PSG-Juventus highlights are now available: Not much to add to what's been said here on this thread during the game, except that everyone in Europe, right now, should respect Juventus, who so squarely won the double-header vs PSG with two indisputable wins, both at home and away. We're talking Paris Saint-Germain, a team that, in the last 10 years, was 9 times in UEFA WCL's top 8 (including the last 6 editions), 7 of those 9 times in top 4, and 2 of those 7 times a finalist (although their last final was in 2017-2018). 'Nough said. I have already observed, but it's worth repeating it, that in the final moments of the match, when it was important to prevent PSG to come back into the game, Juventus had a distinct "vintage feeling": at some point Barbara Bonasea (who had replaced Cristiana GirellI), Sara Gama and Martina Rosucci were all on the pitch at the same time and they all gave a crucial contribution in offense or in defense. These players can't probably be reliable starters anymore (not always, anyway), but, as super-subs, their experience can be an invaluable tool in Juventus' arsenal (pun intended ).
Talking about Arsenals: Meanwhile, the draw for UEFA WCL's group stage have happened. I'll copy and paste the outcome of it as @Lohmann posted it on the UEFA Women's Champions League 2024/25 thread. Group A Lyon Wolfsburg Roma Galatasaray Group B Chelsea Real Madrid Twente Celtic Group C Bayern Arsenal Juventus Valerenga Group D Barcelona Manchester City St.Pölten Hammarby What can we say? Of course carving a place for one of the Italian teams in Group B would have looked like a dreamlike outcome, but I guess at this point Roma and Juventus don't have to be scared of anyone. Many things can happen in a long Champions' League's group-campaign and many favourable or disadvantageous situations can create along the way. At the moment, the Italian teams, who came from the 3rd pot, look indeed like third bests in their respective groups, but it's not impossible that at least one of them manages to upset one of the bigger leagues' teams and to squeeze into the quarter-finals: it has already happened (and against all odds), it can happen again.
Good points that benching players can be a good "wake up"-call, totaly agree. Think Berensteyn should've been that last season as well when she didn't score a single goal after christmas, luckily Echegini could replace her goals . Btw was it only me who got a bit sad Spugna didn't give Dragoni all possible time needed to score a hattrick? Anyway probably fair to give Pandini some playtime, it's a team sport after all, and Dragoni was probably more than happy anyaway , but but would've been a cool thing.
Well, it isn't a given that she would have scored the third goal, had she remained on the pitch! And then, I guess scoring a brace in a Champions' League's match as her first official goals at Roma was enough of a satisfaction for a 17 yo (it's so long that she's around, that it's difficult to realize that she'll only turn 18 this November! ). Also, did you notice how cool her second goal was? She's sure going to grow into an amazing player, she already has the marks of a generational talent, but at her age "step by step" is the name of the game: and she already made quite giant steps, yesterday. Also, you're correct that giving playing time to Marta Pandini when your team is ahead by 6-2 (and 9-3 on aggregate) is a wise move: her signing could be seen as a little marginal among the exchanges that happened between Roma and Inter in the last months (Annamaria Serturini and Elisa Bartoli from Roma to Inter, Frederikke Thøgersen from Inter to Roma), but actually she's a solid player; probably seldom a starter in this team, but actually a luxury solution from the bench when needed. Of course, she needs to gel with the rest of the team in a competitive set-up, though.
Yea, I noticed that little flick or move or trick, whatever you call it, very cool .I like Dragoni's individual skills a lot, there you can really see how talented she is, she must probably work a bit to be more involved, make her free to receive balls and so on, but it should come with age . Yea probably a team like Roma need some rotation players also, as they plays so much games. Same with Juve, an actually hard working Lehmann can be handy against teams like Napoli, Sampdoria etc
The exact schedule for the Champions' League's group-matches has been published: I won't go into details, but the first matches for the Italian teams will be Roma-Wolfsburg on the 8th of October and Vålerenga-Juventus on the 9th of October. Meanwhile, Serie A Femminile resumed, with two games being played today. The first one, Como-Sampdoria, had already a taste of "relegation clash" written on it, despite so few games having been played, and in fact the two teams were more or less content to share the spoils with a 1-1 draw. The visitor team went ahead early in the 1st Half through an own-goal by Mina Bergersen, who deflected in her own goal a cross from a Corner-Kick action. Como, though, patiently pushed forward for all of the 1st Half, until they managed to equalize towards the end of it with a good action finalized by usual suspect Nadine Nischler. After that, the 2nd Half was more or less a blank. Sassuolo-Inter was setting up the interesting clash between Giampiero Piovani and Gian Loris Rossi, who took his place on Sassuolo's bench after having been Piovani's assistant-coach for 2 seasons: who could know better than him the secrets of his former mentor? It was an entertaing game: Inter scored first, quite against the run of play, in the middle of the 1st Half, with Annamaria Serturini converting a delicious back-heel assist by Elisa Polli; the home team, though, managed to equalize at the beginning of the 2nd Half with Kassandra Missipo. In the end, though, Inter's depth made the difference (the likes of Michela Cambiaghi and Lina Magull had been initially rested, but they were subbed in 10 minutes into the 2nd Half): a goal by Tessa Wullaert and an own goal by Martina Brustia set the score on the final 1-3 result. Inter are for real: this season, I am quite sure they can fight until the end for the title or at least for a Champions' League's spot. Today's scores: Como 1-1 Sampdoria Sassuolo 1-3 Inter Highlights:
Two games today, but the match-day will only end tomorrow with Juventus-Fiorentina. Just one half of the game, with the help of a magnificent Manuela Giugliano, was enough for Roma to quite easily dispose of Napoli. The captain scored a brace and in-between her goals there was one by usual Evelyne Viens. No goals in 2nd Half for Roma (just a post hit by late-sub Giulia Dragoni), on the contrary it was Napoli to get one back at 80' with Michela Giordano, but it was too little too late. Napoli will have to find points elsewhere; Roma can now concentrate on the top-clash vs Inter next week-end and then with the first Champions' League's group-stage game vs Wolfsburg. Milan won their first match of the season in Serie A Femminile vs Lazio, but it sure wasn't a smooth job. The home team charged like a bull in the 1st Half, especially with Chanté Dompig's runs, but there wasn't much finesse in their attacks; indeed it was actually Lazio who went ahead first, in the final part of the 1st Half, with a powerful shot by their captain Noemi Visentin, that hit the crossbar and went in. Milan equalized two minutes later with an header by Julie Piga from FK action. Later in the 2nd Half, it was Julia Piga again who gave Lazio a PK (and picked up a Yellow Card in the process): Martina Piemonte, though, was hypnotized by Laura Giuliani and sent it crashing on the post (the home comment-guy claims that Giuliani even had a piece of it: not easy to judge with the only camera-angle we get ). In the end, it was a late-sub, Polish FW Nikola Karczewska, who decided the game at 81'. Probably a draw would have been more fair, but in the end it was Milan who did what was needed to secure the three points. Today's scores: Roma 3-1 Napoli Milan 2-1 Lazio Highlights:
Of course it was a save by Giuliani! She saved it with her left arm (bad contrast of the white ball to the yellow jersey of Giuliani). There was no contact with the post.
Giuliani was the difference I feel,switch goalkeeper and Lazio may even win. wasnt Cetinja quite shaky especially on the second goal? Lazio is a side I hope can stay up, wouldn't cry if Sampdoria or Napoli go down instead. On the Roma game I think this one and the game against Servette showed they are catching up steam. Very beautiful passing today, they look a bit like Barca actuall, but ofcource they got two modes, besides possesion game, they can also play quick on the counter with Giugliano dishing out wonder balls to Viens and Giacinti. Speaking of Barca, I think Dragoni is exciting but I must say, might've said this before, she doesn't feel like a Barca tiki-taka player. Dragoni seems to be more about spontaniety and not so much about following a set model. Read on twitter that Roma fans urged her to pass in some situations and I can see why, she changes Romas smoth passing play quite much, she wanna do a difference her own! Her favourite player is Ronaldinho which I think is quite telling, not a Pep Barca guy, which I think todays Barca is much more modeled after. ¨ That's why I think at the moment that Dragoni is maybe more suited for teams more about indiviualistic actions, that is Juve or for example Lyon. But Dragoni is very young and feels so dynamic you don't really know where to put her and what she will be. Anyway I think she will do awesome in Roma either way. Sorry my ramblings, just needed to get out my thoughts, I probably overthinks though I would love if anybody want's to comment.
Sorry, it doesn't sound wooden for me. Here you can see in the photo that her left arm is up https://www.acmilan.com/en/news/art...first-win-for-the-rossonere-2-1-against-lazio
I wasn't questioning that she made the save (it was near invisible for me from that angle and at that distance, but you proved me wrong), was just saying that, if not wooden, anyway her arm has a very distinctive sound for being human.
Anybody? As I had noticed above, there are barely 4 people or such regularly posting on this thread. Anyway, in my eyes Giulia Dragoni, as solid as the development offered to her at Barcelona was, remains a young player in the making, given her age. This opens up a wide range of options, and it could end going almost any way. I agree that she looks like wanting to be more direct than other players, but this is also helped by her superb technique in many aspects of the game (dribbling, passing, shooting) that give her a solid groundwork to many different roles. I find interesting that Alessandro Spugna tested her in a more advanced position to try to incorporate her in the team: he probably knows that there are players in Roma's midfield that are difficult to move and that give crucial contribution to the team (Manuela Giugliano, Giada Greggi, Saki Kumagai).so Dragoni has to find space further up on the pitch.
Hehe, It put a lot of pressure on the three persons commenting here. My comment sounded a bit more begging than I intended too . Yea it's interesting Spugnas experimenting with Dragoni. Yesterday it felt like she was back a bit more central, actually playmaker role, like Guiglano use to have, havent seen Dragoni be as much of a central point before. Agree dribbling, passing and shots are her biggest strengths.
Fiorentina seem to have completely lost their way after the defeat vs Wolfsburg: they had started the season quite well, both domestically and internationally (by eliminating Ajax), but now they seem to miss their previous confidence and tonight they lose by 4 goals to Juventus, handing them the top of the rankings and been passed by Inter also. Michela Catena looks to me like the posterchild of this moment: a bright talent, who can't seem to find the goal for a mix of bad aim and bad luck and it's becoming more and more nervous because of that. Juventus, on the contrary, are in a brilliant form and beating PSG made them even smugger: everything looks smooth for them and everyone in the team, veterans and youngsters alike, are scoring. Today, the scoresheet reads: Arianna Caruso, Amalie Vangsgaard, Paulina Krumbiegel and even Martina Rosucci, being handed by her team-mates a ball that only needed to be tapped in and scoring for the first time since ages (after having been out for months with an ACL injury). And it could have been even more, since Juve hit a post and Fiorentina kept making defensive blunders (and can't seem to defend a Corner-Kick for their dear lives! ). After 4 match-days, the rankings are starting to take shape: after two seasons of Roma's dominance, it looks like the team to beat is now Juventus. Milan show up for the first time in the upper half of the rankings just by goal difference, but it doesn't actually look like a permament achievement, since they're anyway 4 points behind Roma and much closer to the bottom teams (and especially their performance, despite the win vs Lazio, didn't look convincing at all). You would bet that the 4 teams currently at the top will battle for the 3 Champions' League's places and no-one else will manage to challenge them. Today's game: Juventus 4-0 Fiorentina The rankings (goal difference and goals scored in brackets): Juventus 12 (+10, 16 goals scored) Inter 10 (+10, 13 goals scored) Fiorentina 9 (+2, 7 goals scored) Roma 8 (+4, 9 goals scored) Milan 4 (-1, 4 goal scored) Como 4 (-3, 5 goals scored) Napoli 3 (-5, 3 goal scored) Lazio 2 (-2, 5 goals scored) Sampdoria 2 (-9, 2 goal scored) Sassuolo 1 (-6, 5 goals scored) Highlights of the game:
Fiorentina still got a very thin squad, even starting line up. My ordination for the next winter market is to buy 1 ok striker, 1 good defensive midfielder and 1 great defender .Rarely seen a team as unbalanced as Fiorentina actually. They got lots of top forwards but do they got any top defensive players at all?
Newly signed Maria Luisa Filangeri was supposed to cover that (at least partly), but actually their whole defensive set up looks all over the place.