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Re: The All New PES5 Master League Thread.
Calcio Update...
Ascoli's Bubble Bursts
The fairy tale may continue in Europe, where Ascoli successfully negotiated the qualifying round, but meanwhile the 2008/09 league campaign has gone from bad to worse for the bianconeri. Four defeats in the last six league games have left Ascoli hovering on the edge of the relegation zone, without a single victory in the opening two months, and this was only compounded midweek by a disastrous 0-3 mauling in the Coppa Italia at the hands of Reggina.
"It is perhaps true that we have been focusing on the Champions League too much", admits club captain Domenico Cristiano. "We made the qualification group a priority and it has affected our domestic form. But that target has been met now. Now we can re-group in the league and start to regain our form."
According to defender Mirko Cudini, however, that will not get any easier. "I think other sides are figuring us out now. We've had two good seasons and we are no longer the underdog, the surprise factor has gone", says the veteran centre-back, who was hauled off at half-time in the 1-3 loss to Palermo last weekend.
Flops: Dos Santos and Farías have struggled to settle
Francileudo dos Santos, Ascoli's big-name summer signing, has been increasingly singled out as a scapegoat. The Brazilian-born Tunisian international has so far been denounced as a flop in Serie A with no goals to his name, and the same could be said for Argentinian acquisition Ernesto Farías. The pair have been constantly rotated along with David Bellion and Sasa Bjelanovic, with the Ascoli coaching staff seemingly no closer to deciding on their best attacking partnership.
"We have four strikers from four different countries, they cannot talk to each other never mind play together", complained one disgruntled fan following the most recent defeat. "They should not have let Marco [Ferrante] leave. He scored the winner in the Coppa, his heart was black and white, and we replaced him with these guys..."
Ascoli now have a mountainous task on their hands, not only in terms of tackling the giants of Juventus, Benfica and Barcelona in the next phase of the Champions League, but also in chasing those European qualification places in the league before they already stretch beyond their reach.
"It is only November", Cristiano attempts to re-assure. "There is a long way to go".
Calcio Update...
Ascoli's Bubble Bursts
The fairy tale may continue in Europe, where Ascoli successfully negotiated the qualifying round, but meanwhile the 2008/09 league campaign has gone from bad to worse for the bianconeri. Four defeats in the last six league games have left Ascoli hovering on the edge of the relegation zone, without a single victory in the opening two months, and this was only compounded midweek by a disastrous 0-3 mauling in the Coppa Italia at the hands of Reggina.
"It is perhaps true that we have been focusing on the Champions League too much", admits club captain Domenico Cristiano. "We made the qualification group a priority and it has affected our domestic form. But that target has been met now. Now we can re-group in the league and start to regain our form."
According to defender Mirko Cudini, however, that will not get any easier. "I think other sides are figuring us out now. We've had two good seasons and we are no longer the underdog, the surprise factor has gone", says the veteran centre-back, who was hauled off at half-time in the 1-3 loss to Palermo last weekend.
Francileudo dos Santos, Ascoli's big-name summer signing, has been increasingly singled out as a scapegoat. The Brazilian-born Tunisian international has so far been denounced as a flop in Serie A with no goals to his name, and the same could be said for Argentinian acquisition Ernesto Farías. The pair have been constantly rotated along with David Bellion and Sasa Bjelanovic, with the Ascoli coaching staff seemingly no closer to deciding on their best attacking partnership.
"We have four strikers from four different countries, they cannot talk to each other never mind play together", complained one disgruntled fan following the most recent defeat. "They should not have let Marco [Ferrante] leave. He scored the winner in the Coppa, his heart was black and white, and we replaced him with these guys..."
Ascoli now have a mountainous task on their hands, not only in terms of tackling the giants of Juventus, Benfica and Barcelona in the next phase of the Champions League, but also in chasing those European qualification places in the league before they already stretch beyond their reach.
"It is only November", Cristiano attempts to re-assure. "There is a long way to go".