Zorya-Roma 0-3 and Empoli.

Roma wins easily even if not playing to the maximum (with a lot of turnover). Zorya played a good game for his quality. He made pressure and high defense. The difference was too much. The Pharaoh showed the way past the goalkeeper Matsapura (best of them), served by an excellent Darboe. Then the Pharaoh tries a couple of times. In general, Roma had many opportunities to close the game and, with the prolongation of a precarious result like 0-1, an anxious Romanista like me immediately thought of the injury, but the difference was really too much. The key to the game were the changes, with the entry of Abraham (scorer of the third goal) and Zaniolo. The second goal was from Smalling on corner developments.

They left many holes. Jagged offside line. They are good at finishing first on the ball in tackles. Excellent pressing them. But the second balls were all ours. In the end, the result is more negative for us than for them.

In our group, the main opponent is Bodo Glimt (4 points), who are showing a better quality than the Bulgarians, with whom they drew 0-0 in Sofia, and the Ukrainians. On the Italians in general: 4 wins (Atalanta, Juve, Lazio and Rome), 1 draw (Inter) and 2 defeats (Milan and Napoli). The picture is quite positive, especially for the victorious ones. For the others, the situation became very problematic. Napoli could end up in the Conference League, while in Serie A they are first in the standings with only victories. The situation is fluid. The picture is negative, but improving. Now focus on Empoli.

Empoli. Just kissed by the Arno, in the Metropolitan city of Florence, there is the smallest city (after Sassuolo which however plays in Reggio Emilia) in Serie A, with less than 50,000 inhabitants.

In its millenary history, Empoli also had the privilege of deciding the fate of Florence, whether to destroy it or spare it. After the battle of Montaperti in 1260, the Ghibelline leaders met in the Parliament of Empoli to decide the fate of Florence (Guelph and defeat). Among them, there was a Florentine who, instead of hating the city that had repudiated him, loved it with a bitter love. This was Farinata degli Uberti who convinced the Emperor and the Sienese to show mercy for Florence. Unfortunately, the same goodness of mind and the same love for the leader did not have Florence which, years after his death, condemned him for heresy as a Cathar. Even now historians are divided on the heresy of Farinata degli Uberti. For me the heresy was above all a political decision of the Guelphs who wanted to soil his fame. In reality, he only wanted the division between religious power and political power (like Dante, a white Guelph, who puts him in Hell as a heretic but speaks well of him also because he shares the common destiny of exile from Florence): a historical evolution of thought Western politician that the East would also need. Human law and morality cannot coincide because there is a sphere of the legitimate (moral) and the licit (not moral, but permitted).

Andreazzoli fielded the 4312. Team very good at making an away result. If the scheme suggests an attack above all in the center, then the game of the Collodi players develops above all on their right wing, our left, with Stojanovic.

The offensive phase. Bajrami is very good at assisting. The first striker and more with the shooting attitude is Pinamonti. Pinamonti is a box man, insidious on crosses both with his head and with the volley with his foot. They attack mainly on their right, our left with Stojanovic. Di Francesco is treacherous when he is in the center and receives the assist from their right (Stojanovic), but also when he goes to build with the right back always on their right, our left. On their left, Marchizza is very good at attacking without the ball and being free in the offensive phase. If Bandinelli playsas a left midfielder he is very good in the attacking phase, especially with the left-footed shot.

The pressing. They are good at pressing. They do a strong pressing with 3-4 men, with the right midfielder going to press the left-back on the construction of the game and the same speech with the left midfielder on the right-back.

On free kicks from the top of the area, they defend very low in order not to give depth to the cross. It is a very surprising tactic. We can think of alternative solutions such as the short pass. On corner kicks, they defend by zone.

In the construction they rely mainly on Samuele Ricci, a player we will hear about in big clubs. Samu is very good in construction, but he still has to improve a lot in the defensive phase, where he is committed to helping anyway.

Empoli are pressing and attacking: they are a strong opponent, but we have the qualities to win and win by goleada. Daje Roma!

Giordano Sepi