Napoli-Roma 2-2. Bayer. The realizable fantasy.

In the Italian song of the Japanese cartoon about Pinocchio, "Fantasy is just a lie" is sung. However, in Beyond Dreams, a splendid film by Robin Williams, about death and its hidden meaning, the phrase is often repeated: Matter is illusion, thought is reality. I have always thought that imagination is a great human resource. Think for example of the blind or those in prison who manage to survive thanks to their imagination. Imagination has served man to overcome obstacles that seemed insurmountable when it was channeled into concrete objectives. The survival and evolution of the human race has one of its foundations in fantasy.

End of season spring weather. The pace of the game was very slow. Napoli better than in previous matches, but we are the ones who take the lead with a penalty for a foul on Azmoun (otherwise removed from the game, but still decisive) scored by Paulo. Svilar is a wall. Only a wicked deflection from Olivera's shot beats him. Then there is Renato's foul on Kvara, the resulting penalty and Osimhen's goal. Finally Abraham who scores a golden point.

34th Day	First Half	Second Half	Final Score
	0	2	2
	0	2	2

n the French May of '68, but also in Italy, one of the most successful slogans was "Imagination in power". But fantasy without some concrete goal makes little sense. Lately, in the current university protests against Israel's massacre in Gaza, so similar to the protests against the Vietnam War in 1968, this has been a lesson from Americans protesting against Israel. Readers will be surprised to learn how, despite the great distance, American academics have a strong influence on the Israeli government.

olumbia University, N.Y. Stern Business University (named after a Jewish multi-billionaire) and other universities are among Israel's biggest benefactors and cannot fail to take into account the thoughts of university students who do not want their tuition to go to Israel. This is already burdensome for the Israeli government. This movement then has infinite possibilities just as imagination is infinite. You can for example boycott Israeli products.

The USA is Israel's major economic supporters, even if Biden realizes that his pro-Israel policy is causing him to lose consensus in the democratic field, he cannot fail to take this into account. And as a result, he will not be able to ignore Netanyahu.

However, the desire for peace must be shared by both parties and therefore I ask Hamas to accept the Egyptian plan for the release of the hostages and the truce in Gaza.

Some good news is Erdogan's commitment to peace in Ukraine and Palestine. He is bringing forward a peace prospect for Palestine and in particular for Jerusalem according to the phrase that Suleiman the Magnificent, the great Ottoman conqueror and emperor, had placed at the entrance to Jaffa, now an Israeli city: Allah is one and Abraham is his friend . The validity of all monotheistic religions that originated with Abraham was thus recognized.

Indeed, Jerusalem is a sacred city for Judaism, Islam and Christianity alike. Jerusalem must be free from weapons. Perhaps what I had heard from a great Jewish writer who called for a UN Protectorate for Jerusalem was right.

In this context, after many years of war, we can see a glimmer of peace also between the Kurds and Turkey. Here we see the Prime Minister of Iraqi Kurdistan, Barzani, shaking hands with Erdogan on a visit to Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. A center from which the Kurds together with the Yazidis and many Arabs left to expel ISIS from all of northern Iraq.

This new peace attitude makes Turkey a more credible candidate to join the EU. Then Erdogan's Turkey is also asked to take other steps such as respect for political and press freedom. Therefore the release of the many journalists and politicians imprisoned on simply opinion-based charges. Peace between Türkiye and the Kurds was just a fantasy like Turkey's entry into the EU. Now they are fantasies coming true.

Even in football, when the Italians and the Germans faced each other, we often prevailed. The matches between national teams were historic in '82 (3-1), in '06 (2-0) and in '12 (2-0). Germany, at national level, has won 4 World Cups (54, 74, 90, 08) and 3 European Championships (72, 80, 96). They are a great nation economically, politically but also football-wise. Yet when they face us, they lose. Because we bring that imagination that makes their rigorous tactical mechanisms go haywire,

Anche per questo, le squadre tedesche che hanno più successo sono quelle con un allenatore latino. Si pensi ad esempio al grande Bayern di Guardiola che ha trasformato il calcio tedesco. Lo stesso discorso è valido per il Bayer Leverkusen di Xabi Alonso. Gegenpressingoffensive play, high ball recovery, possession in the opponent's half of the field and dominance. In short: spectacular football.

It therefore seems like an unachievable fantasy to succeed in something that no one has succeeded in. Not even Tuchel's great Bayern, nor Terzic's great Borussia Dortmund, currently Champions League semi-finalists. Yet Bayer isn't all that unbeatable. He won and drew many matches over the ninetieth. This means that he is lucky, that he never gives up, but also that he is not unbeatable. Let's remind them that we too never give up. It is therefore a realizable fantasy.

To win, the first rule is not to concede goals. The defensive phase will therefore be important. We will have to have balance. Then our match cannot be solely a defensive phase. We will also have to gain possession in their half of the pitch, always without allowing counterattacks.

Ma la chiave per vincere è la nostra costruzione contro il Gegenpressing. Loro spesso hanno una linea difensiva molto alta. Se andremo bene a guardare oltre quella linea, magari con qualche inserzione di Pellegrini, potremo toglierci soddisfazioni.

Il Bayer è stato avversario anche l’anno scorso in semifinale e vorrà prendersi la rivincita. Quest’anno Xabi Alonso ha portato avanti le tattiche dello scorso anno che si sono dimostrate vincenti. Imbattuti dall’inizio della stagione in tutte le competizioni. Ha già vinto matematicamente la Bundesliga con molte giornate d’anticipo, dopo un dominio secolare del Bayern Monaco. Ora punta a vincere nello stesso anno anche Europa League e Coppa di Germania. Noi dovremo dirgli di no, vincendo l’andata in casa.

On a tactical level they deploy a very free 343 in positions. Here Bayer is with white jersey in the 1-1 draw in Dortmund.

This is the lineup I expect on Thursday. I used the same image as last year. The only errors in the image are that, as you will see from the photos, Bayer this year does not have a red shirt but either a black one with a red cross or white with red borders, which I imagine will be the one they will use at the Olimpico, and then at Kossonou could play Hincapie's place. In general, Bayer's three defenders are all very strong physically.

The concepts are the same as last year with a few differences: 1) Xhaka gives more quality to the maneuver than Andrich; 2) Schick or Boniface are two true center forwards so there is less interchangeability between the three forwards. The doubts are 1) whether they will have a more cautious attitude with Stanisic as right winger and Frimpong as right attacker, or more bold with Frimpong as right winger and Tella as right attacker. 2) The attacker can be our old friend Schick, mobile and more of a goalscorer or Boniface who is physically stronger and better at moving the team up.

In the construction phase, the center of M is Xhaka with Palacios free to go forward and a defense that in this case seems to be at 4.

hey have an excellent attack and a very offensive game, but their real strength is their defense. They have only conceded 22 goals in the Bundesliga currently and are the best defense in the league. In part they are following the famous maxim of our great Romanist (but also Milanist) maestro Nils Baron Liedholm "If we have the ball, they can't score".

The bold attitude is also seen in the free kicks against when they deploy the very high zone line.

In the defensive phase they can defend with 5, but they can also accept one-on-one play between their defender and our attacker. When they play with such a high defense, if we do the construction well, we will be able to find the opening and present ourselves with Dybala or ElSha or Lukaku face to face with Hradicky (but also Pellegrini). Here Bayer is in black in the first leg against West Ham.

In fase offensiva possono sviluppare il gioco sulle fasce con il veloce motorino Frimpong come esterno destro, che può tirare anche col sinistro (sarà il compito del nostro Leonardo da Foligno tenerlo basso e farlo impazzire con i dribbling), e il tecnico Grimaldo (su cui dovrà stare attento il nostro Rick Karsdorp), che è l’esterno sinistro, è tutto mancino (come il nostro vecchio amico e punta centrale del Bayer Schick), ha un buon tiro e ha il compito delle punizioni, sia per il cross che per il tiro.

Wirtz can also take free kicks. He has a magical right foot. Xabi leaves him very free and he likes to orchestrate play in the centre. Great quality. Raised in Bayer as our Lorenzo grew up in Roma. The comparison will be nice. But whoever will have to lead the charge at the Olimpico is our Paoletto. Everyone must play according to him, charghed by the Olimpico.

The game develops especially in the center with Xhaka and Palacios who are the real handlers and Wirtz who can look for an assist from the center, even for the counterattack.

Here we can see their typical attacking action with the right forward in this case Tella, who has centralized to leave space and wait for the cross from the right winger Stanisic, who has advanced.

I then analyzed fantasy as a means and as an objective. Fantasy, as an original thought, is only useful if channeled into concrete objectives, which can be another fantasy in the sense of a dream. Let's stay calm. They are not unbeatable as Daniele said. Daje Roma!

Giordano Sepi