Malafemmena news

By: Joe | July 10th, 2008

The news keeps coming out out Jennersdorf, Austria where Napoli are conducting their pre-season training.

* Midfielder Daniele Mannini will be out a few weeks as he suffered an injury to his right quadricep when running into defender Fabiano Santacroce. Note: Santacroce was also involved in another teammates injury when he slid into newly-acquired attacker German Denis. The Argentine striker’s injury didn’t slow him down as he bagged a hat trick in Napoli’s first friendly.
Mannini won’t be so lucky. It looks like he may be out for at least a few weeks. Doctors are going to let the swelling in his leg subside before determining next steps. However, at a minimum it appears he’ll be out through the end of the month and will likely miss both legs of our Intertoto match. The options for coach Edy Reja scare the hell out of me. Reja is talking about having either Mirko Savini or Gianluca Grava cover the left-wing
slot in Mannini’s place. There’s been some talk of letting 21-year old Primavera product, and native Napoletano, Luigi Vitale have some playing time but Reja said he’s battling his own injury concerns (I’ve looked but turned up noting in the way of details on Vitale’s injury).

* If Matteo Contini is able to handle the left side of Reja’s three-man backline, and really he’s done nothing to prove he can’t, Reja may decide to move Maurizio Domizzi into that LW spot. Direttore Generale Pier Paolo Marino has been unable to find an acceptable deal for Domizzi and unless something gets done in the next two days, Domizzi is set to join the squad in Austria on Sunday.
For some of the defensive lapses Domizzi showed last year, I’ll take him over Savini and that big-ball-of-suck Grava. The fact that Savini and Grava shared time with the captain’s armband last year is all you need to know about their skills. Apparently, Reja chooses his captain based on who can squander the most scoring chances, who consistently gives up possession and who can provide that ‘locker room presence.’ You tell me how else you explain Roberto Sosa, Francesco Montervino, Savini and Grava getting the majority of time with the captain armband? He’s now settled on defender Paolo Cannavaro as his captain and the bigger, slower, clumsier Canna has kept up the tradition. Not good when your worst player on the starting XI is sporting the armband. I must be missing something.

* Goalkeeper Nicolas Navarro is back with the squad. Apparently the Argentine Olympic team decided they didn’t need a third keeper to set up cones and fetch fresh water for Lionel Messi, Juan Roman Riquelme, Nicolas (who can I sucker punch now?) Burdisso in Beijing. I feel bad for Navarro but at least this forces Marino’s hand and he now really has to peddle away either Matteo Gianello or Genarro Iezzo. There was rumor of Navarro drawing the short straw and getting sent out on loan, but I don’t buy it. Marino spent 4 million euro on the youngster this January and he played tremendously the last three matches of the season. Look for Gianello to be sold off here shortly.

* The friendly scheduled against Argentine giants Boca Juniors in early August is in jeopardy according to Le Nacion newspaper in Argentina. It would really be a shame if the match doesn’t take place as I think it’s the type the game that can grease the wheels for bringing in additional South American players. Reports are the friendly would be replaced either with a trip to Holland or Spain against Atletico Madrid. I’d still rather play Boca Juniors at the San Paolo.

* Tomorrow’s friendly against Croatian powerhouse HNK Hajduk Spalato will provide a clearer picture as to where we stand. The squad has won 17 championships (9
when they were part of Yugoslavia) and has had some storied players including Slaven Bilic. HNK Hajduk played Fiorentina in last years Intertoto Cup and lost 2-1 on aggregate. They’ll be playing Malta side Birkirkara in a two legged UEFA Cup tie on July 17 & 31.