Udinese...

12-04-2012

The chase continues: next stop, Udinese-Inter

The chase for Europe is getting more and more frenetic, crazy and gripping. The Olimpico match has allowed Roma to be only one point away from Udinese who, despite a good performance, haven’t managed to avoid the defeat. But the time to regret is over, as coach Guidolin said, because the next championship match is knocking on the doors (??) being scheduled for this Saturday at the “Friuli” stadium at 8.45 pm, against Andrea Stramaccioni’s Inter.

The coach sees this match as a challenge for the third place and says that Inter are a real rival for the chase for the third place, currently occupied by Lazio: “We hope we can stay in the running until the end, but I wouldn’t underestimate Inter who are doing very good (“very well”?). We will try our best to repeat last year’s result. Europe is very important to us. The future will tell us what we can do, time flies and everything will be determined out of (“determined in”?) 4 weeks”.

It’s going to be a knock-out game then, because when there are only 6 weeks to the end of the championship, each match is like a final, each match is an agonistic (??) battle of fundamental importance towards the chase for the seasonal targets. Nothing is left to chance, also because Inter, since when Stramaccioni has arrived (word order???), has shown to be recovering with 7 points earned in the last three matches, with 9 goals scored and 7 conceded.

It is time for Udinese to grit their teeth, to hold on to the last energies left at the end of a long, extraordinary season that everybody is eager to end with another great continental satisfaction.

12-04-2012

Let’s start again from positive aspects: Gelson is present!

There is something to save from the unlucky Roman night. First of all, Lazio’s defeat, that keeps the ranking unaltered. Then, the reliability of one who is called upon when the occasion rises. Gelson Fernandes’ performance has been more than convincing, probably the best since he’s in Udine: he runs, he fights, he plans, he finds his way to the goal.

Credits go also to the captain who has served the Swiss player, able to follow the action and get rid of Roma’s defence, to shot (“to shoot”?) his sure hit as if he was a natural striker. First goal with Udinese, third in the Italian championship, the first one dating back to 22 September 2010 when he was one of the protagonists (with Chievo) of the outstanding win at the San Paolo against Napoli. He repeated himself a few months later, on 20 February 2011, when he scored the momentary draw in the match against AC Milan, then lost. Then nothing else and the British parenthesis (??), in Leicester: one goal scored out of thirteen matches and the return to Italy. Guidolin knows he can depend on him too for the final rush.

12-04-2012

Guidolin: “Everything will be determined in 4 weeks”

The defeat at the Olimpico is a bitter pill to swallow. The first tie match has seen Udinese fall against the home team, Roma, with a discouraging 3-1. “We have been naive (“we were naïve”?) on Totti’s goal and we have paid for it (“and we paid for it”?) – the coach Francesco Guidolin has said (“said”?)-. We have handled the situation badly, it was 5 minutes to the end of the match, the squads were tired and we lost possession. It happens, we should compliment Roma, they took advantage of the situation, we were doing fine without any particular risks. We could have obtained one important point without a series of small mistakes”. Have the absences influenced the squad’s performance? “We can play better especially if we have health (??) and coolness (??), ask for these things after such a long season is not easy. I think tonight we were facing one of the best squads in Italy, with a good coach who gave a precise idea of his play. We are coming back on the track (“we are coming back on track”?) in three days”.
Who is the favoured for the third place?
“I don’t know, it’s an open battle. We hope we can stay in the running until the end, but I wouldn’t exclude Inter that are doing good (“well”?). We’ll try and do our best to get the same result as last year. Europe is very important to us. The future will tell us what we can do, time flies and everything will be determined out (out of what?) of 4 weeks”.

12-04-2012

Handanovic: “Much to my regret”

After the deficit (??) suffered in Rome, the bitterness can be felt also in the words of Udinese’s man of the match, the goalkeeper Samir Handanovic: “We feel bitter for this deficit, it was five minutes to the end and we could have handled the end of the match better”. Is the final result just?
“Yes, Roma have deserved the win because they have played better throughout the whole match”.

Is it everything (“is everything”?) getting harder now? “It was hard also before. Tiredness? It’s normal at this point in the championship. Our season has been intense and it’s normal to feel tired”. How can you restart now? “Exactly in the same way as Roma restarted after the defeat in Lecce. May Roma be an example to us (“for us”?)”.