this current season should be one of the most competitive we'll see yet. Among the clubs clawing to get a Champions League spot, Roma seems to have solidified themselves as a team ready to do the business after their impressive 3-1 victory over Inter Milan this weekend.

The match at the Stadio Meazza was an important test for Zeman's side. While Inter only finished sixth last season, the team retains a strong core of good players, and the young new manager of the nerazzurri, Andrea Stramaccioni, has been relatively successful thus far. It was a tightly contested start, with Roma showing more grit and speed (most likely due to the brutal pre-season training Zeman made the squad undergo) than the home side. On the 15th minute, Totti curled a delicate cross for Florenzi (who was completely unmarked by the sleepy Inter defence) to simply flick into the back of the net.

Totti and Osvaldo celebrating Roma's second goal

But this Roma team was nowhere close to satisfied, Osvaldo and Destro continuously made runs up front, clearing space for Totti and Florenzi to insert themselves into the box. Yet Roma met resistance as Milito narrowly missed a point blank header, and Cassano equalized against his former club, his shot getting a lucky deflection off of Burdisso's foot to finish up into the back of the goal. It was 1-1 going into the second half, and while Roma had the difficulty of playing away from home, they had the advantage of their superior fitness over Inter, who had also just played a Europa League qualifier in the midweek against Vaslui. 

Soon enough, Totti was able to create another goal, threading a pass through the Inter defence for Osvaldo to chase after and chip into the net to take the lead. The Inter defence was beginning to look tired as Osvaldo and Destro rarely stopped running, being constantly threatening. Roma continued to wear Stramaccioni's team down, and eventually Marquinho sealed the victory with a rocket volley from a narrow angle. A dominant 3-1 victory over Inter Milan at the San Siro for Roma, and while the players celebrated, Zeman seemed pensive of the work that still lay ahead for his side. 

Roma's next three matches seem fairly simple, Bologna, Cagliari, and Sampdoria, after which they'll face the Italian champions Juventus in Turin. While Zeman has plenty of time to prepare for the big clash, he is going to have to solidify any possible flaws which the team has in defence as Juventus are looking mighty after their 4-1 victory over Udinese.

It is very early in the season, but after this important away victory, Zeman's Roma continues to show signs of improvement. If he can continue to push his team forward, in a few weeks time Roma could pose a significant threat to Juventus, and possibly take down the current holders of the scudetto. What are your thoughts? Can Roma rise to the occasion this season under the guidance of Zeman? Share your comments below!

David Beckham to Remain at LA Galaxy?

Speculation that David Beckham has made a huge u-turn to sign a new deal with LA Galaxy is mounting today, following reports that he has turned down a switch to big spending Paris St. Germain in France. For a number of weeks now, Beckham has been linked with a return to European football with the club that has just appointed former Chelsea boss, Carlo Ancelotti as its new manager. However, fresh reports from France state that the former England captain, 36, has decided not to make the switch to the French capital “for family reasons.”

The family reasons quoted are most likely to surround the fact that his wife and children are very much settled in Los Angeles at the moment. PSG sporting director, Leonardo was understandably disappointed with Beckham's decision: “It's over. It's a shame,” he told L'Equipe.

“But the welfare of his family in LA, the wish not not to change everything in his life, weighed heavily.”

Beckham is now expected to sign a new deal with the MLS champions, who are believed to have offered him a one-year rolling deal, which will automatically be renewed each season if he makes a certain number of appearances for the club.

LA Galaxy have recently been linked with a whole host of European based footballers, having been expecting to replace Beckham. Current and former Premier League stars such as Frank Lampard, Obafemi Martins and Carlos Edwards have been mentioned. But with Beckham now likely to stay, questions will be asked as to whether the Californian club will be prepared to bring in any more big name players, or focus on bringing through talented youngsters.

Meanwhile, Beckham's LA Galaxy team mate, Robbie Keane is being linked with the possibility of a return to the Premier League on loan for two months. The Ireland international is being widely linked with Aston Villa.

What are your thoughts on Beckham remaining in the MLS? Even those who prefer to play poker games than watch football will be interested to see what Beckham does next!

EURO 2012 Groups Drawn

The 2012 EURO's are slowly approaching, and just yesterday the groups for the initial stages of the tournament were drawn. Below are the resulting groups of the draw:


Group A

Poland, Greece, Russia, Czech Republic

Group B

Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Portugal


Group C

Spain, Italy, Republic of Ireland, Croatia


Group D

Ukraine, Sweden, France, England


As for just about every international tournament, a group of death naturally formed. For the 2012 EURO's it seems that Group B will be the toughest of them all. 2010 World Cup finalists Netherlands along with Germany, Portugal, and Denmark will all make for a group which will definitely provide plenty of action. We also see the holders of the tournament, Spain, with a fairly difficult group in Group C. Croatia and the Republic of Ireland aren't to be taken lightly, and Italy's resurgence could threaten Spain's dominance.


Which of the following groups are you looking forward to the most? What are your predictions for the 2012 EUROs?  Share your thoughts and comments below!

Trapattoni Extends Republic of Ireland Contract

Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni has signed a new contract to stay in the role, meaning that he will coach the team throughout the 2014 World Cup qualification campaign. Those over at casinos online .com note how Ireland secured their place in Euro 2012 with an excellent play-off victory over Estonia earlier this month of course and the Italian signing a new deal is a testament to the job he has done.

 Speaking about signing a new deal, Trapattoni said:

“It is a huge honour and privilege to represent the Irish team and we look forward to continuing. Marco and I believe very strongly in the work that we are doing to grow and develop the Irish team.”

The former Italy manager will earn around £1.25m per year as part of this new deal, with businessman Denis O'Brien contributing to this fee and helping out the Football Association of Ireland.FAI chief executive John Delaney said:

“On behalf of the FAI board of management, we are very happy to agree a contract extension with Giovanni and his team. They have done fantastic work bringing us to a major tournament for the first time in 10 years. Giovanni's experience, professionalism and achievement in qualifying for Euro 2012 has impressed everyone including the players and the FAI board. The FAI board of management are particularly grateful to Denis O'Brien for his continuing contribution which gives the Irish team and supporters the benefit of Giovanni's services into the next World Cup campaign.”

Trapattoni certainly has a favourable record as manager of Ireland. He has guided them to 21st in the world rankings after 19 wins in his 42 games in charge. First and foremost, he has made the Irish hard to beat, something which is backed up by the fact that he has only lost on eight occasions during his time as manager. Then, as far as they Euro 2012 qualification campaign was concerned, they only lost once in their 10 games, conceding just eight goals along the way.

Many have argued that they need more attacking flair if they are to be successful in Euro 2012, but they have a few months to work on that and it is more important that they have a solid foundation to build upon. It is excellent news that Trapattoni has committed his future to Ireland too. There will be no speculation going into the tournament next summer now, something which could have distracted the players from the job in hand. The next significant date for Trapattoni and Ireland is the Euro 2012 draw which takes place on Friday afternoon.

What are you thoughts on Trapattoni's success at Ireland? Will it continue with this extension? Share your thoughts in the comments below!