Coach Steve's Corner

The international break is fast approaching as next week the nations of Europe will play their final World Cup qualifying group games. Thus most national teams have released their list of call ups for their two fixtures. As usual there were some surprising decisions made by managers, including some questionable exclusions. I'd like to focus on two of those exclusions, Radja Nainggolan by Belgium and Jorginho by Italy, as they have been two of the best midfielders in the early stages of the Italian Serie A season. I think both should've been called up and I'll explain why below. Radja Nainggolan Since, his arrival at AS Roma from Cagliari in January 2014 Radja Nainggolan has been one of the best midfielders in Serie A and arguably one of the best in Europe. He plays an all-around game and is a true box-to-box midfielder. Nainggolan's work rate is second to none and he routinely wins the ball back for Roma with his clean, hard tackling. Nainggolan is also good at hold...

After a very underwhelming match day 1 from the Italian contingent in the 2017-18 Champions League; Juventus, Roma, and Napoli must step up with wins in match day 2 or their chances of advancing will take a big hit. Below I will take a look back on match day 1 and look forward to this week’s match day 2 for each team. Juventus  Juventus were faced with their toughest task of the group stage in match day 1 when they traveled to the Camp Nou to face heavyweight Barcelona. In my Champions League preview I said that a loss at the Camp Nou wouldn’t be anything to fret over because it was the one game that I felt Juve could afford to lose. However, the way that Juventus lost was a bit of a concern to Bianconeri fans. Juve lost big to Barcelona 3-0 in a game which they conceded 61% possession and were unable to thwart a potent Barca attack. It’s a result like this that will make you wonder how much Juve will miss Leo Bonucci leading their back line against opponents like Barca who hav...

The long awaited return of Alessandro Florenzi finally occurred at the Stadio Olimpico today against Hellas Verona. Florenzi started and played 90 minutes in his first game in almost a year after two knee surgeries. Florenzi tore a knee ligament last October before re-injuring the same knee in training in February which resulted in a second surgery and another long rehab. Florenzi looked like his old self today despite the long layoff from game action and provided plenty of energy down the right side of the pitch. He even provided a lovely cross that Edin Dzeko buried for Roma's second goal of the evening. It was an emotional night for the Roman born and bred Florenzi who always leaves it all on the field for his beloved Giallorossi. Now that his emotional night has come and gone without incident, I believe Florenzi will provide a big boost to both Roma and Italy. Florenzi is a talented player who is coming into his prime at 26 years of age and on top of that he has become one ...

Francesco Totti was a remarkable player. He was remarkable in many ways and for many reasons. His talent; remarkable. His numbers; remarkable. His longevity; remarkable. So many things about his 25 year AS Roma career have been remarkable. However, there is one thing about Totti that may be more remarkable than anything else. His loyalty.  Totti is one of a dying breed. He was a one club man. A world class player that played his entire career with one team. Paolo Maldini at AC Milan. Ryan Giggs at Manchester United. Carlos Puyol at Barcelona. Those are a few examples. They are a rare breed for sure.  However, there is something in my opinion that makes Totti’s loyalty just a bit more impressive. Roma is not Manchester United, Barcelona, or AC Milan. Roma doesn’t have the prestige or winning pedigree of those clubs. While the likes of the above mentioned players were lifting Champions League, Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A trophies; Totti was often getting knocked ou...