De Rossi

[Renato_CTID]

It's very easy now to understand: if Marwood would offer something like 30 ml £ to Giallorossi then Daniele should be persuaded to fly to Manchester to sign for City!

[Swales4ever]

It's very easy now to understand: if Marwood would offer something like 30 ml £ to Giallorossi then Daniele should be persuaded to fly to Manchester to sign for City!

You look as confused as the AC Milan chairman in the recent times, Renè... candle in the wind?

[DoomMerchant]

So they've done their kiss the ring, genuflection moment so that they have a way back home with the fans when City prise him away....

if we don't sign him in the next two days, and then sell Nige and Ade and RSC and bring Sinclair in as well i'll be shocked.

I think DDR is coming to City for sure fellas....i can feel it in my plums.

interesting times.

cheers

[Renato_CTID]

It's very easy now to understand: if Marwood would offer something like 30 ml £ to Giallorossi then Daniele should be persuaded to fly to Manchester to sign for City!

You look as confused as the AC Milan chairman in the recent times, Renè... candle in the wind?

Ah ah ... this is true! I was prepared to listen to simple words from De Rossi, something like: "I thank City and Mancini for his offer but I really want to stay definitively to Rome til the end of my carreer!". But what has he really said on his own? "I never want to leave Rome!". You know how we Italian people are complicated, isn't this a message to his board such as: "But if you would really sell me then I'll go to Manchester!" I think so!

[DonTullio]

I think ( and hope ) we'll have him as soon as City pops a 30-32 million pounds offer to Roma.

[Nigels Tackle]

italian friends..... are you saying that no means yes?

very julian assangesque.....

[DonTullio]

italian friends..... are you saying that no means yes?

very julian assangesque.....

Not necessarily.

I'm just saying that there is nothing that De Rossi said that led me to believe it's all over.

[mr_nool]

italian friends..... are you saying that no means yes?

very julian assangesque.....

Not necessarily.

I'm just saying that there is nothing that De Rossi said that led me to believe it's all over.

An Italian in Finland? There can't be too many, so I will give it a shot ... You don't happen to work in the translation business?

[Dameerto]

Wrong, wrong and wrong. I watched the press conference in Italian, and all he said is " I never asked to leave ".

When the journalist asked if he could say that he would stay put at AS Roma, he said that's something he can't say for it is something for Roma to decide.

He never said he would stay put for sure, and also no " 31 Million £" bid has arrived for Roma to consider.

I believe it's one of those market sagas that continue until the very 31st of August.

Thanks for clearing that up mate. So the saga continues. Also, welcome to the forum.

[Mase]

Sky Sports:

De Rossi snubs Mancini

They really are a bunch of pricks!

[lets all have a disco]

It's always bonkers playing shop with Italian clubs proper shady,smoke and mirrors bullshit.

[Ted Hughes]

Some people on Bluemoon are claiming De Rossi said in an interview that Mancini had spoken to him & he'd told Mancini "now is not the right time to leave".

I ask our resident Italians; is this true ? Because imo if it is, he's not signing for us now, end of story.

[Original Dub]

Load of horse shite. Is he covering his ass like kaka did? Kaka is still a hero in milan and it's purely because of how he declared he wanted to stay.

Silly milan, imagine they could have gotten the guts of 100m from us?!!

[Wonderwall]

If I was a multi milloinaire playing for the club I love, I would have probably done the same thing before I let the board issue a statement thanking him for his time and the cash from city will help them sustain serie A status and time to continue building etc etc

[Chinners]

Sky Sports:

De Rossi snubs Mancini

They really are a bunch of pricks!

SNUB COUNT BOLLOX: 431 + 1

[DonTullio]

italian friends..... are you saying that no means yes?

very julian assangesque.....

Not necessarily.

I'm just saying that there is nothing that De Rossi said that led me to believe it's all over.

An Italian in Finland? There can't be too many, so I will give it a shot ... You don't happen to work in the translation business?

I don't, even though I do speak / understand a fair amount of languages.


Anyhow, coming back on topic:

90% of the stuff that gets on the papers is complete and utter sh!t. Transfer market like this creates so many money-making opportunities ( 35k people at the Olympic Stadium in Rome for a friendly game, people? ) that we should just wait and see.
There hasn't even been an official, proper offer from Manchester City yet.

[Chinners]

Don, You need to get your sig to run for extra 10 seconds ....

[Swales4ever]

never heard of that Ted.
Is there anything in the posts I wrote above that drives to think like that? I mean why on the hell the Agent flew to Manc if his client does think that the time is not right? and if not now, when? Is still anyone around that think that MCFC are a bunch of idiots who might sign an over 30 a couple of year later.

Again: the player wants to challenge with Highlanders and for honours.
Roma is Skint
the Club have to decide if they want to persue him up to 30 millions. if that level of dosh are splashed (even a little less) they will sell, if we are able to buy.

ciao

[Wonderwall]

SNUB COUNT BOLLOX: 431 + 1

Imagine our squad if we signed that lot.....i would still settle for goal difference

[Guy Debord]

Here's a related article by Michael Cox of Zonal Marking fame:

http://www.zonalmarking.net/


There was plenty of amusement earlier in the season when Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini suggested that he needed another central midfielder. A few hundred million spent, Roberto, and you need yet another player?

Yet it makes perfect sense, and partially explains why Man City have struggled in Europe this season, in comparison to their astonishing dominance in the Premier League. They have almost everything in the attacking department – finishing ability (Edin Dzeko), pace and power (Mario Balotelli), creativity (David Silva and Samir Nasri), intelligent running (James Milner), a deep-lying forward (Sergio Agüero) and tricky wing play (Adam Johnson). They also have Yaya Touré’s strength from the centre of the pitch, plus good support from full-back.

The one thing Man City lack is a top-quality deep-lying midfield playmaker – a ‘regista’, as Mancini would call them.

They have Nigel De Jong, who is one of the best in Europe at breaking up attacks, and is reliable with his short-range passing. There’s also Gareth Barry, who has enjoyed a decent opening to the season, but his form has been greeted with a mixture of praise and surprise, rather confirming the feeling that he’s not quite of the standard City need. Look at recent winners of the Champions League and they have almost always had one of the world’s best at creating play from deep – Xavi Hernández, Andrea Pirlo, Paul Scholes and Xabi Alonso spring to mind. Barry, with respect, is not in that class. No side can be a complete attacking force, but it is arguable that this type of player is even more important to a side’s attacking potential than talented wingers or strikers.

It is certainly not easy to defend against City, but sides like Everton and Napoli have shown that sitting deep and getting players goalside of the City midfield is the obvious approach to stopping them. At present, there’s no need to close down Barry and De Jong – they’re not going to open up your defence. Joleon Lescott and Vincent Kompany are decent on the ball but no more (although Kompany did play a superb volleyed diagonal pass for Belgium at the weekend) – so there’s little incisiveness from deep positions. Having someone like Pirlo forces the opposition midfield to come higher up the pitch to close down, therefore leaving gaps between the lines, or in behind the defence, for others to exploit.

Mancini’s surprise decision to sign Owen Hargreaves indicates his need for extra bodies in that zone, but even the most optimistic City fan won’t be expecting him to have a consistent impact on the side. Therefore, City might look to strengthen this area in January; Mancini is a fan of Roma’s Daniele De Rossi and Fiorentina’s Riccardo Montolivo – both are out of contract in the summer, and the clubs might prefer to take the cash while they still can. Importantly, neither have played in the Champions League this season, and would therefore be eligible for the knockout stages.

In the Premier League it won’t be a problem. There, the physicality of De Jong, Toure and Barry will be enough, but City might need a little more nuance if they are to triumph in their debut Champions League campaign.