The official presentation

By: salvatore | August 14th, 2008

The team had its official presentation on Tuesday night, and ran out with a very (almost too) comfortable 2-0 victory against the Greek side, and Sérgio Conceição-led, PAOK Salonicco.

Once again, the defensive back four of Lichsteiner, Siviglia, Rozehnal and Radu performed well enough, and when they stumbled, Carrizo was there to bail them out. I’d still like to see a new central defender on the team (like Moti), but so far, the Rozehnal-Siviglia partnership has looked pretty decent.

Matuzalem shrugged off a couple of underwhelming performances last week with a great goal in the first half. Hopefully, this is a sign that he’s shaking the rust off and getting over that injury suffered last year. Meanwhile, Mourad Meghni was probably our best overall player. For the third game in a row, he looked very confident, imaginative and hard-working, and he scored a great goal in the second to put the game away. If he can keep playing at that kind of level, it really gives our midfield a new element, especially when Foggia and his speed are on the other side. It remains to be seen if these two are going to be given a chance to start, but for the moment, I can’t see why not.

Last week, the Corriere Dello Sport wrote an article about how they think Meghni might end up being the surprise of the upcoming season. At first I was a bit skeptical, but now I’m starting to believe it too. It’s clear he has the skills to really make an impact in Serie A, he just needs the luck (health) and the opportunity to make it happen.

Carrizo was given the biggest applause of the night, while certain sections of the Curva continued to chant against Lotito. I’ve been critical of the president in the past, but with so much positivity around the team this pre-season (solid acquisitions, a youthful, exciting roster, good season ticket sales, etc), that kind of negativity and divisiveness felt like a step backwards for the team. Hopefully, it will fade with time…

Here are some other pics from the presentation:

And some highlights:

It’s been reported that Rocchi’s injury will likely keep him out of the lineup for at least a month, and possibly even more…which is obviously terrifying the team, given that Balboa’s absence could give Makinwa a starting spot. Word today is that the team might consider adding another striker, with Sergio Pellissier, Erjon Bogdani, and Hernan Crespo among the most notable names mentioned.

Of the three, Bogdani is probably the most realistic (as Chievo consider Pellissier untransferable), but a Crespo return would definitely be the most exciting for me. He’s clearly past his prime, but he’s still dangerous in the box, and he’d be just right filling in for Rocchi, and eventually coming off the bench. Also, call me sentimental, but I’d love to see the bastard in biancoceleste again.

Chelsea didn’t extend his contract, so Hernan’s currently without a team. The only obstacle would be the need for him to take a pay cut. So we’ll have to see. The other alternative for the team is to give youth team player Ettore Mendicino a chance. I’ve only seen Mendicino play a few times, but by all acounts the 18-year-old is fast, good at holding and protecting the ball, and a talented passer. Why not give him a shot? Hell, he can’t be worse than Makinwa…can he?