[FM14] I Gondolieri - A New Club in Italy

2014 - 15 March Review

AS Venezia played six games this month. Varese, Latina and Modena at home and Pro Vercelli, Trapani and Avellino away.

AS VENEZIA 1-0 VARESE

Line Up: AS Venezia: (4-4-2) Kuszczak, Neill, Piccolo, Sørensen, Alhassen, Barillà, Espinosa, Sinclair, Seijas, Baros, Anelka
Line Up: Varese: (3-5-2) Bressan, Flamozzi, Rea, Camporese, Domonte, Zecchin, Blasi, Cuffa, Cristiano, Neto Pereira, Bjelanovic

Both teams played a physical game to get the three points in front of 9,969 fans at the Stadio Pierluigi Penzo. Things started really well for ASV, scoring within two minutes. After many passes, Barillà passed to Niell, who gave to Sinclair, who crossed it in from deep towards the heads of Anelka and Baros, but Anelka connected with it, and the header was out of reach from the goalkeeper and it rattled the back of the net. The first half bought a few more chances, and an injury to I Gondolieri’s Javi Espinosa, forcing him off and to miss the rest of the game. In the second half, Baros received a yellow, and Espinosa’s replacement Valenta went off injured with Fractured Ribs and will be out for 5 weeks. Varese’s Cuffa also went off with an injury.

Nicolas Anelka (2)
Sørensen

Manager’s View
A very, very scrappy game, but we got the three points. Both teams were very physical and unfortunately, it resulted in a few injuries, which is not nice to see. But, at the cost of two of our players, unfortunately, we got the three points which is the main thing and both players will feature soon. I am very happy that we have pretty much secured second place and would require a major slip up if we did lose it. Iaquinta also made his come back from that injury in the match, coming on in the fifty-eighth minute, which was good, and showed he is nearly back to full fitness.

PRO VERCELLI 1-2 AS VENEZIA

Line Up: AS Venezia: (4-4-2) Kuszczak, Neill, Piccolo, Sørensen, Biraghi, Bottone, Espinosa, Sinclair, Seijas, Baros, Anelka
Line Up: Pro Vercelli: (4-2-3-1) Nodari, Bani, Ranellucci, Cosenza, Scaglia, Mira, Ardizzone, Fabiano, Greco, Scavone, Spinazzola

Nicolas Anelka and Luis Seijas continued their fine form in front of 1,578 fans at the Silvio Piola. Anelka was booked within the first minute, but he made up for it when he collected a pass from Seijas and finished it well. Seijas then scored in the second half, when Davide Bottone intercepted a pass, and gave it to Anelka, who passed it to Baros, who first time played a through ball to Seijas, who was in lots of space. He then beat three defenders and once he was inside the eighteen yard box, let fly, with the shot hitting the top corner, out of the goalkeepers reach. Vercelli then pulled on back after a Scavone corner found the head of Ardizzone, who headed it across goal, for Ranellucci to tap home.

Nicolas Anelka (37)
Luis Seijas (66)
Alessandro Ranellucci (81)
Seijas

Manager’s View
A good win. Again, maybe we were a little two physical and I can see why people are all throwing hissy fits about it. But it is the way we play, and it is working. We are getting the three points. Not every side is going to be able to play beautiful, passing football like Barcelona and Liverpool, it is impossible. Our team doesn’t have that technical ability to do that, so we have to play like Stoke. We are winning, so why does it matter?

AS VENEZIA 2-1 LATINA

Line Up: AS Venezia: (4-3-3) Kuszczak, Neill, Terlizzi, Sørensen, Biraghi, Bottone, Barillà, Espinosa, Sinclair, De Silvestro, Anelka
Line Up: Latina: (4-3-3) Di Gennaro, Milani, Esposito, Figliomeni, Bruscagin, Maltese, Ricci, Benali, Gerbo, Negro, Jonathas

Things did not start well for Venezia in front of 9,981 at the Stadio Pierluigi Penzo, as they conceded a penalty within five minutes, which Negro converted. But I Gondolieri equalised after Terlizzi won the ball from Jonathas and passed it to Barillà, who played a great lobbed ball over the top to the wing and De Silvestro, who headed it to the penalty spot, where Anelka was waiting and finished it. The winner came from a Espinosa corner, after Sørensen fired a ball across the face of goal to Terlizzi who finished it at the far post. Again, AS Venezia picked up a number of yellow cards throughout the game.

Maikol Negro (pen 5)
Nicolas Anelka (21)
Christian Terlizzi (50)
Kuszczak

Manager’s View
When that penalty went in, I truly thought that our unbeaten run was over. But we showed character to forget that we were one nil down and to go and score, credit to Nicolas for that, which is a sign of a good team. And when Christian scored, it felt good. The emotions were running high, that I had been able to turn this match around with some subs and quick thinking. We may have, again, been a bit too physical, but I promise change next season. I have got a few things next season, which will please the fans.

TRAPANI 1-0 AS VENEZIA

Line Up: AS Venezia: (4-3-3) Kuszczak, Neill, Piccolo, Sørensen, Biraghi, Bottone, Barillà, Espinosa, Sinclair, Seijas, Anelka
Line Up: Trapani: (4-4-2) Gomis, Ferri, Pagliarulo, Suagher, Rizzato, Iunco, Esposito, Miglietta, Fofana, Abate, Rubino

AS Venezia lost only their second game this season at the Provinciale in front of 2,392 people. Things did not start particularly well after Piccolo got himself sent off early on for two yellow cards. But AS Venezia threatened still, testing Gomis regularly. It took till the last ten minutes though, for Trapani to finish the chances they had been creating, with Rizzato finishing. Gambino crossed the ball in to the far post, where Rizzato finished with an emphatic header.

Simone Rizzato(82)
Felice Piccolo (36)
Rizzato

Manager’s View
I am upset and disappointed about the result. Piccolo let the team down by getting sent off and we knew deep down that to get anything from the game with ten men for an hour would be incredibly different. I am pleased, though, with some aspects of the game, the fact that we still created chances, with a defender missing, is quite pleasing. But, this loss could be fundamental in deciding who finished first, as Catania won, giving them a reasonable point advantage on us, which is annoying.

AS VENEZIA 4-1 MODENA

Line Up: AS Venezia: (4-1-1-3-1) Kuszczak, Seitaridis, Sørensen, Neill, Biraghi, Bottone, Espinosa, Sinclair, Seijas, Barillà, Anelka
Line Up: Modena: (4-4-2) Manfredini, Calapai, Potenza, Marzorati, Carini, Mazzarani, Burra, Martinelli, Verdi, Granoche, Bruno

9,996 people watched AS Venezia dominate Modena at the Stadio Pierluigi Penzo. On the fourty minute mark, I Gondolieri lost their left back, Biraghi, to injury, and possibly for the rest of the season, after he tore his hamstring and will be out for at least three months. But right back Seitaridas soon made up for it, as he scored a fluke goal after crossing it in from the right. He then scored again after half time, after Iaquinta played him through. Modena pulled one back, after Mazzarani’s free kick hit Kuszczak and went in. But it was then that ASV turned up the heat, an Espinosa free kick played short to Iaquinta, who gave it to Bottone, who the held up the ball, and gave it back to Iaquinta, who fired it into the top corner. Seijas crossed it in and found De Silvestro’s head, who put it in the back of the net.

Giourkas Seitaridis (40)
Giourkas Seitaridis (56)
Andrea Mazzarani (76)
Vincenzo Iaquinta (81)
Elio De Silvestro (86)
Seitaridis

Manager’s View
After losing to Trapani in the last game, I thought we would not do very well in this game, and to get a draw would be a good result. But, actually, that wasn’t the case. I am not sure if we just played really well, or they played badly, I am not sure. But still, we won, and scored four goals. This shows we aren’t kept down by a bad result, and that we can come back better from it!

AVELLINO 0-1 AS VENEZIA

Line Up: AS Venezia: (4-1-1-3-1) Kuszczak, Seitaridis, Terlizzi, Sørensen, Alhassen, Bottone, Espinosa, Sinclair, Seijas, Barillà, Anelka
Line Up: Avellino: (3-5-2) Di Masi, Coeff, Naldo, Wagué, Ladrière, Togni, De Vitis, Koné, Favasuli, Grandolfo, Comi

Both teams were down to ten men by the end of the game, after two players were sent off at the Partenio – Adriano Lombardi in front of 5,343 fans. Venezia dominated, and Anelka profited from it. After Alhassen ran down the wing, he played it back to Barillà, who turned and whipped a ball in to the penalty spot, where Anelka was stretching to reach it, on the volley, whacked it into the back of the net. Luis Seijas was sent off for an awful two-footed tackle on Gozzi. But late on in stoppage time, Wagué was shown a yellow card, and moments later a second for a tackle on Anelka just after the resulting free kick was taken.

Nicolas Anelka (14)
Luis Seijas (76)
Molla Wagué (90+1)
Sørensen

Manager’s View
A solid win against a solid side. Anelka has been brilliant in Iaquinta’s absence, scoring plenty of goals, and today was no exception. I don’t think I have seen a volley quite like that before. It was a great ball in too, which created the chance. It was a shame to see Seijas, such a key part in the team get sent off, and now miss three games, but it is the way it goes. I have no idea what Wagué was thinking, I have never seen someone pick up two yellows so quickly!

OVERVIEW

LEAGUE TABLE

AS Venezia sit in 1st place, level on points with Catania. They have won 24 games, lost 2 and drawn 6. They have scored 54 goals, and conceded 20, giving them a goal difference of +34.

AWARDS

Goal of the Month: MIRKO GORI – FROSINONE (VS CROTONE, 15TH MARCH)
The Frosinone defensive midfielder delights fans and pundits alike by scoring a deftly executed finish from long range.
Team of the Month: Zappino (Frosinone), Del Prete (Livorno), Monzón (Catania), Sørensen (AS Venzia), Blanchard (Frosinone), Lodi (Catania), Kone (Bologna), Moretti (Livorno), Bergessio (Catania), Bianchi (Bologna), Emeghara (Siena)

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NEXT MONTH: APRIL

I Gondolieri will play four games next month, Brescia and Entella at home and Bari and Catania away.

I Gondolieri’s Twitter Q&A

AS Venezia striker Nicolas Anelka will take part in a Twitter Q&A Session on the clubs account.


The tweet from the clubs official Twitter page

He will answer anything, as long as it is not rude. He will be on for 30 minutes, and will answer as many as he can, so get your questions in!

The 33 year old Frenchman, who has played for various different clubs that include PSG, Liverpool, Chelsea and Juventus, has scored 165 league goals in his career.

The striker joined I Gondolieri in the summer, and has made 31 league appearances and scored 12 goals before succumbing to a sprained ankle.