Tom13 Posted August 26, 2023 Share Posted August 26, 2023 Don't think it's a dig at all. To 'take over Roma' you would need a special mentality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jas10 Posted August 26, 2023 Share Posted August 26, 2023 2 hours ago, Tomaszk said: Hm, that's a twatty thing to say about someone "missing the right mentality". Odd dig - perhaps an old quote. He can still be incredibly unbelievably good for us without being as good as Totti. Excited to see what Nico can do. It’s an old quote, yes. Needs some context, the posters I’ve @‘d will be able to provide it… He was a young lad then with huge expectations on his shoulders… demanding fans too… Yeah he doesn’t need to be as good or comparable to someone like Totti… it’s just what he was labelled in the past… Even being mentioned in the same breath is high praise… and a testament to how talented he really is… Kid’s been through a lot really… treated poorly by manager and fans (subjected to extreme and unacceptable behaviour/abuse), serious injuries… He’s had some real setbacks and has been working his way back… hopefully the Gala move was a good “rehab period” for him and maybe some time out of the “limelight” helped him… I think he’s coming into a great environment and will be able to work under a top and credible manager who will support and educate him rather than abuse and berate him… I think he could really thrive here… Could work out so well and he could be a massive help… Can’t wait to see him play… 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jas10 Posted August 26, 2023 Share Posted August 26, 2023 32 minutes ago, Tom13 said: Don't think it's a dig at all. To 'take over Roma' you would need a special mentality. Yeah… again, context is required as well as how Totti was questioned… it’s years ago anyway… Roma is long in the past for Nico and I’m sure he wants to move on from all that… Hopefully he’ll become a genuine Aston Villa star and not be affiliated or associated with any other club… as he shines here… 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jas10 Posted August 26, 2023 Share Posted August 26, 2023 I’m really interested to discover what past Italian stars have to say about Nico, not just Totti… how highly rated he is and what are his main qualities… in their view… If we can get him fit and firing… he will be a huge asset to the Italian national team aswell and star alongside Chiesa (hopefully the pair of them can do that at Villa too )… They need as much quality and stars as they can get because, at least imo, the quality has really waned compared to the past… even if they won the Euros (with style, determination and good management)… I’m not seeing enough top class Italian players compared to the superstars of the past… 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wishywashy Posted August 26, 2023 Share Posted August 26, 2023 Emery referred to him as a "different kind of forward" to the rest of the squad, which is a phrase he's said a few times over these past few months in terms of what he's been after. Really looking forward to watching him play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post allani Posted August 26, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 26, 2023 (edited) 7 hours ago, Jas10 said: @romavillan & @allani What has Totti himself had to say about Nico? Is he a fan? Would think he’d talked (and been interviewed) about him loads considering he played for Roma and was seen as his heir? This is all I could find for now, not very positive? Questioning his mentality? Pretty much every interview with Totti in which Zaniolo was mentioned included the question "Do you think that Zaniolo will be your heir?". I think that there are a couple of things to bear in mind (1) Zaniolo is not a Roman and (2) Roma was already his 4th club. Totti is 100% Roman and 100% Roma. So he always had a doubt whether Zaniolo would / could ever be 100% either. If Zaniolo reached the playing heights of Totti then the big boys were going to be coming after him and Zaniolo wouldn't have had the same attachment / loyalty to Rome/ Roma that Totti had. Totti famously turned down plenty of offers - Zaniolo would always have been more likely to accept an offer from Juve, Real Madrid, Bayern, Barcelona, Man City, etc. So that slightly clouds some of Totti's responses - I think he knew that Zaniolo wouldn't ultimately be his successor because at some point Zaniolo was likely to outgrow the club and move on. A lot of his answers tend to be more from that angle (without ever quite saying it). Before his injuries you also need to bear in mind how young Zaniolo was and how quickly he went from being a youth prospect to a star in the first team - I mean literally you can measure that in weeks. A bit like Jack when he was breaking through sometimes he could be a bit of a dick - but who wasn't when they were 18 (especially when everyone is telling you that you are the best thing ever). So early comments from Totti are often around this "focus" and how to be a "legend / icon" you need to be more than just a very good player. Again you have to remember that for more years than I can count Totti WAS Roma and still IS Roma. You can't mention Totti without talking about Roma and you can't talk about Roma without talking about Totti. It will be that way for another 25 years minimum. So in short there seems little about his playing ability and more about whether Zaniolo would be the new face of Roma - and the answer was always going to be no. But that shouldn't be interpretted as Totti not rating Zaniolo as a player - it's just that the questions were never really phrased that way. It is also important to recognise that he is now 24 and has had to deal with the frustration of having an amazing career stall through serious injury and then a major fall-out with Mourinho (and let's be honest if Mourinho had managed Totti at Roma there is every likelihood that even Totti would have left the club that he could never leave). I think most players grow up and mature and so judging them by some of their behaviour as a teenager would be unfair. So don't read too much into Totti's comments - ultimately I think he always knew that Zaniolo would never be the new King of Rome because he wasn't Roman. I mean is Dougie our new Jack - or ultimately can he never really be "one of our own" even if he stays here for another 10 seasons and wins every club competition going with / for us? Edited August 26, 2023 by allani 6 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
one_ian_taylor Posted August 26, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted August 26, 2023 2 hours ago, Jas10 said: Yeah… again, context is required as well as how Totti was questioned… it’s years ago anyway… Roma is long in the past for Nico and I’m sure he wants to move on from all that… Hopefully he’ll become a genuine Aston Villa star and not be affiliated or associated with any other club… as he shines here… I don't care how good or shit he has been for anyone else as long as he serves us well 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jas10 Posted August 27, 2023 Share Posted August 27, 2023 2 hours ago, allani said: Pretty much every interview with Totti in which Zaniolo was mentioned included the question "Do you think that Zaniolo will be your heir?". I think that there are a couple of things to bear in mind (1) Zaniolo is not a Roman and (2) Roma was already his 4th club. Totti is 100% Roman and 100% Roma. So he always had a doubt whether Zaniolo would / could ever be 100% either. If Zaniolo reached the playing heights of Totti then the big boys were going to be coming after him and Zaniolo wouldn't have had the same attachment / loyalty to Rome/ Roma that Totti had. Totti famously turned down plenty of offers - Zaniolo would always have been more likely to accept an offer from Juve, Real Madrid, Bayern, Barcelona, Man City, etc. So that slightly clouds some of Totti's responses - I think he knew that Zaniolo wouldn't ultimately be his successor because at some point Zaniolo was likely to outgrow the club and move on. A lot of his answers tend to be more from that angle (without ever quite saying it). Before his injuries you also need to bear in mind how young Zaniolo was and how quickly he went from being a youth prospect to a star in the first team - I mean literally you can measure that in weeks. A bit like Jack when he was breaking through sometimes he could be a bit of a dick - but who wasn't when they were 18 (especially when everyone is telling you that you are the best thing ever). So early comments from Totti are often around this "focus" and how to be a "legend / icon" you need to be more than just a very good player. Again you have to remember that for more years than I can count Totti WAS Roma and still IS Roma. You can't mention Totti without talking about Roma and you can't talk about Roma without talking about Totti. It will be that way for another 25 years minimum. So in short there seems little about his playing ability and more about whether Zaniolo would be the new face of Roma - and the answer was always going to be no. But that shouldn't be interpretted as Totti not rating Zaniolo as a player - it's just that the questions were never really phrased that way. It is also important to recognise that he is now 24 and has had to deal with the frustration of having an amazing career stall through serious injury and then a major fall-out with Mourinho (and let's be honest if Mourinho had managed Totti at Roma there is every likelihood that even Totti would have left the club that he could never leave). I think most players grow up and mature and so judging them by some of their behaviour as a teenager would be unfair. So don't read too much into Totti's comments - ultimately I think he always knew that Zaniolo would never be the new King of Rome because he wasn't Roman. I mean is Dougie our new Jack - or ultimately can he never really be "one of our own" even if he stays here for another 10 seasons and wins every club competition going with / for us? Thank you, all makes complete sense. Done a bit more reading since and it seemed that neither of them warmed to the other much at all really… though Totti’s allegiance and attachment to Roma was probably the predominant feeling or emotion he carried and possibly judged Nico against who, as you’ve explained, didn’t have that… I guess he was a much bigger fan of De Rossi’s I don’t think there will be another Totti either nor another Maldini tbh… it’s almost too much pressure to put on any young player too… it’s just not the same game/sport any more for so many reasons… High praise from Mancini (called him one of the greatest Italian talents currently), Mourinho seemed to have changed his tune or attitude toward him (initially praising him and calling him a good trainer)… but that man is poison so his views are rarely reliable or consistent… Nothing could ever justify how he was treated by Roma Ultras… appalling treatment… I sympathise with Nico having to deal with the things he has had to at such a young age… not just the injuries… Feel he needs the right environment and manager to thrive and rebuild his career… it seems like we are the perfect fit really… Hope this is the beginning of something quite special…. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted August 27, 2023 Share Posted August 27, 2023 On 24/08/2023 at 11:51, The_Steve said: Yes. He couldn’t play yesterday because of stupid UEFA rules. Unai said he was ready for Hibs How were they stupid rules? He already played against a team in the Conference League this season Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted August 27, 2023 Share Posted August 27, 2023 (edited) 11 hours ago, Jas10 said: @romavillan & @allani What has Totti himself had to say about Nico? Is he a fan? Would think he’d talked (and been interviewed) about him loads considering he played for Roma and was seen as his heir? This is all I could find for now, not very positive? Questioning his mentality? I couldn't care less what Totti thinks if honest, he is far from the brightest spark. Its like asking Wayne Rooney his opinion on Jacob Ramsey The Totti comparisons are weird because he plays nothing like him at all Edited August 27, 2023 by Zatman 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allani Posted August 27, 2023 Share Posted August 27, 2023 6 hours ago, Jas10 said: Feel he needs the right environment and manager to thrive and rebuild his career… it seems like we are the perfect fit really… Hope this is the beginning of something quite special…. This bit feels spot on to me and I think the guy from the Italian pod-cast who was on FTLOPM recently summed it up perfectly. Zaniolo knows that this is a critical moment in his career - we are his chance to get back into the limelight, to get back into the Italian team, to get back to being one of the players that the Italian team is built around. He really needs this to work. He also nailed it with his comment that even if Zaniolo doesn't get back to 100% of his ability pre-injuries and is only 90 or 95% then he would still be a world class player. And I don't think he has used that term lightly. I do think that we've got a great set-up here too. From the manager (who is absolutely the right type of person and the right type of tactical coach to unlock the best out of players), the coaches, the fact we've got a pretty tight-knit group of players of a similar age, by all accounts we've got one of the best off the pitch support teams around now too. But we've also got a similar story. It feels like we are at a turning point in our history - with the chance to really get back into the limelight as one of the biggest teams in England and a club that people talk about (outside of Birmingham). I just get the feeling that if Zaniolo is successful here then actually there is a decent chance that he'll recognise the role that we've played in re-starting his career. A 90% capacity Zaniolo will attract the attention of Juve, Inter, Milan, etc - but I do think he'll recognise that maybe not being in the maelstrom of Italian football will probably be better for him. I think he'll be very similar to Emi in that respect - as long as we give him the chance to shine then we've got some serious loyalty points available. Can he, his body and his temperament deal with the rigours of the Premier League? Well that's what we are about to find out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jas10 Posted August 27, 2023 Share Posted August 27, 2023 Yes! Front and centre… time to shine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jas10 Posted August 27, 2023 Share Posted August 27, 2023 Love him if he scores goals like this: 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enda Posted August 27, 2023 Share Posted August 27, 2023 I’ve watched that clip about 400 times in a row, thanks for posting it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWARLEY2 Posted August 27, 2023 Share Posted August 27, 2023 14 minutes ago, Jas10 said: Love him if he scores goals like this: Thought he was left footed .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted August 27, 2023 Share Posted August 27, 2023 (edited) 19 minutes ago, Jas10 said: Love him if he scores goals like this: What he does is obviously outstanding... But the movement from his 2 team mates is superb, Diaby and Watkins have that in them Edited August 27, 2023 by villa4europe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jas10 Posted August 27, 2023 Share Posted August 27, 2023 1 minute ago, MWARLEY2 said: Thought he was left footed .. That’s Totti… Nico can score them with his left that’s ok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jas10 Posted August 27, 2023 Share Posted August 27, 2023 9 minutes ago, villa4europe said: What he does is obviously outstanding... But the movement from his 2 team mates is superb, Diaby and Watkins have that in them That’s Totti mate… but if he’s in anyway comparable (as so often claimed)… we have quite some talent on our hands… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jas10 Posted August 27, 2023 Share Posted August 27, 2023 WTF? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jas10 Posted August 27, 2023 Share Posted August 27, 2023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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