Francesco Totti fails where Frank Lampard succeeds…

Two unbeaten league leaders from a northern city travel south to the capital to take on the challenge of a club in turmoil and an Iberian manager under fire.

By Mark Sheehan

They may be 900 miles apart but London and Rome were like footballing parallel universes on Monday night. Manchester City, unbeaten league leaders in the English Premier League travelled south to London to take on a Chelsea side which has stuttered under the tactical direction of their new Portugese manager André Villas-Boas.

Meanwhile in Serie A, Antonio Conte would take his unbeaten Juve side to the Stadio Olimpico to face a Roma side struggling to adapt to the tactical direction employed by their new Spanish manager, Luis Enrique. Roma's last two league outings had ended in a 2-0 defeat away to Udinese and a defeat to Fiorentina which saw them lose three goals and as many players to red cards.

Of additional concern to Enrique may be the frustration which seems to be evident in the Roma dressing room. One of the brighter aspects of Roma's season has been the form of striker Pablo Osvaldo but the Argentine-born player found himself fined €50,000 and suspended by his club after a physical altercation with team-mate Erik Lamela.

Osvaldo reportedly punched Lamela in the changing room following the 2-0 defeat to Udinese and the giallorossi manager Luis Enrique urged the club to take action.

"There was this disrespectful gesture from Osvaldo towards a team-mate and, on request of the coach, the player will be punished,'' Roma general director Franco Baldini told Roma Channel.

The club suspension imposed meant that the player missed the Fiorentina match and you would wonder whether a fine would have been punishment enough especially as the club currently needs all the firepower it can muster.

The Juve coach, Antonio Conte, certainly felt that matters would have been handled differently in his day: "Dressing rooms today are like Big Brother, and that's not good," he said.

"Certain things also happened in the past, just that perhaps afterwards everyone went out to dinner that evening with their families. The dressing room is a sacred place and what takes place there should stay there. Today if someone has the flu then everyone knows about it. I'm nostalgic for the old days."

Osvaldo was restored to Roma's starting line-up for the Juve encounter and before the match, both coaches were very respectful of their managerial and club opponents. Conte had plenty of personal experience of many previous Juve-Roma encounters, but for Enrique it would be virgin territory.

"I was there when Totti wound us up after hammering us 4-0 and when Cassano celebrated as only he can, in a circle with his team-mates, swimming-pool style. Roma has always been a tough test for us, a game on a knife-edge," reflected Conte ahead of the game.

"Against Totti and co we have always come up against problems, and that's exactly what I'm expecting this time. A team with ideas who play aggressive, attacking football. They try and play the same way they have since the start of the season. Even against Fiorentina when they were down to ten men against eleven. Critics only see the final score, whereas if you watch the match through the eyes of a coach you can see the concept behind their game; if Juan hadn't been sent off against Fiorentina things would have been very different.

"Football isn't only mathematics: Luis Enrique is doing a great job, aside from the results. Behind this Roma I can see the hand of their coach. If only there were more like him."

First and foremost, I think about the team as a whole. I'm not interested in the bullshit you lot are interested in - Roma boss Luis Enrique, getting tetchy

While Enrique would respond with equal respect for his opposite number, his pre-match interviews centred again on player unrest, this time concerning ex-Milan striker Marco Borriello rather than Osvaldo.

“If tomorrow he (Borriello) makes the squad, he will have a fair chance of playing. He hasn't played since October 26? I’m sick and tired of the question. First and foremost, I think about the team as a whole. I'm not interested in the bullshit you lot are interested in,” Enrique angrily fired back when questioned about Borriello's possible inclusion.

“That’s my opinion anyway, even if it may be wrong. My decisions are footballing decisions. I see the players train in the week, you lot don't.”

The side selected by Enrique for the game could not have begun any better as Daniele De Rossi, playing as an emergency centre-back, opened the scoring in the sixth minute following an intelligent cross into the penalty area by his captain Totti - obviously eager to make up for his lack of playing time so far this season.

And it was not only Totti who was barnstorming around the pitch, Heinze and De Rossi were immense in the Roma defence, Lichtsteiner and Pepe combined on the Juve right to pressure Jose Angel and even striker Osvaldo was spotted working back to support. Juve's 'Little Prince' Marchisio battled centrally against Pjanic while the artist Pirlo constantly found space to launch attacks from deep.

On a night of full-blooded commitment more associated with the game being played out in London, it was another warrior who would cancel out De Rossi's opener. Italian international Giorgio Chiellini levelled the game when a mishit shot by Estigarribia set up a scrambled headed goal.

As with Chelsea and City, the game entered its critical phase with the scores level at 1-1. And in both encounters, a golden opportunity to inflict a first defeat on the league leaders was handed to a local club legend when penalties were awarded in both London and Rome.

Frank Lampard would not be found wanting but his Italian namesake was foiled by Juve's own club legend, Gigi Buffon anticipating Francesco Totti's effort to leave the giallorossi captain still searching for his first goal since May.

Six minutes of additional time could not help separate these two sides and the one point earned by Juventus took the bianconeri level with Udinese at the top of Serie A.

While the Roma performance, led by local heroes Totti and De Rossi, was full of spirit, it was also their least 'Spanish' of the season. Totti regularly looked for, and found, Osvaldo with balls over the top of the Juve defence – surely not the Barceroma-style of possession football required by Enrique. Whether a change in approach is forthcoming in light of this performance, only Enrique himself will know. But one thing is certain: it was André Villas-Boas who has been sleeping better this week.

Next up for Enrique and Roma? The Derby del Sole away to in-form Napoli on Sunday...

Results:

Genoa  0-1  Internazionale
AS Roma 1-1 Juventus 
Atalanta 1-1 Catania
Bologna 2-2 AC Milan
Cagliari 0-0 Parma
Udinese 2-1 Chievo Verona 
Novara 1-1 Napoli
Lecce 2-3 Lazio 
Siena 0-2 Genoa 
Internazionale 2-0 Fiorentina
Palermo 0-1 Cesena

Fixtures:

Sunday, December 17, 2011

Chievo Verona v Cagliari
AC Milan v Siena
Fiorentina v Atalanta

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Catania v Palermo
Cesena v Internazionale
Genoa v Bologna
Juventus v Novara
Parma v Lecce
Lazio v Udinese (7.45pm, Live on Setanta Ireland)
Napoli v AS Roma