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David Albelda: New Beginnings

David Albelda appointed as Catania boss
Started on 24 July 2014 by ollyewest
Latest Reply on 28 July 2014 by ollyewest
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Albelda swoops for 3 big talents



Catania have signed three players with only six months left on their contracts.

Lorenzo Ariaudo of Cagliari and Aleksandar Ignjovski and Aaron Hunt, both of Werder Bremen, had seen contract talks stall. Albelda saw this and came in with offers. The two clubs, eager to cash in, hastily accepted and deals were struck.

"I am proud to have signed for Catania. I hope that I can inspire the team onto even greater heights," claimed Ariaudo. We at Catania Free Press will analyse what these signings bring to the team below.

Aleksandar Ignjovski



With Panagiotis Tachtsidis the only real Ball Winning Midfielder available to Albelda, this signing will provide stern competition. Ignjovski's at his best breaking up attacks and laying the ball off to more attacking teammates, although he does occasionally get forward, scoring one goal and making one assist for Bremen. A very exciting signing indeed for Etnei, especially as the fee released as official is just £450,000.

Aaron Hunt



Fans have been concerned recently about the consistency of players such as Sebastian Leto, Pablo Barrientos and Lucas Castro. With Aaron Hunt, their fears should finally be allayed. Always chipping in with an important goal for Bremen, he was the one player that could be relied upon to produce when it mattered and Catania wil be hoping he can unlock the more spirited defences of Serie A. He arrived, also, for the criminally low price of £1.3 million pounds, considerably lowering the risk factor of the move.

Lorenzo Ariaudo



It's easy to forget Ariaudo's only 24. When he first broke through the Juventus ranks he was considered one of the best defenders Serie A had to offer, but with a lack of game time his career fell by the wayside until Cagliari tried to resurrect it by parting with a figure of £3.3 million. This too backfired, with Cagliari not deeming Ariaudo worthy of a new contract. This prompted Albelda to pay £200,000 up front to take him to the Angelo Massimino - Cibali.
Aaron Hunt is a fantastic player, and Ariaudo should be a good addition as well. I don't know anything about Ignjovski, hope he does well for you :)
1
January Results



Not the greatest of months really. Having said that, we are still top (God knows how) and we have done well in other areas, so I'm still positive. The Verona result was really good, we dominated and Bergessio's winner was the least we deserved. Then a frustrating one, we really struggled to create against a team we should be cruising past. The Bologna match was in the cup, so I experimented with youth players and paid the price. We ground out a credible 2-2 draw with Inter, Bergessio continuing recent form with a goal and an assist. Then the Lucas Castro show against Parma. We absolutely demolished them; every time we attacked we forced their 'keeper into a save. Ignjovski also got his first goal and second assist for the club, which was pleasing. Sadly, we couldn't beat Cagliari and Napoli have caught up. I think our form is going to tail off now, but as long as we keep in and around the top 6 or 7, I'll be happy. My Player of the Month is Aleksandar Ignjovski, he has settled in really well and produced some excellent performances. Here's the league going into February:

Murru joins Albelda's Etnei revolution as Pablo Alvarez departs



Nicola Murru has become the latest player to be snapped up for a nominal figure by David Albelda.

The talented left - back has agreed to join Catania is the summer of 2014, again from Cagliari. This means that Cagliari boss Diego Lopez has lost two of his first choice back four to Catania.

"I am thrilled to confirm this. To get a player like Nic for free...it blows my mind," said Albelda.

However, the news comes tinged with sadness as Pablo Alvarez has left the club for Chievo Verona for a sum in the region of £1.1m. The right back stated: "Three times I have signed for Catania, and three times I have have a successful time. I move on with this club in my heart."



It is believed that this should see Ariaudo's versatility called into action, as a makeshift right back whenever Peruzzi is unable to play.
2014-07-26 17:35#186505 Neal : Aaron Hunt is a fantastic player, and Ariaudo should be a good addition as well. I don't know anything about Ignjovski, hope he does well for you :)

Hunt's been a bit of a slow starter, but Ariaudo's been used all over the defence and looks really good. Ignjovski's been unbelievable, so impressed with him. Let's hope Hunt hits a patch of form:)
ollyewest's avatar Group ollyewest
10 yearsEdited
Catania trio coveted

Three of the most influential players in Catania's excellent season have seen offers for the services rejected.

Bryan Oviedo, Alexis Rolin and Lucas Castro have been the subject of bids from Lazio, Juventus and Fiorentina respectively. All offers have been rejected as they are what boss David Albelda described as "insulting" and "underhanded".



"I thought these revered old Serie A clubs had more respect than that, but the insulting bids they have made for my players are nothing more than underhanded attempts to unsettle them. I think they need to show more class."

Catania are the surprise table toppers this season and all 3 of the players mentioned are regularly in their first team. The Most Played XI for Catania reads: Andujar; Oviedo, Rolin, Bellusci, Peruzzi; Almiron, Tachtsidis, Izco; Leto, Castro; Bergessio. Of these, Giuseppe Bellusci also been bid for earlier in the season by Inter, and Tachtsidis is already co-owned by Genoa.
ollyewest's avatar Group ollyewest
10 yearsEdited
February results



Well, all in all, a good month for us, although there were disappointments. Our victory over Fiorentina was excellent, with Ignjovski getting another goal and looking good. Then we hit a brick wall, and I did too when Giuseppe De Luca scored a 92nd minute equaliser for Atalanta, and I was really disappointed with my side against Bologna. We never got going and Bryan Oviedo and Giuseppe Bellusci made mistakes that led to a goal. Because of this, I mixed things up against Genoa and I am going to give a few new players a runout in March. Despite the bad results, we are second and we can definitely at least qualify for the Europa League.

March Results



We struggle to mix it with the big boys. A disappointing draw against Lazio (again) started the month, and truth be told we didn't deserve even to draw. We then scraped past Chievo, thanks to 2 Bellusci goals. Then a poor, poor loss to Juve, although Bergessio did score a goal of the season contender in it. We conceded a late equaliser against Milan and played out a bore draw with Napoli to round off a terrible month. We'll need to improve if we want to win the league.

1. Napoli 63 pts
2. Catania 58 pts
3. Juventus 50 pts
April Results



Just what the doctor ordered. Three solid wins, with the team looking back to it's best. Against Sassuolo, Oviedo was on fire, getting a goal and an assist. Then we cruised past Udinese thanks to Gonzalo Bergessio, before grinding out a win against Livorno. Unfortunately, Sampdoria were too strong on the day for us.

But the best bit is that Napoli completely messed up.



That meant that the table looked like this:

1. Catania 67 pts
2. Napoli 64 pts
3. Juventus 62 pts

If we can win two out of our last three games, the league is ours!
Albelda makes plea for calm following Roma defeat



Catania boss David Albelda has appealed to supporters of the club to "not panic" after their dispiriting loss at the Olimpico.

Etnei went down to an early Ljajic goal, and their run-in will be made that much harder with the loss of Sergio Almiron, who will miss the last two games through suspension after seeing red. Napoli beat Verona to go level on points with 2 games to play. Catania do have the edge, however, as they are ahead on the Head - To - Head rankings after a 3-1 win earlier on in the season and a draw in April.

"Fans should not panic. I have full confidence in my players and they have belief in themselves. We go against Verona and Torino with the confidence of champions elect."

1. Catania 67 pts
2. Napoli 67 pts
3. Juventus 65 pts
Nerves set in ahead of season definer



David Albelda has admitted that a few of his players are suffering from last - minute nerves ahead of their final game of the season against Torino.

"They are beginning to realise just how far they have come and it's bothering them," said the former crunching defensive midfielder.

"I would make Napoli or Juventus the favourites at the current time."

Catania beat Verona 2-0 with goals from Lopez and Leto, meaning they need to beat Torino to win Serie A.

1. Catania 70 pts
2. Napoli 70 pts
3. Juventus 68 pts
Live Updates on the last day: Torino vs Catania, Inter vs Napoli, Juventus vs Cagliari

Here's how each team can win the league:

Catania just need to win to be champions. A draw may be enough, but they'll need Napoli to draw/lose to Inter and Juventus not to beat Cagliari.

Napoli need to better Catania's result, preferably by winning. If they draw, they need Juventus to not win and Catania to lose.

Juventus just need to win and hope Catania and Napoli both draw/lose.

1' AND WE'RE OFF!
2' GOAL FOR TORINO!!!! IMMOBILE!!!!

Pinball in the Catania penalty area early on, and it falls kindly for Ciro Immobile to slam home!

1. Napoli 71 pts
2. Catania 70 pts
3. Juventus 69 pts
11' CHANCE FOR INTER! THEY HIT THE BAR!

Inter have dominated so far, and they so nearly got what they richly deserved! Mudingayi slipped in Wallace, and the on-loan Chelsea left wing back smacks an effort onto the crossbar! It's still shaking!

Torino 1-0 Catania
Inter 0-0 Napoli
Juventus 0-0 Cagliari
29' GOAL! JUVENTUS! BONUCCI!

Shocking marking by Cagliari, Astori in particular, and Bonucci powers home an accurate header! Not good at all for Catania and Napoli!

1. Juventus 71 pts
2. Napoli 71 pts
3. Catania 70 pts

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