View from the Opposition: Pescara hopeful of producing a stunning upset

We caught up with Nicola Di Giovanni from forzapescara.com to get the lowdown on how Pescara have started the season and analyse the form of Massimo Oddo’s team going into Sunday’s match at the Stadio Olimpico.

Here are his thoughts on the Week 14 clash…

Pescara returned to Serie A this summer and have managed seven points from 13 games so far. How would you rate the team’s performances?

“Disappointing, unfortunately. Of course, nobody was expecting us to be up at the top of the table – everyone in Pescara knows that the team is going to have to fight for safety until the last day of the season.

"That said, we’re third from bottom right now on seven points, but we would have been bottom on four points had the 2-1 defeat to Sassuolo not been awarded to Pescara by the authorities [Sassuolo were found to have fielded an ineligible player]. It’s simply not enough if we’re going to stay up.”

How would you rate Pescara’s summer transfer business?

“We did some good business in summer, especially the fact that we kept the team that secured promotion to Serie A together and added experienced players like Alberto Aquilani and Simone Pepe. However, in addition to some of the established names not performing well, the club failed to replace Gianluca Lapadula, who scored 30 goals last season and is a big miss. Rey Manaj and Jean-Christophe Bahebeck still have a lot of work to do to plug that gap. If you look at the problems Oddo’s side are having in finding the net, it looks like a significant error.”

There are lots of former Giallorossi men in the Pescara squad, including Gianluca Caprari, Valerio Verre and Alberto Aquilani. Are any of them performing particularly well?

“Aquilani needs to be doing a lot better, while Verre has some fitness issues which are limiting him a bit. Caprari is being forced to play out of position as the main striker because of the lack of proper forwards. That said, he has fantastic technical ability and is very hard working, even if his recent performances haven’t been quite up scratch.”

Who has been Pescara’s stand-out performer this season?

“Despite the poor results, I’ll go with Francesco Zampano. He’s made himself a certain starter and is catching the eye of several teams in Serie A, including Roma if you believe the paper talk. Hugo Campagnaro has done well too, regardless of how many goals Pescara have conceded.”

What’s been the best and worst performance of the season and why?

“The best performance was the 2-1 defeat at home to Inter. We were very unlucky and could have won had we taken some of the many chances we created. The worst showing was the 4-0 home defeat by Empoli. We got everything wrong. It was a vital match against a fellow relegation candidate, and we lost badly. It was a big blow for everyone.”

On a tactical level, how do you think Pescara will approach the match against Roma?

“We’re missing lots of players, so I’m predicting that we’ll switch back to a four-man defence. I think it’s going to be the kind of 4-1-4-1 or 4-3-2-1 formation that got Pescara promoted to Serie A.”

Which Roma player should Pescara fans fear most?

“Pescara should be worried about all of Roma’s players, but Mohamed Salah’s pace and Edin Dzeko’s physical presence will be the biggest threats."

If you could pick one Roma player and add it to Massimo Oddo’s team, who would you go for and why?

“If I tell you, can we really have them? Jokes aside, I’d definitely nab Dzeko. We have all sorts of problems up front so he would be just what the doctor ordered.”

What’s your score prediction for Sunday night’s match?

“I’m a journalist but I’m also a Pescara fan, so usually I don’t make predictions. I think it’s going to be a really tough one for Pescara. The Pescara side of four years ago were much more disjointed than the current crop, yet they still managed to snatch a point at the Olimpico thanks to a goal from Gianluca Caprari – it just goes to show that nothing is impossible!”

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