#10 Francesco Totti - The Big 500!!

[bludhaven]

i hope he has been resting the past couple days to recover!

Ofcourse, esp for todays show! One of the most important games of his career at club level

[jec1]

Fergie made a remark about Totti after Totti was mad that he wasn't given any props in Roma's success.

I hope for an entertaining match. He needs to show up and play his best to prove to the world.

[Forza_Roma]

He's already done that...he's got them to the final eight...he isn't Roma's only threat...Mancini and Perrotta are important in our attacking game...just as important as Totti...but if Roma get a penalty....don't expect Totti to miss this one!

[D-Kin]

Francesco Totti is suffering from the inflammation of the sciatic nerve, confirmed Roma’s medical staff.

The captain was left at home for his team’s 2-0 victory away to Catania this afternoon – a game played on neutral turf at Lecce’s Stadio Via del Mare.

However, the doctors have reassured that Totti’s sciatica will not prevent him from playing against Manchester United on Tuesday evening.

channel4.com - Football Italia

[Forza_Roma]

However, the doctors have reassured that Totti’s sciatica will not prevent him from playing against Manchester United on Tuesday evening.

OMG....Thank goodness....Totti didn't show any signs of this. Maybe he has been playing too much. Maybe Totti should reduce in his training and Spalletti should sub him more often in games...very happy to hear he will be ok...we can't afford to lose him...Roma must be very careful with Totti from until the rest of the season!

[Forza_Roma]

Mr.& Mrs Totti clothing line...i like music on the site
NEVER WITHOUT YOU :: COLLEZIONE AUTUNNO INVERNO 2006 2007

[Forza_Roma]

Nice pics!
She looks cute there!

Ugly top Totti!

Never likes ripped jeans...but they look good though!

[Diabolico]

Originally Posted by Forza_Roma

Ugly top Totti!

Nah, that's just the style... or it's similar to a style worn around here (LA), anyway.

Damn, I was worried too when I read about his sciatic nerve. At least the Catania game showed that, if necessary, you can rest him sometimes in Serie A as there are others who can still score (at least against the low-level sides). But we all know it's not solely about goals; the guy is irreplacable and means much more to Roma than that. Roma needs him, especially against Man Utd.

[Forza_Roma]

Thank goodness Totti will play tomorrow. As well as Taddei. Our players played well without many of the regulars. Good sign. But they would of been eaten alive had we fielded that squad against United lol

[bludhaven]

Totti is always prepared to play...even through any pain, as he once said about a Lazio game

[Forza_Roma]

[Forza_Roma]

Francesco Totti: To be or not, Totti
Francesco Totti’s decision to bring a temporary halt to his international career has split the critics. Antonio Labbate reports on a saga that is threatening to jeopardise Italy’s Euro 2008 bid
Frustration would not have been an emotion felt by most at Marassi on that Sunday afternoon in November. After all, Francesco Totti had inspired Roma to a comprehensive 4-2 win at Sampdoria with what will inevitably turn out to be the goal of the season. While most in the arena stood up in pure admiration at not only the execution but also the audacity of his breathtaking volley, you could have forgiven Italy boss Roberto Donadoni – who was in the stands – for shaking his head in disbelief.

It was perhaps that performance more than any this season that underlined just how ludicrous and outrageous Totti’s decision to interrupt his international career is. While Donadoni continues to struggle in his bid to give the national side a new identity following Germany 2006, the Roma captain is a potential saviour who insists he’s not fit enough to play for club and country. It's a reason that he himself constantly contradicts, almost on a weekly basis, with his displays for his beloved Giallorossi.

The Totti-Donadoni affair is a messy one, even by Italian standards. One can understand why the No 10 asked for a brief break after his rushed comeback from a February ankle fracture to make the World Cup Finals, but it is clear that he is now back to his unrivalled best. And while Donadoni is ready to build his Azzurri side around him, the capital gem insists he’s in charge of his own destiny when it comes to national duty. They seemingly just don’t understand each other.

“When Totti is ready then I will decide to call him up,” said Donadoni after the Turkey friendly in November. “He needs to find some consistency and you journalists can continue making a drama out this, but when I think the time is right then I will include him in my squad.”

Totti didn’t exactly agree with such a statement. “There is plenty of time for me to return to the Giro Azzurro, but I am only thinking of Roma right now,” he hit back. “I’ll decide in the future whether to return or not. I don’t need to talk to anyone about this situation as I have already spoken to Donadoni, where we discussed everything. All I will say is that I won’t be back until the screws in the my ankle are taken out.” They aren’t set to be removed until September…

“My stance isn’t disrespectful to anyone, not at all,” continued Totti despite jibes from Italy teammates Massimo Oddo and Luca Toni. “I just don’t understand the polls and varied opinions about this whole situation, views from certain people who a little while ago considered me as a weight on the shoulders of the national side. I just ask to be left in peace.”

That request will clearly fall on deaf ears while Totti continues to treat the Azzurri set-up like a woman he can’t decide whether to date, marry or dump. He has a right to be respected, but the blue jersey he was so desperate to appear in during the summer is not one to be abused by false sentiment. At the end of the day, it should surely come down to one decision – he either wants to play for his country again or he doesn’t. The problem is that Totti seemingly does, but just not right now. It’s a problematic stance that helps nobody.

It’s easy to dictate morality from a distance, but Totti needs no reminding that he is at an age where he understands that he is a great player and that Donadoni is a Coach whose role requires him to pick the best. The former winger has the right to select whom he wants and Er Pupone, given that he hasn’t announced his international retirement, is required to respond to a call. Let’s not forget that Chelsea’s Claude Makelele has been forced to play for France despite announcing his retirement, or risk a two-match club ban for every international game missed. After all, shouldn’t it be an honour rather than a chore to represent the nation of your birth?

With a crucial European Championship qualifier against Scotland on the horizon, the Roman is needed more than ever by a national side that he still owes so much to. It was during Euro 2004 where he disgraced himself by spitting in the face of Denmark’s Christian Poulsen, while he was given the opportunity to win the World Cup, which perhaps would not have been afforded to less talented individuals. Previous boss Marcello Lippi stayed loyal to the attacker after his ankle break, waited for him and even shuffled his tactical pack during the World Cup so that his side could, at times, carry a clearly unfit Totti in their triumphant march to Berlin.

So what now? Suspending Totti as a result of his continual snubbing of Italy, as suggested by Michel Platini, would do nothing but inflame an already volatile and unwanted standoff. And with the Italian Football Federation in such a fragile state as being unable to intervene, it is now up to Totti and Donadoni to clarify the dilemma once and for all, as FIGC commissioner Luca Pancalli has admitted. “It is down to the relationship between Donadoni, a Coach who I have absolute faith in, and Totti, a champion we all recognise. I think all that is needed is some common sense.”

A resolution is required and quickly. While Totti’s critics can justifiably argue that he has never reproduced his club form on the biggest stage, Donadoni’s options are limited with an inconsistent Alessandro Del Piero plying his trade in Serie B and Antonio Cassano proving to still be a rebel without a ball. The more time Totti spends away, the greater the chance of resentment brewing within the squad – a group where teamwork and sacrifice were key ingredients in World Cup victory. A triumph in which we shouldn’t forget that Totti played his part…

channel4.com - Football Italia

[Forza_Roma]

Totti has a fabulous week 32 in Serie A

Spotlight: Titanic Totti
Monday 16 April, 2007
Football Italia rounds up the winners and the losers from Week 32 of the Serie A season
The winners…
Francesco Totti (Roma)
After the “saddest evening” of his career on Tuesday at Old Trafford, Francesco Totti resumed normal service on Sunday as he inspired Roma to a commanding 4-0 thumping of Sampdoria. He opened the scoring with a scorcher and was pretty much at the centre of everything for the Olimpico boys.

Andrea Caracciolo (Palermo)
Not too much was expected of the former Brescia man at Inter given his struggles in Serie A this term. But the giant striker certainly caused the Nerazzurri rearguard problems after giving his side the lead just three minutes in. Palermo will need more of the same from him over the next six weeks.

Kaka (Milan)
Undoubtedly the Man of the Match at the San Filippo as Milan moved into the top four with a win at Messina. The Brazilian turned on the style and his performance deserved more than just the one goal that it acquired. The Rossoneri’s future is in his feet.

The losers…
Marco Materazzi (Inter)
The Inter stopper was due a bad game after a quite remarkable past 12 months for club and country. Ordered to come up against Edison Cavani, the Palermo new boy tested the World Cup winner with a cocktail of strength, speed and skill.

Nikola Lazetic (Torino)
His substitution looked on the cards from the minute he incredibly failed to score from close range with an empty net at his disposal. The attacking midfielder has not had the best of seasons in Turin, where his continual use is surely based on a lack of alternatives rather than true faith in his abilities.

Sulley Ali Muntari (Udinese)
Despite rattling the crossbar with a rasping 79th minute shot, the Ghanaian was pretty poor against Chievo. A performance so disappointing that Coach Alberto Malesani had to publicly defend the Premiership target after he was jeered by his own fans during the game.

The goals…
Ronaldo (Milan)
Milan grabbed their third at Messina with a Ronaldo rocket in the closing stages. After putting in another solid overall performance, his shot from outside of the area rippled the net in some style. He now has five since his January switch from Real Madrid.

Francesco Totti (Roma)
After netting perhaps the Goal of the Season in the first meeting between the sides earlier this term, the No 10 made sure he left his mark on the return too. Roaming just outside of the penalty area, Totti’s thunderous strike left goalkeeper Gianluca Berti helpless.

Elvis Abbruscato (Torino)
Torino scored a consolation goal against Atalanta with the aid of a textbook header from Elvis Abbruscato. The under-performing attacker got absolutely everything correct from his leap, his ball connection and placement as he found the top corner.

The numbers…
Gemelli del Gol
Adrian Mutu’s fine header against Siena was his 14th of the League campaign so far. The Romanian and teammate Luca Toni have now netted an impressive 30 of Fiorentina’s 52 strikes in Serie A.

No interruption
Inter’s salvage job against Palermo means they are still unbeaten in Serie A after 31 games. That is the third best streak in history from the start of a season, behind Fiorentina who didn’t taste defeat for 33 games in 1955-56 and the great Milan side of 1991-92. The latter didn’t lose any of their 34 games that term.

Spin doctor
Gionatha Spinesi has made it into the Catania record books with his goal at Parma. The former Bari man has joined Carlo Facchin as the club’s most lethal hitman in a single Serie A season with 13. However, Facchin netted his tally in 33 games, while the ex-Azzurrini man has only played 27 ties so far

channel4.com - Football Italia

[Forza_Roma]

Totti playing hurt!!!

Roma star Totti playing through pain barrier
tribalfooball.com - April 19, 2007

Roma captain Francesco Totti admits he's playing through the pain to secure automatic Champions League qualification.

On the mark for last night's shock 3-1 win at Inter Milan, Totti revealed: "I'm suffering. I've got a bad back, but I can't rest while Roma's season is in the balance.

"I just grit my teeth and push on.

tribalfootball.com - Roma star Totti playing through pain barrier