[lazio tickets, lazio news updates 2008-2009] .kw Lazio tickets www.romalazio.co.uk     Delio Rossi dodged the chop and the expected mass exodus is yet to transpire although Zauri and Behrami are being courted by Palermo and Mudingayi by Sampdoria. Lazio scouts are in Argentina and Romania so expect a few new signings from there in the next month or so. Rocchi and Pandev are set to stay with the Biancocelesti, Foggia and Stendardo are back, Radu and Rozehnal are in for the long haul and Carrizo (24) and Zárate (21) the cusp of a new wave of talented Argentinian players heading for the blue half of Rome. Notable pre-season friendlies commence with the visit of Slavia Prague on July 23rd. followed by Turkish Premier Super Leaguers Gaziantepspor on July 30th. (managed by Walter Zenga of Catania in 2006). It's Liverpool v Lazio at Anfield on August 8th. and then PAOK of Thessaloniki here in Rome on the 12th. whose 'Gate 4' Ultras need no introduction, nor the Grobari of Partizan Belgrade (Serbian Ultras), some of whom will make the trip. Valon Behrami is all set for a move down the peninsula to Palermo. Ivan Artipoli to Modena and Stendardo to Bologna what the paper's say this morning in Rome. Lotito has signed Swiss defender Stephan Lichtsteiner (24) from Lille OSC and is looking at right back Chrétien (20) of AS Nancy. New striker Mauro Zárate scored 5 goals on his debut in Lazio's first pre-season friendly, an 8-0 stroll over local side Rappresentativa Bellunese. Matuzalem will join Lazio from Real Zaragoza in the next few days, Francelino Matuzalem da Silva from Brazil is 28 years old and an attacking midfielder. West Ham are hovering over Valon Behrami and Torino have expressed an interest in Stefano Mauri. Luciano Zauri has moved to Fiorentina on loan for 1 year 'for Champions League football', incurring the wrath of many Viola fans. Sadly, Gaby Mudingayi has made a permanent move up to Bologna. Igli Tare is being considered for the position of Director of Sport. Lazio won 7-0 against Auronzo in their 2nd. pre-season friendly, Pandev and 18 year old striker Ettore Mendicino scored a brace apiece with Mauro Zárate on target again. Alessandro Tuia may be heading for Napoli on loan. Augusto Fernandez (22), an attacking midfielder with River Plate is the next and probably final dabble in the transfer market, although negotiations for Dinamo Bucuresti centre back Cosmin Moti (23) are ongoing. The Italian press have finally got round to publishing some of the details surrounding the failed takeover of Lazio in 2006. It was alleged at the time but has now been confirmed that Giorgio Chinaglia and Irriducibili leaders were brokering a deal with the Casalesi mob in Naples to 'buy' the club by force, this after Chinaglia had issued a press release falsely claiming that he had backing for the takeover from a Hungarian Bank and Pharmaceutical Company, pushing Lazio share prices to an artificial but almost convincing high. However, Claudio Lotito was not selling to anyone at any price. Of those in the original investigation, Chinaglia is a fugitive in the USA as regards this case and the former IRR leaders are still under house arrest here after completing jail terms. Fabrizio Toffolo for his part was shot and injured within days of release, perhaps by the Casalesi for leaking information. Other minor IRR members were interrogated. New arrest warrants have been issued this week. Threats to Claudio Lotito and his family for refusing to negotiate with Chinaglia kicked off this investigation, which has now been blown wide open with news that his takeover 'bid' was to be achieved through money laundering abroad by the Camorra's Casalesi clan, said to be worth over £20 billion and responsible for the executions of many hundreds of people in Naples and Salerno. If this case goes to trial and members of the Casalesi clan end up in the dock, Giorgio Chinaglia and the Irriducibili will be far safer behind bars. Valon Behrami has dispensed with his original threat of taking Claudio Lotito to court over FIFA's Article 17 and signed a 5 year deal with West Ham United, which will no doubt strengthen existing ties between Lazio, England, and the East London club. Udinese midfielder and Roman native Giampiero Pinzi (27) may be wearing the Lazio shirt soon in an exchange deal with Guglielmo Stendardo who was all set to join Gaby Mudingayi at Bologna. Mutarelli's move to Torino has broken down, Lotito says he is not for sale and Simone Barone (30) has no intention of leaving Toro anyway. Cosmin Moti is closer to Lazio, £3 million the asking price after a proposed season on loan. Delio Rossi may start with 3-5-2 come August 31st., a system Rimini had no trouble dismantling yesterday when the Serie B middlers found themselves 3-0 up at the break, 4-2 the final score with Mauro Zárate and Stephen Makinwa on target. Lazio defeated Padova 3-0 at Auronzo di Cadore this afternoon, playing 3-4-2-1 (Carrizo, Diakité, Rozehnal, Radu, Lichtsteiner, Matuzalem, Ledesma, Manfredini, Pandev, Mauri, Zárate) in the first half and scoring through Stefano Mauri. 4-3-3 (Muslera, Belleri, Diakité, Rozehnal, Radu, Dabo, Ledesma, Meghni, Pandev, Makinwa, Mauri) after the break brought a goal each for Goran Pandev and Stephen Makinwa. Lazio's objectives this week are to seal the Cosmin Moti (23) signing from Dinamo Bucuresti to reinforce the central defensive position and bring attacking midfielder Augusto Fernandez (22) over from River Plate, assuming the latter can avoid the bureaucratic problems suffered by his compatriot and friend Juan Pablo Carrizo last year. Stephen Makinwa is back from a successful loan spell at Reggina and has impressed in pre-season friendlies and training, the returning Nigerian striker will play his part in the coming season. Stefano Mauri too has performed admirably in friendlies to date, when just a few months ago he was seemingly on his way out of Lazio after falling from grace with club and fans alike. Big news from Formello today. Cristian Ledesma is heading out of the door now Augusto Fernandez is almost certain to join Lazio from River Plate. That Matuzalem has already arrived, both new midfielders will be enough cover for and score alot more goals than Ledesma who will only really be remembered for his thunderous derby strike in 2006. Mourad Meghni and Ousmane Dabo showed more consistency than Ledesma last season and Stefano Mauri, however poorly he can play, will always score goals when least expected. Goran Pandev has made a verbal commitment to stay with the Biancocelesti for at least another year and will sign a contract extension in the next couple of days. Phew. Pasquale Foggia intends to stay at Lazio this season and fight for his place instead of being farmed out on loan to another club. Mutarelli and Stendardo on the other hand will be loaned out, but it remains to be seen if they will be sent to Torino and Bologna respectively. Mourinho has made it clear that culling his Inter squad is immediate priority and Lotito has already shown interest in Portuguese midfield ace Pelé, who scored a fine goal against Lazio here last season, notwithstanding his mercurial volley versus the victorious Giallorossi in the final of the same competition. We won't be waving 'Addio' to Cristian Ledesma until June 2009 at the earliest. He considers himself to be a cut above the rest of the Lazio squad despite scoring just a handful of goals since 2006, and is demanding alot more money than Claudio Lotito's necessary salary cap can afford. Ledesma will use FIFA's Article 17 to join another club outside Italy and in so far as we are concerned, he is more than welcome to do so. Lazio won and lost narrowly this evening in the Torneo Città di Auronzo but bossed the triangular tournament nonetheless in the final reckoning. Perhaps inevitably it was Ledesma who put paid to Riyadh's Al-Hilal with a sharp volley, while Turkish side Gaziantepspor edged a 1-0 victory after Stephan Lichtsteiner was bemused by Cameroon defender Armand Deumi Tchani, who duly scored. It is rumoured that Inter are prepared to pay £9 million + offer Pelé (20) for Cristian Ledesma, whose unreasonable salary demands paired with the absolute intransigence of President Lotito mean that the midfielder is now officially for sale. Fernandez and or Pelé are prime candidates to replace him. Ledesma had a very poor season last term and his departure will benefit the club. The loan of Guglielmo Stendardo (27) to Bologna has been on hold for some weeks now and he may join Ledesma at Inter, if Lotito and Mourinho agree to a complex deal which will bring Pelé to Lazio and at least £10 million. Massimo Moratti will not oppose the move which could be signed and sealed on Monday. This latest hive of activity may leave Fernandez stranded at River Plate. Cosmin Moti has informed 'Corriere dello Sport' that his agent is very close to reaching an agreement with Lotito. Roberto Baronio and Massimo Mutarelli have been frozen out of pre-season training until firm offers come in. Belleri and Inzaghi will be loaned out, but at this time we do not know to whom. The newest addition to Lazio's pre-season friendly schedule is a prestigious one, Porto (A) who tanked Cagliari 4-1 yesterday. Hopefully Fabio Firmani and Christian Manfredini will stay with the Biancocelesti this season, both midfielders are determined and motivated, loyal to the cause, and have the ability to outscore Ledesma if handed anything like the number of games played by the departing pariah. Augusto Fernandez is ready to join Lazio but needs a Spanish passport to do so as Carrizo and Matuzalem have already been signed. Lotito is pulling out all the stops to bring Pelé to Rome whether or not Stendardo is part of the deal that will send Ledesma to Inter. Goran Pandev is outraged about rumours linking him with a move to Roma. Lazio are still 3 weeks away from competitive domestic football but played well at Anfield tonight. Misfit striker Andriy Voronin won it for the dippers in the final seconds of added time after a mistake by David Rozehnal. A legitimate goal from 18 year old Ettore Mendicino was disallowed for reasons unknown. Of the Primavera squad, Alessandro Tuia and Antonio Cinelli came off the bench late on. Next up FC Porto in the Estádio do Dragão on Sunday then PAOK here at the Stadio Olimpico on August 12th. If you are in Rome, some tickets are still available for this friendly so let us know as soon as possible if you would like to see Lazio v PAOK. Lazio went down fighting in the Dragon Stadium, 2-1 the final score against Porto. Portuguese defender Bruno Alves hammered a fine free kick into the top corner from distance and Lucho González made it 2-0. Ledesma did not celebrate scoring from 20 metres. Lazio brushed PAOK aside with goals from Mourad Meghni and Matuzalem, but the biggest cheer of the night was reserved for Sérgio Conceição who threw his shirt into the Curva Nord after playing an hour. The Portuguese legend was pivotal in Lazio's triumphs between 1998-2000. PAOK Ultras have a terrible reputation for violence, but to their credit the 200 or so lads who turned up made a pre-season friendly resemble a big European night with over 50 banners, flares, bangers and alot of noise. The entire Lazio squad was presented before kick off accompanied by images of Gabriele Sandri, highlights of and goals in recent friendlies and a soundtrack comprising the main title theme of Ridley Scott's 'Gladiator', awful Italian dross and somehow, 'Three Lions' ('football's coming home, it's coming home, it's coming etc.) from back in '96. Laughable, they really have no clue. Mendicino, Cinelli, Faraoni and Tuia have made the grade and first team duties await, congrats to all. Tommaso Rocchi will miss the start of the season after sustaining an injury at the Olympics. Hernan Crespo is one of the finest strikers in the game with an unbelievable scoring record at every club he is played for. Chelsea made him a free agent last month after loan spells at Milan and Inter going back to 2004, and there is talk this morning of a return to Lazio where he scored over 50 goals in c. 70 games between 2000-2002. Rocchi is confirmed out for at least 6 weeks so who better than Crespo to tutor his compatriot Zárate and fire the blue and white cause? If a transfer catch as unlikely as all is somehow pulled off by Claudio Lotito, the demonized President may even become popular. Lazio are still in negotiations for Fernandez, Moti and Pelé. There is unrest in the Lazio camp what with some players training away from the main squad in some kind of transfer limbo, until Lotito or another club steps in with a definitive solution. Simone Inzaghi will be loaned out yet again while Mutarelli and Baronio are looking for a one-way ticket out of Rome, the former via legal action for 'breach of contract'. Fernandez is being courted by other European clubs who have not exceeded their non-EU players quota as Lazio have done, ergo with the current delay in his application for a Spanish passport, it seems most likely that he'll still leave River Plate for Europe, but not Lazio. The Pelé story has all but gone flat as Juventus are now keen on Ledesma while Catania are the latest addition to the long list of clubs interested in Stendardo. Marco Ballotta is the new General Director at Serie B side Modena F.C. and he wants to enlist the services of a few former colleagues, namely Baronio, Berni and Vignaroli. Crespo will join Lazio if Lotito can convince him that the player salary cap is a more attractive proposition to being frozen out of Inter's Champions League squad and endless rows with Mourinho going back to his Chelsea days. Alex Pinardi (28) may be on his way to Lazio as part of a deal that will send Quadri and Berni up to Serie B hopefuls Modena. Pinardi has a good scoring record from midfield, hitting the back of the net once every 3 games in the last couple of seasons. Milan are trying to navigate an exchange deal for Guglielmo Stendardo but do Lazio really need Cristian Brocchi? No. Brocchi (32) is responsible for the clothing brand 'Baci & Abbracci' when not warming the bench which is where he belongs whoever he plays for. Chievo are looking at Mutarelli. Giampiero Pinzi (27) has joined Chievo on loan from Udinese, there was talk of the midfield man moving back to Lazio after 8 years in a straight swap for Guglielmo Stendardo. Stephen Makinwa is set to be loaned out this week and if Crespo does not return to the Biancocelesti, Erjon Bogdani (31) who is still on loan at Livorno after contributing to their relegation last season or Salvatore Bruno of Modena may be brought in to fill the gap left by Rocchi, who is out until early October. Lazio fielded a second then third string side over 90 minutes to defeat Fidene 5-1 with a brace from Makinwa and goals from Manfredini and Zárate. With the clock ticking down, Lotito is in Milan today to discuss Crespo and Brocchi while here in Rome Lazio have Viola hotshot Giampaolo Pazzini (24) in their sights. Baronio is close to Brescia. Lazio will play Atalanta in Round 4 of the TIM Cup after defeating Benevento 5-1 at the Olimpico, during which both De Silvestri and Meghni picked up injuries sufficient to rule them out of the opener at Cagliari on Sunday. Lotito went up to Milan to bring back Crespo and all he got was Cristian Brocchi (32). The most useless signing we've ever heard of. Why sell Mudingayi and release Baronio and Mutarelli for the likes of Brocchi? Lazio are top of Serie A after hammering Cagliari 4-1 in Sardinia but will have to make do without the defensive services of Cosmin Moti who chose Siena over Rome. The Hernan Crespo story blew over and there was no news on Fernandez when the transfer window closed yesterday which came as no surprise. Stendardo was banished to Lecce on loan and Baronio returned home on loan to Brescia. Mutarelli remains a Lazio player but that he took his own club to court for allegedly blocking a move away will hamper his chances of a place on the bench in the TIM Cup. Lazio saw off Sampdoria with a dream goal by young gun Zárate on his home debut and Pandev's 4th. poach of the season. Brocchi, Meghni and even Ledesma fared reasonably well in the middle of the park but the imminent return of Radu, Matuzalem and latterly Rocchi (or Foggia) for Mauri will make all the difference come the final reckoning. After Giornata 2, Lazio are sitting pretty at the top of Serie A. A win at Milan next weekend may well cost Carlo Ancelotti his job after the Rossoneri lost again, this time to Genoa. A Milan side marshalled by former Rossoneri outcast Marco Borriello gave Lazio a masterclass in distance shooting at the Meazza in a 4-1 rout, but there's time enough for the Biancocelesti to regroup ahead of Giornata 4 when the Viola travel down from Florence. Foggia for Matuzalem, Cribari for Rozehnal and Radu for Kolarov the post-Milan mortem, a game which Delio Rossi has been at pains to push out of the limelight. Lazio dominated Fiorentina for the duration but really took the Viola apart during a 20 minute period in the second half when 3 goals flew in. Zárate could have bagged 3 or 4 more with some splendidly inventive attacking play. The bullish striker who landed at Lazio from Birmingham City is an exceptional talent, as competent a provider as executor which will add considerable fuel to the fire when Rocchi returns before the next home game against Lecce if Delio Rossi opts to play 4-3-3. More magic from Mauro Zárate in Torino this time last week as Lazio thumped 3 goals past former stopper Sereni and a solid win in the Coppa against Atalanta who were still in the capital and wondering how on earth they lost to Roma on Sunday, had everyone running to the Stadio Olimpico yesterday evening expecting Lecce to roll over. Were it not for Simone Inzaghi of all people who equalized with time thin on the ground, the new Lazio dream would have ground to a stultifying halt. Thanks to the striker who was forced to train alone a few months ago, they stay top. Rocchi is back and he scored at Bologna, coming on for Zárate who looks tired after a barnstorming start to the season. Goals from Volpi and Marco Di Vaio aided and abetted by some ramshackle defending sent Lazio spiralling to defeat. The Biancocelesti are in 4th. spot behind Napoli, Catania, Udinese and Inter but have a good chance to go 2nd. next Sunday afternoon when they host the Vesuviani. Napoli fans behave like animals whenever they set foot outside Campania so the match is restricted to Lazio season ticket holders only. Matuzalem will be fit and Radu must play, it makes no sense to select Kolarov every week for set pieces alone. Siviglia knew nothing about it but his autogol handed Napoli a narrow victory at the Olimpico. Mauro Zárate is getting angrier by the minute, he hasn't scored for over a month. Lazio without Rocchi were profligate, they must fell the Flying Donkeys in Verona on Wednesday and the Elefanti here in Giornata 10 to get their season back on track. A scrappy win in Verona carries Lazio up to 6th. Home fixtures against Catania and Siena could be 6 points in the bag and back to a Champions League qualifying place. Rocchi will start with Pandev and Zárate against Catania in Delio Rossi's new spearhead attack. Lazio were off the pace but still managed to edge a tough encounter with Zenga's Catania by virtue of Foggia's late strike and move up to 5th. 'Zaparo', ergo the Zárate, Pandev and Rocchi trident was tested but leaving Foggia on the bench to do so was a risk. Next up Siena here in Rome on Sunday who defeated Fiorentina yesterday in the Tuscan derby. Move over Del Piero! Zárate lifted a fabulous free kick into the top corner which left former Giallorossi stopper Gianluca Curci rooted to the spot in front of the Curva Nord. Rocchi's late doppietta added plenty of shine to a tight contest and Siena can count themselves unlucky to be on the receiving end of such a harsh scoreline. Plenty of former Roma players lined up to challenge Lazio but it was disappointing to note the absence of Lotito's love lost Cosmin Moti. It's the 'away' derby next weekend and if Lazio play as they did in the second half, Roma are already in trouble. It is believed that De Silvestri will be on his way out of Lazio in January and Napoli is the most likely destination. We don't know why Lorenzo isn't prepared to stay and fight for his place with Stephan Lichtsteiner. Lazio drop to 5th. after the derby reverse and meet Genoa here at the Olimpico next Sunday without Ledesma who is in the worst form of his life. Il Grifino will be a true test of Lazio's mettle, Diego Milito has scored 10 goals in Serie A already this season and they won here 2-1 last term albeit by virtue of a Marco Borriello masterclass. Milito promised much and did not disappoint. Serie A's top scorer had a decent goal ruled out, skied a penalty and scored a fine goal only for Rubinho to fumble Ousmane Dabo's fortuitous long ranger into the corner of the Genoa net. A tight encounter at the Olimpico which was full of chances seemed to be turning Lazio's way with the early introduction of Tommasi Rocchi for Pandev, the substitute striker with Foggia as foil kept Rubinho busy but 1-1 a fair result all done which keeps the Biancocelesti in 5th. Atalanta have taken 16 of their 20 points at home where they have fierce support in the Curva Pisani but it was poor defending which made the trek to Bergamo a wasted trip for Lazio. Favourable results elsewhere however mean that the Biancocelesti stay 5th. They really need to string together a couple of wins very quickly indeed as patchy form has spoiled their excellent start to the campaign. It's a tough week ahead for Delio Rossi with Milan on Wednesday evening in the TIM Cup Last 16 then Inter on Sunday. In freezing fog brilliant Lazio cut down Milan in extra time after a late late Zárate penalty had squared the tie. Pandev slammed the ball home from close range on 92 minutes after fine work by his striking partner. Andriy Shevchenko missed a host of excellent chances before beating Muslera all ends up with a deceptive effort that crept into the corner from 20 metres, this after a demon Aleksander Kolarov free kick almost injured Dida. The big Serbian defender has the most powerful shot in Serie A. A Quarter Final place in the bag for Lazio against either Fiorentina or Torino. The runaway leaders brushed doughty Lazio aside in Rome with goals from Samuel and Ibrahimovic either side of Diakité's careless slash past Juan Pablo Carrizo a minute before the break. When the Nerazzurri are firing no-one can match them, and Mourinho's Inter are firing like never before. Injuries forced 4-4-2 on Delio Rossi and Rocchi was introduced early for Pandev who traipsed off with a calf injury, but he didn't get anywhere near Julio Cesar. Zárate and Foggia were both excellent and Kolarov's free kick goal disallowed for reasons best known to Orsato. Unfortunate Lazio are now in domestic freefall and travel up to Udinese next weekend. They competed as well as could be expected without key defenders Siviglia, Lichtsteiner and Stefan Radu. Inter will be at least six points clear at the top of Serie A tomorrow night. Lazio pulled a point out of nowhere in the Stadio Friuli after falling three goals behind. Delio Rossi needs to ask himself why Belleri and Del Nero were chosen to start. Pandev and Foggia were benched but they came on and changed the game in the second half. Mauro Zárate scored his ninth goal for Lazio after a lean spell bar his TIM Cup penalty in Milan, Mobido Diakité thumped a fine low header past Handanovic from a corner, a great response from the young French defender after his own goal last weekend and Ledesma found the net at last with a sweet strike from 20 metres. An incredible, fortuitous result. Next up Palermo on Saturday. Three points in five games not good enough for Lazio who scraped past Palermo in a difficult win. Rocchi's return to fitness signalled the start of a striking wobble which unsteadied Zárate, displaced Foggia, benched Mauri and has divided opinion about the future of his own proven partnership with sidekick Pandev. The crocked Olympian is back and scored the latest winner despite unfounded rumours of a January departure. Why it is that Genoa need Rocchi who would surely unsettle Diego Milito beggars belief. Mauro Zárate was substituted early in the second half and another childish touchline tantrum would have disappointed his family looking on from the stands. Pasquale Foggia struck the woodwork and battled hard against determined opposition, Simon Kjaer and Balzaretti in particular were giants for Palermo. Mobido Diakité impressed everyone at centre back alongside Cribari. Rocchi was the difference, his early introduction inspired Lazio who move up to seventh at the Winter break. Next up in 2009 Reggina (A). Four away wins now for Lazio after a trailblazing performance by Mauro Zárate who while not scoring himself, is revelling in his new role as creator in the 'Zaparo' trident attack. The lively Argentine presented Goran Pandev with the greater part of an agricultural hat-trick today. Reggina stretched Lazio but the Aquilotti prevailed to stay seventh and welcome Juve to the capital on Sunday night. Mutarelli is off Lotito's hit list, the midfield outcast has moved up north to Sinisa's Bologna which is fast becoming popular with Serie A's old and unwanted. Piazza della Liberta have decided to charge visitors for reading their Lazio news. If every Webmaster charged €70/year for access to the written word the internet would implode. It is disappointing to note that their site is 'powered by Wordpress'. In the current transfer window Parma are looking at Belleri and Del Nero while Ascoli have taken a shine to Berni. Most wanted is Argentine midfielder Sebastian Dubarbier (22) of CFR 1907 Cluj. Ranieri benched Giovinco and had to make do without Gigi Buffon, Camoranesi and Chiellini but still forced Lazio into desperate defensive action for nigh on all of the second half. The Biancocelesti had their chances to wrap it up late on and were denied a clear penalty, Molinaro cut down Foggia before he could get a match winning touch to Rocchi's pinpoint cross. Manninger swatted Rocchi's drive straight to Pandev but his shot flew over the bar while for Juventus, Nedved, Sissoko and Zanetti were all over Dabo and Mourad Meghni, although 'Petit Zidane' impressed in trying circumstances. Mauro Zárate was none too pleased to be subbed after a particularly dogged performance. On a 'Notte di Stelle' which included new James Bond star Daniel Craig in the crowd, only Amauri was off the pace, very few chances came his way and he struggled to get close to Carrizo. Former Villain Olof Mellberg equalized a lucky Ledesma goal, his floated free kick from near the touchline missed everyone, looked anything but a goal then dropped in off the back stick to stun the visitors. It's as you were for Lazio while Juve gain on Inter who lost in Bergamo. An atrocious first half by Lazio was soon forgotten in the aftermath of three second half strikes which fired the Biancocelesti into the TIM Cup Semi Final for the second year in succession. This time around they will face either Juventus or Napoli. Stefano Mauri made some new friends in the Curva Nord (did he really need them?) by crashing a thunderous drive into the top corner from 25 metres after Pandev jogged on for the second half and changed everything with his presence and a sublimely taken goal. Rocchi hit Torino out of sight on 90 minutes and inbetween times Mauri hit the post as did substitute Dabo. Mauro Zárate was electric but is in dire need of a goal, Lazio flop Bianchi put in a dire performance and Serie A's finest Alessandro Rosina towed the Granata line alone for inordinately long periods. He may yet have to pull Toro out of the relegation mire himself, they just don't have strength in depth this term. Muslera was at fault for Natali's goal and flapped his way through the match with some decidedly iffy handling and plenty of harem scarem moments, but this is no news. Lazio have signed Chilean young gun Gastón Cellerino (22) on loan from Club Social de Deportes Rangers (Rangers Talca) with an option to buy. Cellerino was a Youth Academy player at Boca Juniors. Benfica, Porto, Zenit and CSKA have all courted Cellerino in recent months. Stephen Makinwa is finally on the move (to Chievo), Simone Inzaghi should be following him out of Lotito's office but has been handed a two year contract extension instead which to be quite frank beggars belief, while Zenit want a piece of Pasqualino. No away team has played as well as Cagliari played today in Rome's Stadio Olimpico for a good few years. Allegri's upstarts had a good 20 or more chances to score and enjoyed a brace of missed penalties by Lazio who endured a truly horrendous afternoon. When Cagliari players were substituted they were cheered off and Carrizo was on the end of 'Frocio, merda, merda' whenever he cleared his lines as the game petered out. Fabio Firmani was sent off (from the bench) for kicking off at Daniele Conti and Rocchi was jeered off when taken off for Simone Inzaghi, despite scoring a decent opener. It's Sampdoria (A) on Wednesday evening and Beckham's Milan here next Sunday. Chaotic. Lazio always seem to be one game away from a crisis. however well they seem to be doing. Kolarov's impudent act of sarcastically clapping the Tribuna Tevere after an appalling first half against Torino last week, coupled with his pitiful effort against Cagliari, all too much for some fans who turned up at Formello yesterday to single out the Serb defender and threaten him with violence. Lazio face Doria in Genoa this evening without Meghni and Radu, but will be relieved to play away from home after a difficult fortnight here in Rome. Lazio have shipped seven goals in their last two games and having recalled Muslera for the equally hapless Carrizo, a repeat of last season's 5-1 home reverse to Milan is a distinct possibility come Sunday evening. The Biancocelesti are not exactly heading for life in a lower league but mid-table obscurity has come calling early. Cagliari cruised to an exciting away win at Juventus on Saturday night, ergo last week's heavy defeat cannot be called embarrassing in hindsight. Acquafresca, Jeda and Biondini are the leading lights in Serie A for now. This latest reverse against the Rossoneri surprised no-one, Milan are in the zone and Beckham, Pato and Kaká too good for recent opposition, indeed, Lazio were not really expected to land any decisive hits, never having beaten Milan in Serie A since 1998. Becks made two goals while Kaká slipped through for the third and Pato hit the post, this after a fine first half performance by Lazio who were more than a mite unfortunate not to go into the break ahead. Abbiati didn't need to make any spectacular saves, just solid behind a makeshift defence led by Bonera and Senderos who were stretched to the max by Mauro Zárate. Matuzalem started for the first time since Benevento in the TIM Cup but made little impact in the middle of the park, where Meghni excelled again. Returning custodian Muslera was up for it and his determination has benched Carrizo. Lazio players were told to seek sanctuary by their President after this, their fourth defeat on the hoof. Lady Luck really has turned her back on the Biancocelesti who for no lack of effort or creativity, find themselves in a rut of nobody's making. Singularly forsaken is young Mauro Zárate, he just cannot score. Sebastien Frey saved the Viola from a heavy defeat, his defiance so discouraged Lazio that Cesare Prandelli's lacklustre charges managed somehow to contrive an undeserved equalizer with one minute remaining. Goran Pandev hit Frey instead of the net after being released by Foggia who curled a free kick on to the base of the post from a very tight angle. Lorenzo De Silvestri was sent off for shirt pulling, his second yellow inside less than 20 minutes and Zárate did everything but score. Muslera made a strong save from Gianluca Comotto but could do little about Gilardino's tap-in after he blocked a Mutu drive. A rare appearance for Ettore Mendicino who replaced Ledesma with four minutes of recupero still to play. Lazio beat Torino here in the TIM Cup last month and will be favourites to do so again on Saturday evening. No significant transfer news in the January window, only the sad return of Cosmin Moti to Dinamo Bucuresti from Siena of some comfort to Lotito, after the race to sign him back in August failed. Four straight defeats and just two goals in recent weeks has pitched the notoriously impatient Lazio fans against their team. Siviglia's crucial equalizer was met with lukewarm celebrations at best, indeed, the defender celebrated his goal with defiant gestures directed at those in the Curva Nord. What will become of Lazio between now and May is anybody's guess. Mourad Meghni and Ledesma were sidelined, so 1-1 against Torino no real surprise in a humdrum match devoid of creativity. Toro stay in the bottom three, Lazio remain in the limbo of 11th. place. Next up Lecce (A). Lazio survived Lecce's love of woodwork in a vital win. Kolarov has wasted rather too many chances in recent months which has ired Laziali to a man. Random left-footed swipes in the general direction of the opposition goal more rugby union than calcio, however, this time he hit the target superbly to double up the winning margin afer Pasqualino's early deflected volley. Pandev's tough header from Brocchi's assist was incorrectly ruled out and luckless Zárate rattled the bar from 20 metres. Sinisa Mihajlovic returns to his beloved Lazio at the weekend, and will surely include recent troublesome departee Massimo Mutarelli in the Rossoblu squad. Former Olimpico favourite Gaby Mudingayi will start. Gaby Mudingayi was accorded a hero's welcome on his return to the Olimpico, interesting in that he totally outplayed Cristian Brocchi. Sinisa Mihajlovic too might have been taken aback somewhat by the level of support shown to him from both sets of fans, who were singing his name in tandem. Zarate's long overdue brace won it and to watch three recent Lazio players battle for Bologna in the second half was strange. Christian Manfredini jogged on for 15 minutes and had to contend with a hail of totally unjustified abuse. He replied by signalling 'vaffanculo' to the Curva Nord with his arm and wasn't alone. The talented midfield star played beautifully, set the wheels in motion for Zárate's second and left the field all the better for it. Christian almost joined Chievo in January and it would be appropriate to see him start against the Flying Donkeys in a fortnight. It was sadly predictable to read a slanderous article in La Voce della Nord targeting Sebastiano Siviglia. The defender confronted the entire Curva Nord after equalizing against Torino a few weeks ago and they failed to deal with his strength of character. Meddlesome ingrates who purport to be the supportive backbone of Lazio may yet hijack any chance of the club finishing in the top six. A full house witnessed a fine victory for Lazio who find themselves back on form at just the right time. If a draw or better is achieved in Turin on April 22nd. they will qualify for the UEFA Cup next season assuming Inter beat Doria in their Semi Final. Pandev spun round Marchisio to net a quality goal and Rocchi's celebration reminded the Curva Nord that his hat-trick against the Bianconeri for Empoli back in 2004 was no fluke. Lazio were equal to Juventus in the first half when Marco Marchionni's deflected shot barely beat Muslera, and they stormed back after the break. Christian Manfredini was chosen to start and threatened down the right flank, but the introduction of Mauri who operates in a more central role, gave Rocchi and Pandev far more space to work in and Foggia was the beneficiary, he had a superb match. If Lazio can improve on eighth in Serie A it's Europe 2009-2010. Estudiantes defender Marcos Angeleri (25) is set to join the Biancocelesti in June. Angeleri was under the tutelage of Diego Simeone (Lazio 1999-2003) in 2006-2007. While the form book would have backed Lazio all the way to win at Napoli who have faded badly in recent months, just a solitary home win against Catania and two home draws to their name in 2009, you really never know and Muslera had to be in the form of his life to keep out Lavezzi, Hamsik and Maggio. Rocchi came off the bench and had a brace in the bank inside ten minutes. Lazio are breathing down Roma's neck in seventh and host Chievo at the weekend. Lazio were steamrollered by The Flying Donkeys after four straight wins including the prestigious scalp of Juventus. Some appalling decisions by arbitro Oscar Girardi made it tough for the Biancocelesti, and if another Calciopoli scandal scars the game in years to come, perhaps this match will be investigated. Chievo cut through Lazio in the second half and should have piled on the misery, Kolarov was sent off for a leg breaker on Yepes and Foggia apart, this was a dreadful performance. Sergio Pellissier's first goal is worth seeing again, he raced through the middle and rode three tackles before lifting the ball over Muslera to score. Nomad Albanian striker Erjon Bogdani headed home from Luciano's rapier centre a minute before Pellissier's solo gem. Stephen Makinwa was hurt and substituted early on which seemed to liberate Chievo, they scored twice within six minutes of his departure. The former Lazio striker was applauded off the pitch. Chievo secured a commendable 2-0 win at Atalanta in Giornata 26 but have otherwise drawn most of their games 1-1 in 2009. It is proving difficult to work out this current Lazio squad, every game is an absolute lottery and only entertainment is guaranteed. Next up at home, Roma. Wild celebrations at the whistle for Zenga's Catania while for Lazio it's two successive defeats against mediocre opposition. Albano Bizzarri saved Pandev's penalty which really was the death knell for Delio Rossi. Foggia returns to the Azzurri fold and may come up against Vucinic in Podgorica on Saturday night. Lazio crumbled to yet another defeat this time at Siena, aided and abetted by Nestor Muslera whose calamitous attempted clearance set up Maccarone to roll in number two. No real chances bar a handful of penalty box charges by Rocchi. Lazio stay in ninth but are well off the pace for a UEFA Cup place and host Roma on Saturday with nothing but pride to play for. Claudio Lotito has been in the news today, sharing his thoughts on former Lazio starlet Kiko Macheda who scored a quite brilliant goal at Old Trafford to keep Merseyside out of harm's way for another season. The weary President has already named Delio Rossi's replacement, Walter Mazzarri will be leading Lazio no-one knows quite where next term and is refusing to pay wages unless the players buck up their ideas. Tommaso Rocchi had two great chances to make it six of the best at the end of a hostile derby which leaves Roma down and out of contention for Champions League football 2009-2010. The losers languish eight points behind CL hopefuls Genoa this morning who beat Juventus 3-2. Petulance and immaturity have come to typify the Giallorossi when the stakes are high, and Lazio tore through their indiscipline with glee. It was no surprise to watch arbitro Morganti give Panucci then Mexes their marching orders, two of the most arrogant players ever to disgrace a Rome derby. Veteran Panucci has gone out of his way to turn Roma into a laughing stock this season, he scored some crucial goals and promised so much more back in September. Mexes not only resembles a girl with ponytails and blusher, he behaves like one too, and was fortunate to avoid a severe kicking at the hands of Matuzalem. The French defender beat Muslera and Daniele De Rossi surprised himself with a fortuitous header but their goals will not be remembered. Lazio made a blistering start and were 2-0 to the good after just four minutes through Pandev's textbook volley and a missile strike from Zárate in front of the Curva Sud. Stephan Lichtsteiner headed a fine cross from Foggia past Doni on 57 minutes to secure derby honours and Kolarov ran the full length of the pitch to score a trophy goal with five minutes remaining, having collected the ball from a Muslera throw in his own box. This win may push the Biancocelesti into next season's UEFA Europa League, but more importantly, they are deservedly top dogs in Rome. Totti lost the plot before Mexes walked, he attempted to assault Matuzalem and was lucky to avoid a straight red for his efforts. Igli Tare and Luciano Spalletti were sent off at the break as simmering tensions threatened to boil over. The Biancocelesti are back for now after a stunning victory at Genoa who scuppered Ranieri's Scudetto dream last week. Gasperini's mixed bag eleven had no answer to Zárate's shock pot on the run, he angled his low drive into the far corner with stunning accuracy to evade Rubinho who was at full stretch. Lazio could have scored many more goals in the last ten minutes but were wasteful, they dominated an enthralling encounter chockful of incident. Only injuries to Pandev and Diakité soured another great result for Delio Rossi, who now it seems is staying put. Lazio are in the Coppa Italia Final and will play Sampdoria here in Rome at the Stadio Olimpico on May 13th. 2-1 (4-2 aggregate score) in Turin against a Juventus side desperate to make something of a ragged season, the culmination of a blue and white purple patch over 12 days which has seen off the likes of Roma and Genoa (A). Another mercurial strike by Zárate sealed it, he bent his shot around Buffon from fully 30 yards. Kolarov's fluke goal ended the contest before the hour mark. Delio Rossi will be delighted to meet his rumoured successor Walter Mazzari in three weeks time. Lazio v Atalanta on Sunday is restricted to residents of Rome only for absolutely no reason whatsoever. A horrible result for Lazio just when we all thought they'd turned the corner for a final push to UEFA Europa League football 2009-1010. No Pandev nor Matuzalem but TIM Cup exploits in Turin perhaps more likely to have taken their toll. Sergio Floccari was the early threat, but former Lazio defender Talamonti (2004-2005) met Cigarini's cross at the near post for 1-0. Lacklustre shooting by Lazio was to blame, only a Zárate curler and Stefan Radu's late drive worried Consigli, curiously awarded man of the match without making a save to remember. The match was restricted to residents of Rome only. Next up Inter (A). Ibra silenced his own Curva with a splendid carve into the bottom corner and Sulley Muntari ran through to cheat Muslera for number two. Zárate and Rocchi both had decent scoring chances and Libor Kozák, on for eight minutes, made his Serie A debut. Not that anyone expected Lazio to go some way towards depriving Mister Maureen of silverware in his debut season on Italian soil, albeit some kind of domestic relief after being turfed out of Europe by Man United. Lazio have four games to build on tenth, having fallen a couple of places after two defeats on the hoof with the TIM Cup Final to prepare for on May 13th. The Zárate payment saga rumbles on. Al-Sadd smell money and are attempting to extort lots of it from Claudio Lotito who has exercised his buy-out clause. If the contract is worth a penny more than the paper it was written on, and you really never know in Italian football, Mauro Zárate's loan move is now permanent until at least 2014 and the price will be c. €18 million. Lazio v Sampdoria is sold out. The authorities shut down the issuing system minutes before tickets were due to go on alleged general sale to non-season ticket holders. We apologize on their behalf for not being able to list tickets for the TIM Cup Final. Playing for a Coppa Italia Final place against Serie A's form team was always going to be a tough call, and so it proved. Rocchi spun round his marker to send a rising drive into the roof of the net from 20 yards only for Udinese to take complete control thereafter. Two goals flew past Muslera and a late penalty sealed what in the end was a fairly easy win for the visitors. Floro Flores scored straight after coming on with a low snapshot from the edge of the box and Gaetano D'Agostino left Muslera statuesque with a brilliant free kick. Brocchi was dismissed for petulance before and after Udinese's third, a penalty delayed by perhaps the longest substitution ever seen in the Olimpico. Five consecutive wins now for the Bianconeri while lacklustre Lazio stay tenth and await Sampdoria somewhat low on confidence. Lazio won it! UEFA Europa League football 2009-2010 will include at least one club from Rome. The Biancocelesti will revel in mixing it with Europe's faded elite, has-beens and wannabes. It'll make for some interesting contests when the draw is made. Mauro Zárate repeated his derby goal early doors to which Pazzini replied by looping a curious header past Muslera just after the half hour mark. Pandev, Foggia and Zárate all had decent scoring chances but Castellazzi held firm to keep the scoreline at 1-1 after normal and extra time. Nando Muslera was the unexpected hero, saving two penalties to banish all memory of his awful start in the Biancocelesti shirt. Ousmane Dabo hit the spot kick winner with great conviction. Lazio fell to an expected defeat after Wednesday night's marathon TIM Cup Final win and wild celebrations, while Palermo were at full strength and targeting Europe. Ettore Mendicino (19) made his full debut and Primavera midfielder Riccardo Perpetuini (18) from Latina came off the bench for 20 minutes, his first ever appearance for Lazio. Zárate was denied a clear goal, his pot shot hit the inside of the post and rolled over the line but Amelia made sure that officials were none the wiser. Former Lazio captain Fabio Liverani lasted 37 minutes before limping off, Miccoli buried his early penalty and a late Giulio Migliaccio header sent the Biancocelesti home pointless. With silverware in the can, their season is done. Lazio sent Reggina down with a narrow and fortuitous victory earned by Juan Pablo Carrizo. UEFA brought the match forward to Wednesday with the Champions League Final in mind and it was settled by Mauro Zárate on 26 minutes. He toe poked past Puggioni with Bruno Cirillo breathing down his neck. Reggina had far the better chances to score but will play in B next season after not taking any of them. Libor Kozák made his full Serie A debut and hit the post twice, his last ditch strike off the woodwork at Chiellini's expense the final act in a season of fluctuating form and fortune for Lazio. With no fit first choice strikers, Kozák and Simone Del Nero led the line but were overshadowed by Vincenzo Iaquinta's decisive brace. Iaquinta (29) has won the admiration of Claudio Lotito this season, and if Pandev does eventually sign for Juventus, the former Udinese hitman who averaged a goal every three games in the Stadio Friuli, may be scoring for Lazio in August. Coppa Italia / TIM Cup winners having seen off the likes of Benevento, Atalanta, Milan, Torino, Juventus and finally Sampdoria, Lazio's UEFA Europa League place 2009-2010 is fully deserved. Absolute priority now is completion of the Zárate transfer. Delio Rossi has resigned as of Monday, June 8th. after many months of speculation fuelled by ongoing and at times public spats with Claudio Lotito. His contract was due to expire at the end of June. We wish Delio all the best after a successful four years in trying circumstances at the helm of a difficult club. Firm favourite to land the Biancocelesti hot seat, Catania boss Walter Zenga, has since turned his back on Lazio for arch rivals Palermo within an astonishing 72 hours of turncoat quitting. The Sicilian connection continues apace with news that Davide Ballardini is closer than ever to Lazio ahead of Cagliari coach Massimiliano Allegri, both of whom would be a step backwards after Rossi. Very little has changed since this time last year, 'news' that Goran Pandev is planning to leave Rome after five years and ply his trade in the Bundesliga for Bayern Munich not really news at all. Pandev still has one year to run with Lazio by contract. Ledesma is also looking to move on with Article 17 in the equation. Mauro Zárate's agent and brother Sergio is waiting for Lotito to stump up the cash while Pavel Nedved may return after eight years. Pasquale Foggia scored a sublime goal for Italy in Pisa against Northern Ireland and has renewed to 2013. In a week that saw Serie A lose Kaká and probably Ibrahimovic to La Liga, random acts of violence in both Serie B play off matches involving Livorno, Grosseto, Brescia and Empoli, a comical 4-3 'victory' against New Zealand cobbled together by a desperate Azzurri and endless laws being passed to restrict certain sets of fans from watching their team play, even at home, one is compelled to ask what on earth lies in store next for Italian football? This update closes the door on what has been a troubled season. Transfer news and gossip will be posted here before we kick off again in August. Davide Ballardini (45) is the new Lazio coach. He will earn £600k a year until 2011 with an option to extend to 2012. He is the only coach to have earned the respect of Palermo owner and chairman Maurizio Zamparini in recent years. Zamparini has a passion for sacking managers in the heat of the moment. Napoli want Pandev, Fiorentina are chasing De Silvestri in a possible cash plus Dario Dainelli deal and Inter like the look of Aleksandar Kolarov. Rome born defender Emiliano Moretti (28) of Valencia CF who is a former Lodigiani (Cisco Roma) player, wide midfielder Ederson (23) of Olympique Lyonnais, Troyes loan striker Gomis and Portuguese winger Eliseu (25) of Málaga CF are the first names out of the transfer rumours hat. The curious 'bringing Nedved out of retirement to revive Lazio' story is building and Fabrizio 'Silver Fox' Ravanelli is contemplating a new dawn on the Primavera bench. Zárate is now contracted to comply with Claudio Lotito's demands until at least 2013. Albano Bizzarri (31) joined Lazio from Catania on June 10th., he will replace compatriot keeper Carrizo. [roma tickets, roma news updates 2008-2009] .kw Roma tickets www.romalazio.co.uk     Transfers are underway and our Calcio Mercato is taking shape. Everyone wants to know who will be part of or out of Spalletti's plans for the coming season and the rumour mill is spinning. Mourinho has already signed Amantino Mancini, Matteo Brighi may be heading for the Premiership while Crespo is wanted in Rome. The Giallorossi have some tough friendly fixtures before they meet Inter on Sunday, August 24th. to contest the Supercoppa in either New York or Philadelphia, they are due to play Borussia Dortmund (A) on July 24th., Bayer Leverkusen (A) on July 29th. and Spurs (A) on August 10th. Spalletti's hunt for a striker has shifted from Amsterdam to Madrid with Julio Cesar Pereira Baptista most wanted by the wily tactician now that Adrian Mutu's interest in the capital club has cooled. Roma are still reeling from the loss of 16 year old Davide Petrucci to a bigger club. Big up Manchester United for moving in at the right time for real potential and questions need to be asked why 'the next Totti' was refused more than £16,000 a year by the very same people who are now whinging and whining about his decision to leave. For the record, professional contracts cannot be offered to any player under 17 years of age in Italy. Ludovic Giuly has returned to France and PSG cap in hand citing lack of first team opportunities as the root cause of his quietly benched discontent. Pre-season matches in Germany on July 24th. v Borussia Dortmund and July 29th. v Bayer Leverkusen have been cancelled, Roma meet Steaua Bucuresti (A) on July 26th. and Monaco (A) on August 2nd. instead before playing Spurs (A) on August 10th. Roma are closer to securing a loan deal for São Paulo's Julio 'The Beast' Baptista who played over 100 minutes against them for Real Madrid a few months ago in the UEFA Champions League Last 16 ties. Daniele Pradè is in Madrid to discuss bringing Baptista, Reyes and Royston Drenthe to Rome. Chelsea outcast Florent Malouda, an attacking left winger is interested in a switch to Roma which will only happen if the Julio Baptista deal comes to nought. Both Chelsea and Real Madrid are asking for c. £10 million with no loan option, ergo more than enough to price the Giallorossi out of contention. Adrian Mutu tormented Italy in UEFA EURO 2008 and Rangers in the UEFA Cup Semi Final so who better than the fiery Romanian forward to bolster Roma's chances in the UEFA Champions League? While Daniele Pradè is struggling in Spain, Mutu has his bags packed and is ready to leave Florence for a transfer fee of c. £15 million. Fiorentina have blocked Mutu from moving to Roma for the time being at least. No news from Daniele Pradè in Madrid either means that the Giallorossi have made no significant progress in the transfer market bar the signing of Riise from Liverpool. If Juventus qualify for the UEFA Champions League proper they will make a mammoth offer for Alberto Aquilani, while Spalletti has turned his attentions back to Amsterdam and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. Dmitri Sychev of FC Lokomotiv Moscow and Djibril Cissé of Olympique de Marseille are both prolific scorers and more realistic targets than Huntelaar, David Silva and Lukas Podolski who are talk of the town in Rome today. Alessio Cerci has been sent up to Atalanta to hone his wide attacking skills after a successful season at Pisa. Roma left it later than everyone to start their pre-season friendly schedule and came a cropper in Romania where they lost 3-1 to Steau Bucuresti. Mirko Vucinic scored from a free kick in the last minute of normal time but the game was done and dusted by then. Arthur Gusmao went AWOL between the 75th. and 80th. minutes when Steau scored twice through Bogdan Stancu and Adrian Neaga, this after Colombian Dayro Moreno had put them ahead after just 5 minutes. Next up AS Monaco FC (A) on August 2nd and Al Ahly in Cairo on August 5th. Roma are in dire need of a striker and it's getting very late in the day now. Julio Baptista has decided to stay at Real Madrid and old transfer targets are slowly but surely coming back into the frame. Antonio Di Natale of Udinese is the most recent name linked to a move to Roma. Nervous times indeed as Stefano Okaka Chuka has been recalled from his loan move to Bologna who, like Roma, are looking for a striker. Daniele Pradè has returned from Madrid empty handed, transfers were demanded by the Spanish while the Italians were hanging on loan deals. In the end, Baptista was not overly keen to leave Real Madrid for AS Roma anyway. It remains to be seen why Spalletti hasn't targeted Samuel Eto'o, but there is no doubting the fact that the Cameroon star would struggle to handle the racism that blights many Serie A games after his experiences in La Liga, particularly at the hands of Real Zaragoza fans. Djibril Cissé is back on the Roma radar, perhaps the final option for the Giallorossi after a succession of ungainly attempts to secure the services of quality players on budget loan deals, bar Adrian Mutu's canny decision to stay with the Viola. Roma are now so desperate for a striker that talk of Pandev leaving Lazio to play for the Giallorossi has plagued Serie A headlines all day. The Macedonian hitman will extend his contract with Lazio until 2010 at the end of this month and his own comments about a move to Roma were brief and to the point. On the upside, Julio Baptista is back in contention but we don't think he's good enough to fire Roma into the UEFA Champions League elite despite a decent scoring record at Real Madrid when played in position, and a commendable 10 goals in 35 loan appearances for Arsenal in 2006-2007. To his credit, 'The Beast' did put 4 goals past Liverpool in the Carling Cup 18 months ago. Unfortunately, the Samuel Eto'o bid has gone quiet for the time being while stories linking Florent Malouda (28) to Roma have resurfaced. Chelsea's reserve left winger can also play as a 2nd. striker. Baptista or Eto'o and Malouda may be enough for Roma to challenge Inter, Juventus, Milan and Fiorentina. Roma are in London and face Spurs on Sunday. A trip across the capital will occur at some point this weekend as the deal for Florent Malouda nears it's conclusion. Totti has a good chance of playing in the Supercoppa v Inter on August 24th. If anyone knows where this game will be played, let us know! Roma were thrashed 5-0 by Spurs at White Hart Lane despite fielding most of their regular first team. Alberto Aquilani was dismissed for lashing out at Aaron Lennon near the end, all in all a truly dismal performance from the Serie A pretenders who will be joined by Julio Baptista later today. Luciano Spalletti has laughed off Roma's poor pre-season form which culminates in Frosinone on Thursday, a chance to paper over the cracks against local Serie B opposition. While Roma are still in recovery after being taken apart by Spurs on Sunday, moves are afoot to reel in Brazilian Nenê from Monaco now that Julio Baptista is all but a Giallorosso. Rafael van der Vaart's move to Real Madrid C.F. from Hamburger SV last week effectively ruled out any chance of 'The Beast' playing anything more than a supporting role from the bench in La Liga. Stefano Okaka Chuka will not be loaned out until Roma have definitively signed up their attacking options for 2008-2009. Roma prevailed 1-0 against Frosinone in a low-key affair following the killing of De Rossi's father-in-law at Campoleone station near Rome. Esposito scored the only goal and Francesco Totti played 30 minutes after nearly 4 months out of the game. Spalletti has made it crystal clear that the arrival of Julio Baptista is unlikely to unsettle Inter in itself and more reinforcements are needed. We expect another major move in the transfer market next week and next up for Roma is the Supercoppa on Sunday evening, August 24th. at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. Nery Castillo? Roma are interested in the controversial, injury-prone Mexican striker which smacks of desperation 13 days before the transfer window closes. David Suazo and Moussa Dembélé of AZ Alkmaar join Castillo in the hat. Franco Sensi passed away yesterday A small group of Roma Ultras to whom the simple concepts of decency and respect mean very little, tried in vain to attack Milan Vice President Adriano Galliani at the funeral of Franco Sensi in Rome. If there were any lingering doubts before, there are absolutely none remaining now; whichever group was responsible for this latest episode in a series of tantrums involving the kindergarten that is the Curva Sud are turning AS Roma into a laughing stock. We are delighted to report that those involved found themselves on the end of some proper violence dished out by Galliani's security team. That Bari coach Antonio Conte was also attacked by Lecce Ultras while on the beach with his friends and family a few days ago, does not bode well for the coming season. As Roma prepare for the Supercoppa on Sunday, there is still no sign of pertinent transfer market activity. Daniele Pradè hang your head in shame. Roma pegged Inter back twice in normal time, but a crucial penalty miss from Totti who stepped up to win it handed Mourinho Supercoppa silverware after 30 minutes of extra time stalemate. As predicted, Julio Baptista was a big disappointment. Stefano Okaka Chuka put in an impressive all-action display from the bench. Roma's fightback arrived by way of a De Rossi piledriver which fizzed past Julio Cruz on the hour mark and another late, late show from Vucinic in the 6 yard box. Goals from Sulley Muntari and future Azzurrini star Mario Balotelli capped an ominous Nerazzurri victory, who are hot favourites to retain the Scudetto whether or not they manage to land Ricardo Quaresma. So no Silva, Villa, Eto'o, Huntelaar or Malouda, just Jérémy Menez (21) who was valued at £15 million by AS Monaco FC but AS Roma have struck a deal for somewhat less. Baptista and Menez it is then and who would have put money on that 2 months ago? It's the UEFA Champions League Group stage draw tomorrow afternoon. Spalletti is happy with Group A but Girondins de Bordeaux who are currently 3rd. in Ligue 1 will battle Roma all the way for 2nd. spot behind Chelsea. CFR 1907 Cluj are no pushovers either having won the Liga I Frutti Fresh last term. Napoli came mighty close to snatching all 3 points at the Olimpico while back in Campania, fans of the Vesuviani dismantled a train to celebrate the new season. Those who sneaked into Rome and managed to avoid arrest saw the spoils shared with Aquilani and Hamsik on target. Esposito has been sent to Chievo on loan. Roma are reeling from their worst Serie A start under Spalletti, 3 goals conceded and no points in Palermo not ideal preparation for UEFA Champions League Group A Matchday 1. Roma face CFR 1907 Cluj in 48 hours and must do so without Mexes, Juan and De Rossi. Roma wilted under the pressure of having to play a team lying 8th. in Liga I Frutti Fresh without Juan, Mexes, Perrotta and Pizarro. Juan Culio tore down the Italian giants with a clinical brace after Cristian Panucci's regulation header threatened to paper over the cracks of a decidedly creaky start to the season. To win at home against Reggina is no proving ground but Roma simply had to defeat the Reggio Calabrian minnows. It took another Panucci close ranger to rouse the Giallorossi who ran out 3-0 winners after an impressive second half. Aquilani hit an unstoppable drive into the top corner from 20 metres and Simone Perrotta tapped home at the very end. Shocking defending by Simone Loria and another poor performance from Riise contributed to Roma's second away defeat of the season. Diego Milito scored a brace for Il Grifoni after De Rossi's close range header had equalised Sculli's wake-up call. De Rossi will miss the game against high flying Atalanta on Sunday after being shown yet another red card. Roma deflected their way to a flukey win against Atalanta last weekend, sneaked past a poor Girondins de Bordeaux side in the Champions League on Wednesday night and finally capitulated this afternoon in Siena. The Giallorossi were felled 1-0 and reduced to 9 men as Mexes and Panucci decided to take the afternoon off come Giornata 7, which will be played against Inter here in Rome. Mourinho will have a fully fit squad to choose from bar Nelson Rivas and will be expecting to improve on last season's 4-1 stroll. Mister Spalletti needs to do something quickly before Miss Sensi loses her considerable rag. As predicted Inter did improve on last season's 4-1 drubbing, 4-0 the final score this time despite a combative 50 minutes when Roma matched and at times outplayed the Nerazzurri. Totti made his comeback and impressed but at day's end, to lose 4-0 at home is disturbing. Roma have lost 4 times in 7 Serie A games. Ibra is on the money already this season and struck early in both halves to deflate their one-time Scudetto rivals. Stankovic and Obinna beat Doni with spectacular strikes from distance to dress the result inside 2 minutes of attacking brilliance, to which Roma had no answer. Douglas Maicon hit the bar late on and spurned a handful of earlier chances. Inter simply moved up a gear for 10 minutes when they were 2-0 up to end the contest. Roma stay 14th. and must navigate 7 games in the next 27 days including Chelsea twice, Udinese away, Juventus away and Lazio. Nice to see Totti and 'The Special One' paying lip service to each other on Domenica Sportiva, but we all know that AS Roma really are in 'Bocca al Lupo' commencing Wednesday night at Stamford Bridge. A dogged performance in West London not enough to undo Chelsea who escaped 1-0 by virtue of a forgettable John Terry header. The former England captain, who has been usurped by Rio Ferdinand of Manchester United in the best interests of the game, got away with trying to lamp Mexes before scoring the only goal. As things stand, Roma will have to win or draw in Cluj-Napoca on Matchday 5 if Chelsea win here the week after next. It's Udinese away on Sunday and 3 points there against the team lying 2nd. is not beyond Roma if they play as well as they have done in the last 2 games, despite losing both. From 4-3-2-1 to 4-2-3-1 just add another horror show from Simone Loria and you get another defeat. Heckled at the airport on their return to the capital this evening, Roma are in freefall and have Rosella Sensi to answer to in the morning. Sensi has already started laying blame for her team's inadequacies at the door of officials, easy prey post-Calciopoli and desperate words what with 70% of the season still to play for. Luciano Spalletti had his bags packed and was ready to up sticks for Chelsea a few months ago, ironic in that if his team lose heavily to Terry and Co. on November 4th., it might be his last game in charge at Trigoria. Totti scored from the spot but Udinese, who are now top of Serie A, thoroughly deserved their 3-1 victory. Roma on the other hand are 15th. with Sampdoria in the house midweek then a tough call away at Juve. The tropical storm which has been hovering over Rome with intent this week put paid to Giornata 9 at the Stadio Olimpico, just 5 minutes played before proceedings were called off when officials realized that the ball was not bouncing. Not great news for Spalletti who must grind out any kind of result against Juventus then Chelsea in the next 6 days to avoid having to tender his resignation. 85 minutes of Roma v Sampdoria will be replayed on January 14th. Rudderless Roma crashed to their 4th. successive defeat at Juventus and inevitably the team bus was attacked again by angry Romanisti. Chelsea meanwhile are scoring in their sleep and arrive here on UEFA Champions League business come Tuesday. Whatever has become of the redoubtable Roma that troubled Man United, won a knockout double over Real Madrid and came so close to winning the Scudetto last season? Spalletti seems bereft of ideas while his team shuffle around the pitch in disarray. Alex Manninger was tested on a couple of occasions and Baptista hit the post, but Juve bossed the game. Only Doni's expert damage limitation stymied a rout. Roma still have a fantastic squad and whatever it is that has bedevilled their start to the season can be exorcised out of harm's way with a couple of wins, they also have a game in hand after Giornata 9 was washed out. Dark clouds were already gathering over Trigoria when the thunderous deluge that threatened to postpone Matchday 4 lashed the Eternal City before kick off, but the pitch held up and Roma stormed to a magnificent victory. The Giallorossi made Chelsea look very average and showed millions of viewers across the globe that there is no better place to experience football than Rome. Torrential rain last week curtailed Giornata 9 and by early evening, when the latest meteorological anomaly to batter the peninsula was nearing it's peak, any hope of Roma v Chelsea dodging severe flood conditions was fanciful. Mercifully, the weather relented when the teams were warming up. Those present witnessed a fine Mirko Vucinic brace and another crucial opener from sprightly veteran and vice-captain Panucci. Roma's rhombic 4-4-2 shaped up against a formidable Chelsea side that had yet to concede a goal in Group A. The Pensioners lead the EPL and only recently lost their 86 match unbeaten home run to Liverpool. This result a warning salvo from the Giallorossi who will now set about teams at the top of Serie A, commencing with a win at Bologna on Saturday evening. Grazie Cicinho! An inexplicable own goal in recupero cost the Giallorossi dear in Bologna and nervous tension will once again be gnawing at the Roma camp tomorrow morning ahead of a worryingly close date with Lazio. Totti scored his first goal of the campaign in open play but the 1-1 stalemate which does nothing for either team will be remembered only for how it ended, if at all. Cicinho's diving header past Artur was right out of the top drawer. Just when we thought Roma were back after humbling Chelsea earlier this week, it's as you were. As if Spalletti didn't need any new injury concerns, Doni will struggle to make the derby. A tense derby was decided by 'The Beast' and the Giallorossi are now into double figures. Lazio are top scorers in Serie A and Roma have one of the worst defensive records so of course Lazio did not score and Roma did not concede. Appalling tactics by Delio Rossi helped the home cause, he played the trident attack and paid the price. Rocchi, Pandev and Zárate in tandem pulled no punches against Siena last weekend and they were disjointed again tonight. Ledesma and Perrotta were dismissed and Doni made some decent saves without having to sport a Petr Cech-style face brace. Roma are away at Lecce in Giornata 13. A couple of domestic wins on the hoof now for Roma who move ominously up the table with Fiorentina here next Sunday. Vucinic, Juan and Totti on target for the Giallorossi in Lecce. Roma are top of UEFA Champions League Group A after whipping CFR 1907 Cluj in their own backyard by three goals to one. Chelsea drew a blank in Cluj-Napoca last month. On an explosive night of Champions League action led by the avenging Giallorossi who had September's shocking home defeat to the Romanian Champions in mind, Panathinaikos fans were struck dumb in the Meazza when their team defeated Group B leaders Inter 1-0, to set up an absorbing Last 16 decider in Athens on December 9th. against Anorthosis Famagusta. Yet another drab Chelsea show, this time in sunny Bordeaux leaves Roma in complete control of Group A. A clinical Matteo Brighi brace and cool as you like Totti free kick wrapped things up and will send Trigorian confidence into orbit before a depressed Fiorentina land in Rome on Sunday. Fiorentina have a dismal away record against Roma, this time it was Totti who rifled home the winner from the edge of the box. Brighi hit the post and Julio Baptista cracked a dipping long ranger against the bar in an exciting contest at the Olimpico. The Giallorossi really have built up a head of steam at the right time; next up Chievo (A) and Cagliari (H) before the Winter Break sets in. La Magica are now just ten points off the pace with a game in hand and progress in both the UEFA Champions League and TIM Cup a safe bet. Stefano Sorrentino did his utmost to thwart Roma in the Stadio Bentegodi where an unlikely hero emerged in young dribbling sensation Jérémy Menez. The disenchanted Frenchman has been all over the press this week speaking of his disappointment at life on the bench and made public his desire to return home to Bordeaux, Lyon or PSG but he started in Verona and volleyed a fine goal from De Rossi's assist. Another excellent performance by the Giallorossi who have turned their season around inside a month with six wins and an unlucky draw in Bologna. This victory left Spalletti beaming, perfect timing for both him and Menez before Roma meet Ligue 1 wannabes Bordeaux on Tuesday night with a UEFA Champions League place at stake. A magnificent seven wins on the bounce for Roma who were never threatened by a tepid Bordeaux side with everything to play for last night. Brighi was on target again in the Champions League after his crucial brace in Cluj-Napoca and that man Menez threaded through for Totti to secure the points. Spalletti's men are Group A winners having put Chelsea to the sword last month. Big Phil Scolari and Mourinho's Inter flattered to deceive and must scrap it out against Group winners in the Last 16. Roma welcome Cagliari here at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday and will expect to continue their irresistible march up the table. Cagliari were no pushovers last December and what with the Olimpico brimful of expectation after Roma's recent run of excellent form, the game had to be won. 3-2 at the whistle after a fine contest which ended with Vucinic stripping down to his underwear and sprinting towards the Curva Sud to celebrate as only Romanisti know. Totti's tidy low drive fizzed into the net from a yard outside the box but the highlight strike was scored for Cagliari, a mercurial Daniele Conti free kick which screamed into the top corner from 30 metres as dad Bruno looked on from the Roma technical area. Reserve keeper Arthur was at fault for Cagliari's second, equalized by Simone Perrotta with a hastily improvised overhead flick. Vucinic sealed the win late on after earlier hitting the post and having a good penalty shout turned down. Eight consecutive wins now for Roma who climb to tenth in Serie A. It's TIM Cup action here on Wednesday night when the holders meet Bologna for a place in the Quarter Final. Serie A 2009 kicks off against Milan on January 11th. Sinisa Mihajlovic refused to say a word about the retirement spat with Totti and described his team's failure to score when four of his charges bore down on two defenders as school yard football. Arthur had to make a couple of robust saves but no more than that. The reserve keeper denied Marazzina after Montella lost possession and a blistering Cesar drive from a short free kick singed his gloves. Bologna rarely threatened and it is a curious stat that half their team are nigh on 35 years of age. How many times have we typed 'Vucinic' and 'late' in tandem on this page? He came off the bench and hit the bar, spurned two great chances then scored and scored again after Castellini was caught napping. Jérémy Menez improved dramatically when Vincenzo Montella was replaced by the Montenegran hitman whose brace sends Roma into the Quarter Finals against Genoa or Inter. This was Daniele De Rossi's 250th. appearance for the Giallorossi and it's nine wins on the hoof for Roma in all competitions with Catania (A) at the weekend. Roma face Premiership side Arsenal over two legs in the Last 16 of the UEFA Champions League 2008-2009. The Giallorossi have defeated Man United, Real Madrid and most recently Chelsea here in the capital so you can ignore whatever it is the British media are saying about Arsenal being 'happy to avoid Real' etc., Spalletti will savour the opportunity to outgun Wenger, and his team have hit top form during March in the last couple of seasons. Elsewhere Mourinho meets Fergie, Ranieri returns to The Bridge and Liverpool take on Real. Roma v Arsenal tickets available now. Defeat in Catania (2-3) brings the curtain down on Roma's impressive unbeaten run, a real disappointment before the season resumes on January 11th. against Milan here in the capital. David Beckham has an excellent chance of starting for Milan here next Sunday night. Lucas Podolski (23) has an outside chance of joining Roma, this story has been doing the rounds since back in August and resurfaced again on Friday. Klinsmann is refusing to give the former FC Köln hitman a regular starting place at Bayern Munich and Podolski has had enough, he'll return to his hometown club if a move to the peninsula falls through. The Polish German striker is desperate to sever ties with Bayern and holds Roma in high esteem. Plenty of slow motion clips on YouTube showing Takayuki Morimoto's decisive brace against Roma, most of which have been uploaded by Laziali to digitized sounds of their own motos, mopeds, motorbikes etc. 'Lupi Cupi' (depressed Roma) and 'Catania Morimoto, Roma a piedi' some of the comical tabloid quips levelled at Spalletti after nine straight wins. It's tough at the top. The David Beckham roadshow became the Alex Pato show at the start of the second half, gatecrashed late on by Vucinic when his slow motion dive shared the spoils. A brace each for Pato and Vuci sent a big crowd home in positive mood after Roma just about deserved their point. If they earn three more in midweek against Cassano's Doria they'll move up to eighth, right behind Lazio. Silvio Berlusconi may or may not have been making calls to Ancelotti throughout the day demanding that Golden Balls play from the whistle, but Becks earned his salt to the left of Andrea Pirlo and Clarence Seedorf anyway, irrespective of the hype. Spalletti and Ancelotti embraced like old friends at the start, the Roma boss inquiring of his opposite number if he'd like to sit in the Giallorossi technical area, to which Ancelotti shook his head so many times that he started to nod uncontrollably. Next up is the rescheduled fixture against Sampdoria on Wednesday night, Giornata 9 was rained off in October when Rome was underwater. A brace from 'The Beast' enough to lift Roma above Palermo, Catania and Atalanta in one fell swoop before Sunday's slog up to Torino, the first of two away games ahead of Palermo and Giornata 20, another midweek fixture here in Rome on January 28th. All eyes are on Napoli versus Roma however, January 25th. will tell if the Giallorossi can claw their way back into Champions League 2009-2010 contention. Roma fans are banned from travelling to Naples. Julio Baptista whipped a stupendous bicycle kick into the corner of Torino's net with just seconds of recupero remaining to send the Roma players and Spalletti into a world of stunned disbelief. A crucial, crucial goal that leaves the Giallorossi well set to catch Napoli and furthermore close in on Genoa. Menez and Baptista started in the absence of Totti and Vucinic who will play in the Stadio San Paolo on Sunday afternoon. TIM Cup holders Roma bowed out of this year's competition at the hands of their Nemesis. Inter debuted teenage defender Davide Santon while Cordoba and Maxwell were dropped after what went on in Bergamo at the weekend. An unseemly tangle between Juan and Riise let Adriano in to drill a low shot across Arthur, Taddei fairly leathered a loose ball into the roof of the net on the hour mark only for Ibra to score a predictable winner less than a minute later, but it was just another offside decision in Inter's favour (Samuel). Mourinho's new look eleven survived a torrid last ten minutes, marred by an episode of flailing handbags between Ibra and Mexes who just love to squabble. Roma hammered Napoli 3-0 in the San Paolo and move to within two places of Champions League qualification but more importantly, Christian Panucci refused a place on the bench and is now but a hair's breadth away from leaving the capital club. Panucci is an extremely arrogant individual and will be shown the door in the next few days. Totti was on the bench, Simone Perrotta did not even make the bench so why did the veteran defender find it acceptable to refuse a place alongside his captain? Addio Christian e grazie per niente! Roma edged a vital win against Palermo at the Olimpico with a brace of deflected strikes. The visitors had 20 goalscoring attempts and struck the post through Georgian hitman Levan Mchedlidze. The Giallorossi are now just a point adrift of Genoa and the top four. Next up Reggina (A) at the weekend. Yet another peach from substitute Simone Loria who allowed Cozza to equalize with a horrifyingly inept first touch, costing the Giallorossi two points and the chance to gain on Inter and Juventus, the runaway giants drew and lost respectively. Roma were without most of their first choice eleven and had to start with Menez and Okaka in attack, the latter on his way to Triestina first thing Monday morning. David Pizarro's brace held the Reggio Calabrian minnows who stay bottom. Roma remain in fifth but are in pole position to overtake Genoa next week if they turn over Serie A's surprise package. Defensive news revolves around Panucci not joining Hull City (!) and Marco Motta (22), who has been drafted in on loan from Udinese to bolster the UEFA Champions League squad. Mali defender Souleymane Diamoutene (26) has also landed on loan from Lecce. Roma come into their own at this time of year and brushed hopefuls Genoa aside with three fine goals. Hyped as the tussle for a place behind Inter, Juve and Milan, this was also important groundwork ahead of the Champions League deciding leg against Arsenal on March 11th., who will know by now that they must rack up a decisive win at the Emirates on February 24th. to survive hostilities here. Cicinho started and finished a splendid move of one touch passes and flicks between Brighi, Totti and Perrotta which tore up the Genoa defence for 1-0. Daniele De Rossi made the run and pass of the season for Vucinic to leather an imperious volley past Rubinho. Baptista bettered both strikes in recupero, he took control of Mexes' measured hoik upfield to drift and dribble into range, from where he unleashed a beast of a drive into the top corner from fully 20 metres. Gasperini, Taddei and Sculli were dismissed and Marco Motta fared well for an hour, for Cicinho. Spalletti was deadpan throughout the celebrations but he will be expectant now that UEFA Champions League football is in the air. Roma play Atalanta in Bergamo on Sunday. Nobody is winning in Bergamo bar Atalanta. A horrible result for Roma sealed by three goals in eight minutes including a Cristiano Doni (nato a Roma) brace. Only Genoa's 3-3 draw at home to Fiorentina some kind of reprieve. Next up Siena (H). Recent forays in London have been a disappointment, 0-1 at Chelsea and 0-5 at Tottenham back in August but the Giallorossi travel to the Emirates tomorrow with confidence and no injury worries pending a late fitness test on Juan. A fabulous Rodrigo Taddei strike saw off plucky Siena to keep Roma in the hunt for fourth spot. Ex-Romanista Daniele Galloppa set up Taddei's second of the season with a weak clearance from Pizarro's free kick, but was generally a thorn in the home side throughout. Former Roma keeper Gianluca Curci managed to keep 'The Beast' at bay with some fine last ditch saves, as must Manuel Almunia who will be thinking about nothing else over the next 36 hours. Roma have a fighting chance of dumping Arsenal out of the Champions League Last 16 after restricting them to a slender but deserved advantage. Mexes conceded the penalty and Robin Van Persie sent Doni the wrong way. Spalletti must have been oozing confidence in London to play Loria for 70 minutes, the error-prone disaster zone almost let Eboué in before Diamoutene was introduced. De Rossi is suspended for the Rome decider. Having seen Roma outplay Manchester United in the Stadio Olimpico a couple of seasons ago and dismantle Chelsea quite recently, a Quarter Final place for the 3rd. successive season is close. Recent history shows that Roma have fared better away than at home against Inter in Serie A at least, and they were unfortunate to be undone by base and deceptive play which football has come to expect from a club coached by Mourinho. Overt theatrics from Mario Balotelli, who dived over a De Rossi challenge to earn the penalty which upset Roma's rhythm and ultimately cost them two points, were decisive. The former Ghanaian teenager, sprouting some kind of pseudo-mohican was fired up and scored a decent goal, but really doesn't need to cheat to win games on behalf of José Mourinho, who will be happy in the knowledge that this Inter is as capable as his Chelsea of 2004-2007 whenever meting out underhand tactics becomes necessary. The Giallorossi went 2-0 and then 3-1 up but were reined in by a late Crespo strike, his 138th. Serie A goal. Balotelli dispatched his highly contentious penalty and proceeded to bait Romanisti who were packed into the away Curva. Panucci started in defence and Matteo Brighi led the diamond midfield formation to great effect. That Roma beat Julio Cesar three times and might have scored twice that number, food for thought for Fergie. Roma will not be able to string together any kind of midfield to face Arsenal; De Rossi is suspended, Pizarro, Perrotta, Aquilani, Tonetto and Cassetti all injured. It'll be Taddei, Brighi, Menez and then take your pick from the rest of the squad. Still in recovery after being cheated of victory at Inter as scandalous arrogance by Mourinho continues to rile everyone in the game, perturbed Roma played out a nondescript 1-1-draw against Marino's resurgent Udinese to consolidate sixth place. Captain De Rossi was sent off and Mexes booked, so both will miss the trip to Doria next weekend. Too much hanging on Wednesday night's showdown which is sold out bar a couple of rows in the Tribuna Monte Mario. No 1984 repeat and a sad end for Roma as Vucinic and Tonetto fluffed their lines after two hours of cautious football by two teams with alot to lose. Arsenal won it on penalties and march into the UEFA Champions League Quarter Finals while Spalletti must now concentrate on far from straightforward qualification for the 2009-2010 tournament. Tricky fixtures await Roma who have Lazio (A), Juventus (H), Fiorentina (A) and Milan (A) in the domestic pipeline. Baptista had his chance to wrap up victory but missed the target from eight yards and Manuel Almunia excelled to deny Motta then Taddei. Four English teams in the Quarter Final draw, three of whom achieved it at the expense of Inter, Juventus and Roma. Matteo Brighi captained the Giallorossi at Sampdoria in an ill-tempered clash. Versatile defender Alessandro Crescenzi made his debut, Baptista made amends for a shocking performance against Arsenal with a brace and Marco Motta was eventually dismissed but all done, 2-2 no good for Roma who really must push on in order to make fourth spot their own ahead of Genoa and Fiorentina. Next up Juventus on Saturday evening. Roma never had a chance. A decimated squad and no real form to play with, meat and drink for Juventus who despite losing here to Lazio in the TIM Cup earlier this month, are running away with second spot behind Inter despite a long injury list of their own. This was their fifth win on the hoof. That Simone Loria scored a fortuitous goal clear indication of how desperate conditions are in the Giallorossi camp. Filipe (21) made only his second appearance of the season and the entire Roma bench on any other day was rolled out to face Juve. Marco D'Alessandro came off it to scare Buffon, the young striker turned 18 last month and his brilliance the only real positive on a dark night for Spalletti. Iaquinta's brace, a regulation Olof Mellberg header from Del Piero's deceptive corner kick and Pavel Nedved's missile strike silenced the Olimpico. Doni hasn't moved his legs in anger since the dismal penalty shoot-out defeat against Arsenal. Marco De Vaio, top scorer in Serie A and Mauro Zárate will be looking to build on their goals tally at the expense of Doni and his beleagured defence who while not shipping goals, are starting to show signs of creakage at the worst possible time with Genoa in command in fourth. An even contest with both squads decimated by lengthy injury lists was edged by the Giallorossi who while teetering on the brink of European qualification 2009-2010, are just as likely to end up with nothing as we approach the end of a disappointing campaign. Doni looked solid for the first time in months but had to rely on the post and an acrobatic headed clearance by Max Tonetto to deflect Gaby Mudingayi's thunderous strike to safety. Roma struggled to earn this win which keeps them five points adrift of Genoa with eight to play. Next up Lazio while Genoa entertain Juventus and Fiorentina host Cagliari. It took some blatant theatrics by a desperate striker, some fine saves by reservist Arthur and another Totti salvage job to beat little Lecce, all of which means that Roma are still in with a chance of an undeserved UEFA Europa League place next season. The Giallorossi are up against Fiorentina (A) next weekend. Anything less than a win with five games remaining may prove to be the final straw for fans who have endured an abysmal season bereft of silverware. No Mutu no problem for Fiorentina who took full advantage of glaring misses by Brighi and Baptista to run out 4-1 winners. Without Mexes who was suspended, Cassetti unnerved everyone at centre back. Gila's brace - the striker was denied a hat trick by Massimo Gobbi's first touch - and an early Juan Vargas piledriver put Julio Baptista's late but quality strike into perspective; Roma are scoring but have conceded ten goals in their last three matches. Thousands of their fans on away day equates to trouble and they did not disappoint. While Rosella keeps her boys under lock and key at Trigoria for what may as well be forever, Spalletti will definitively be out of a job if Chievo win or draw on Sunday. The best Roma can hope for this season is 6th., the worst, 9th. Sensi's Italpetroli, still hovering around the €400 million debt mark, are considering the latest offer for AS Roma, this time from the owners of Mercedes now that UEFA Champions League football next term can best be described as pie in the sky. Roma Ultras boycotted their Curva. They are trying to force Rosella Sensi into selling her stake but it's not the only problem, she is being scapegoated for mistakes not of her making. Spalletti and Conti have alot to answer for, as do the players. Baptista has flattered to deceive and Menez, drifting on and off from the bench to very little effect was only brought in because Roma could not get Malouda or Mutu, who are both a class apart from the dribbling sensation. The young French winger has dribbled his way into obscurity this season. Riise and Marco Motta have not lit up the Olimpico as expected and the team per se has played with indifference for two months and more. The ramifications of 18,000 fans abandoning their team may be 7th. place in the league, a new manager and no European football of any kind next season with the same owners and the same debts. Kick a dog when it's down at what would have been a home banker on any other day, so very Italian. There is absolutely no chance of a big name joining the Giallorossi between now and September unless the player is cut price and at the absolute end of his career. Former superstar Ronaldhino's name will be in the hat. It's a grim outlook, for the time being at least. Stefano Sorrentino secured the draw for Chievo but Roma had to endure a few hairy moments of their own, particularly when form striker Sergio Pellissier bore down on Arthur only to stall instead of scoring the winner. Next up Cagliari and Daniele Conti (A) then Milan (A) in a fortnight, with home fixtures against relegation contenders set to rough up Roma inbetween times. 2-2 at Cagliari after a storming comeback by Roma who played well enough to win, but will it be enough to salvage a consolatory prize of football in UEFA's new-fangled Cup turned League with a fancy name? Palermo and Cagliari are still in the hunt with the Giallorossi for sixth place, which will be remembered by most for the handbags and slaps traded between Daniele Conti and Francesca Totti. It's Catania (H) next week with absolutely no room for error. Roma were booed off despite outscoring Catania by the odd goal. Had the Sicilian minnows taken their chances it would have been game, set and match to Palermo who defeated Lazio 2-0 in so far as European football next term is concerned. Instead, bolshy veteran Panucci cropped up yet again in recupero to save Roma. Rosella Sensi was reminded to sell up and go by the entire Curva Sud. She has aged five years in six months. Tedesco, Mascara and Morimoto clawed back the three goal deficit until Panucci made his mark. A fine win for the Giallorossi who earned a UEFA Europa League place the hard way, 3-2 in Milan even though they have had the better of recent duels away from home against the Rossoneri. Palermo's 2-2 draw in Bergamo not enough to take Roma to the final day. Paolo Maldini's home swan song was stifled by goals from Riise, Menez and a Totti free kick, his the fourth and most spectacular strike capping a frantic nine minute period when both teams abandoned any notion of tactical order and attacked at will. Roma secured sixth spot with last week's shock 3-2 victory in Milan. Torino, with the bulk of their team suspended after the Battle of Bologna in Giornata 37, had to better their relegation rival's result. However, the Rossoblu trounced Catania 3-1 at home to send I Granata tumbling into B. With Spalletti's future in the capital on hold and Sensi refusing to sell up, Curva Sud protestations were at an all time high. Menez's left foot missile, Vucinic and a Totti penalty increased Roma's points tally to 63 but having lost their status as TIM Cup holders to Lazio, finishing 21 points behind Inter and still €30 million short of being able to challenge for European honours, this has been a season to forget for the Giallorossi. The Vinicio Fioranelli group which includes England's Franco Baldini are hours away from buying 67% of AS Roma from Sensi's Italpetrol for c. £260 million. £40 million will be earmarked for new players, top of the shopping list being Galacticos striker Higuain (21) and Wesley Sneijder (25). Stefano Guberti (24) has already arrived from Bari for £3 million, payable over four years. Julio Baptista has been told that he is free to go and De Rossi is being courted by Barcelona. The much hyped talent drain from Serie A to any other league outside Italy seems to be a local affliction; loyalty at both Milan clubs counts for nought it seems while Fiorentina and Juventus are consolidating in earnest. With Carlo Ancelotti bedding in nicely at Chelsea and Ferrara moving on up in the aftermath of Claudio Ranieri's harsh sacking by Juventus, Spalletti will stay at Roma. Having promised so much in his debut season, just two Coppa Italia trophies have been won in the intervening four years. Spalletti's reliance on 4-2-3-1 variants will come under intense scrutiny between now and 2011.