Looking Back, Looking Forward

By: bingitz2002 | September 24th, 2008

Looking back at our defeat against Inter, nobody can say it was really unexpected. While we all like to spring a surprise, we hadn’t won at home against Inter since 1994. Of course it was also that long ago that we last won a Serie A opener, but this time it wasn’t to be. Inter generally bossed us around but we showed some dangerous moves, forcing a few great saves out of Júlio César and hitting the woodwork twice. However, Inter’s quality told at the end of the match. However, there were more worrying problems in the match than our predictable defeat.

For one, Alessandro Rosina limped off injured. I cannot find any official news on how long he is out for, but it seems like he will at least miss Wednesday’s important game against Chievo. However, the good news is that Ignazio Abate was called up to the squad for the Inter game, though he didn’t get on the bench. This is a sign of his early recovery which will be even more welcome now that Rosina is gone.

The other pressing issue that needs to be addressed is our propensity for own goals. We have scored two own goals in the past two games that have had huge implications for us. Both of these goals have come while our defenders are trying to clear out dangerous crosses. While some attempt is better than none, you’d think these experienced defenders (Di Loreto and Pisano) would be capable enough to clear the ball someplace outside their own net.

Torino-Inter Highlights:

Looking ahead to Chievo we are without Corini, Rosina, and Natali, the absence of the former two leaving a huge gap in our creativity. However Säumel, despite being naturally a defensive midfielder has stepped up his attacking game and was probably one of the best Toro players on the pitch against Inter. Corriere dello Sport has Dzemaili to start and Abate on the bench while Gazzetta has both on the bench, so perhaps we could see something from them. I still know next to nothing about Dzemaili, which I’m sure is the case for many Toro fans, so it would be great to see something from him this afternoon either from the start or off the bench.

Either way, here is what I expect to be our lineup against Chievo:

————–Bianchi
——–Amoruso-Abbruscato
—–Säumel-Barone-Zanetti
Pisano-Di Loreto-Pratali-Diana
————–Sereni

Still pretty solid despite those absences, and definitely a team I think can beat Chievo. They are missing a fair amount of players such as Bentivoglio, Nicolas Frey (Sebastien’s brother, a defender), Mauro Esposito, and Bogdani. These absences will certainly hurt them but we have to be careful against the likes of Langella and Pelissier (a Toro youth product). We will also be facing up against at least two good midfielders in Italiano, whom I’ve always rated and Pinzi, who was close to Toro this summer.

Although a win would be nice, we have lost our last three games at the Bentegodi, all by considerable margins, so history doesn’t bode well for us. Of course, this still has potential to be an ahistorical season, so we should always hope for the best. FORZA TORO PER SEMPRE!