bati & Crespo

Batigol9 · Sep 17, 2001

What a bad moments for Batistuta and Crespo

I am wondering whats wrong with our top two strikes these days, they didnt reach the back of the net yet in the Sreie A.

Batistuta:
Missed some easy chances!! also his team is not in a good form.

Crespo:
Myabe he is not getting the good balls that he used to get from Veron and Nedved

ambidia · Sep 17, 2001

On the other hand, Pablito Aimar seems to be regaining confidence at Valencia. A great match yesterday, one fine assist, more (nice) problems for Bielsa.

Mario · Sep 17, 2001

Saviola needs to step up and possibly get one game to show what's he's got to give for the NT.

Humbird · Sep 19, 2001

B-9 check your pm's

Today Bati said:

"It's my responsibility to score goals, but the criticisms about the money really hurt me. I am sure that sooner or later everyone will know the truth about what's going on. I'm still gaining my equilibrium. At Fiorentina I went for three years without talking to the management while still scoring goals. I'm not trying to escape my responsibilities but neither am I the only one responsible. Before, when I didn't score, someone else did. But now that's not happening."

From Diario-Ole
September 19
translated by Humbird

Rebel · Sep 19, 2001

well...
Today CL matches...made it just more worse for both !!!

ak12 · Sep 19, 2001

Better for the dry spell to come now than on the summer

Rebel · Sep 19, 2001

ak7000 said:
Better for the dry spell to come now than on the summer

I guess thats a beautifull bright side

good thinking Bro

Humbird · Sep 20, 2001

Crespo needs four things:

1. Rest
2. Veron
3. Nedved
4. a sports psychologist

In fact, if I remember right, the same thing happened to him at Parma during the final stages of qualifying for WC'98. He was extremely tired, and there were rumors that Parma would offload him to Udinese. He also blamed the leg injury he suffered in April '98 to the fact that he was exhausted from all the travel plus the Serie A schedule.

I don't know much about Roma but Bati has had dry spells before. They happened at Fiorentina and he had some problems scoring with the NT during late 1996. Every striker has dry spells. It's just more noticeable because they are the ones everyone is looking at to score.

It is bizarre, though, that it is happening to both players at the same time.

But if you want to count Claudio Lopez too, then it's happening to all three of Argentina's main strikers.

Guest · Sep 20, 2001

Even Hernan Crespo "Heavenly Creature" is just a human
being.

Something like that what happens to him in the moment
has happened to hundreds of thousands other strikers
in the world too, he is not the only one who has periods
where he would not hit the empty goal by standing alone
on the goalline.

Btw, 5 games without scoring a goal is not very nice
for him and his team, but it should not yet be time to
worry about Hernan's goalscoring skills.

In the CL match vs Nantes he showed everybody that he
does not like the situation in that he is in at all, in going
into the locker room after he was substituted and not
caring for what's going on the field for a single second
anymore, what was not too bad at all, because LAZIO
in their current more than weak "international" form
would have lost anyway to any given team yesterday.

Even "Bati" is totally scoreless in the moment, what does
not help him in his current situation with Bielsa and he NT,
because when he does not hit anything, Bielsa won't have
to let him play without having long to think about it.

ambidia · Sep 20, 2001

To make things even more bizarre, Julio Cruz is totally on fire! He scored 3 times in the last two matches. It's unbelievable.

Humbird · Sep 20, 2001

Remember, this is Claudio Cervino's opinion, not mine.
I'm trying to locate something about Crespo's problems.

Editorial Opinion from LaNacion
By Claudio Cervino
September 20, 2001
Translated by Humbird

Batistuta, his most difficult hour.

The one with the most conflicts in his mind today is Gabriel Batistuta, so much that the image of the striker who for the last decade has been scoring goals, is now being questioned. Even to the point where last Monday at training, he was whistled by a group of fans--the same fans who only a few months ago were congratulating him for bringing them their first Scudetto in 18 years.

At Roma, Batistuta has not scored for the last six matches (three in Serie A, Two in the Champions League and one in the Italian Supercup). Yesterday in Belgium against Anderlecht (luckily far from Stadio Olympico) he was close on five occasions, but couldn't score. One unfortunate example was when he was virtually alone in the area and shot the ball above the net. Unbelievable. But the writing on the wall was visible: Capello substituted him with Montella in the last 7 minutes. The question is: Has Bati also been substituted as starter?

Strikers have ups and downs. At times they seem to score in every possible way, even with their eyes closed. Then at other times it seems that they really are playing with their eyes closed. A long time ago, Batistuta went 13 matches without scoring, in his first year with Newells, but that was a different situation. Now, at 32 years old, it is hard to understand why it is happening.

He had a bothersome injury in his right knee that caused a lot of problems during 2000. The cost of that injury was to lose the #9 shirt of the national team, such that he is now not even being called. He seems to be well physically, and had a good preseason and logically he should be doing well and scoring goals. But it seems that in addition to not being called for the national team, he will not even be starting for Roma.

Bati is worried and there must be many uncertainties in his mind now. But maybe what he needs is a figurative "electroshock." Perhaps that is playing one more World Cup?

Humbird · Sep 20, 2001

Clarin (Argentina)
September 20, 2001
Translated by Humbird

Gabriel Batistuta's Roma deserved a victory in Belgium against Anderlecht, but didn't get it due in large part because Bati was shooting north but the ball went south. Only a discouraged spirit (not football) can account for this.

Six minutes from the final, Fabio Capello, for the first time ever, substituted him. Montella came on but Bati did not greet him. Bati's face showed his pain, not from his knee, but from his soul.

In his favor, he ran the whole match and with his opportunities, he showed that his is still the only "goal card" of the team.

After the match, Bati said, "today I can say that it was my fault we did not win. That goal that I missed in front of the net I should have scored with my eyes closed. This is a bad time, but I will not give up. It will pass. I am angry that Roma did not get the victory, but the team will return to win the scudetto. Now I have to return myself."

Clarin
September 20, 2001
Translated by Humbird

(this is all I could find about Crespo)

Crespo did not receive many playable balls. The coach was sacked and Zacceroni has arrived. Zac likes attacking football.

One image remains from yesterday's match: When Zoff took Crespo off and put Kovacevic in. The face and gestures of Crespo leave one to imagine the words not said out loud: "Good thing that this is the coach's last day..."

Deniz · Sep 20, 2001

Don't worry guys, Bati and Crespo will return to form very soon. THey will have Veron in WC 2002, so everything will be fine on the national team, as well.

Humbird · Sep 20, 2001

B-18

We will keep these translated opinions and laugh about them in 8 months-right!!!!

czar · Sep 20, 2001

I hope so Humbird

brouka · Sep 21, 2001

Crespo needs a rest , he's very tired and he'll get back to his best when he's rested . Bati is in good shape , but mentally , I think he's having a hard time with the abuse coming from some Roma fans , the whole money deal , and he needs to get over it , which in time he will. And ak7000 , what an awesome way to look at this problem .

Nastradamus · Sep 21, 2001

I`m convinced that we will be fine when speaking for the NT. If you are concerned for Roma and Lazio, It will be real tough for them to get out of the hole they are currently in. Crespo does not have the same midfeild to pass to him like last year where he had Juan Sebastian Veron, who I think is the best midfeilder and if not the best player in the world right now. Crespo has one hell of a team when he plays for the NT because Veron and Ortega and Killy and Zannetti and Sorin are all there. It`s just one more reason that shows why the Argentina NT is the best in the world. Batigol has no excuse right now for his bad play, I saw the CL game that Roma played and he could have had an Easy Hat-trick but he just had "bad" luck. I hope for them that it will stop but for the NT, I`m not worried.

Guest · Sep 21, 2001

Brouka, you're a 100 % right in stating that Crespo
needs a rest, but the problem is that he can't rest
for his NT, he only can rest for LAZIO.

But the results show that when he was left out
of the team, like in the LAZIO match vs Perugia
that the other LAZIO strikers were not able to
score.

Last season he scored the incredible number
of 26 goals for LAZIO, next in the list came
Pavel Nedved with 9, than Marcelo Salas with 7
scored goals for LAZIO, these two players are
not in the team anymore and the next scorer
from that list, Simone Inzaghi only plays when
Easter and Christmas are celebrated on the same
day and that does not happen very often.

So I think, Crespo would like to rest, but his
team needs him desperately - without them
there are just one of many teams, but with
him they are one of a few teams.

Bati, maybe rested too much, when he was
injured last season and after the whole
mixup with his health and with him not
being able to play for his NT - was it that he
was injured or just told by his coach, Bielsa
that he just don't seemed to be fit enough,
he now is going though a phase of his life,
where he thinks too much, instead of using
his still excellent skills that made him become
my favorite soccer player way back in 1991.

Just let them both score very soon, at least
next year at the WC and than hopefully as
often as possible, so that Argentina will win
the WC.

Guest · Sep 21, 2001

Humbird said:
Crespo needs four things:

1. Rest
2. Veron
3. Nedved
4. a sports psychologist

That exactly what he had last year when Lazio coach Errikson left(England Coach) and Zoff took over.

King Kenny7 · Sep 21, 2001

Look whose here now ... If it isn't the "fruit" guy from LMF

Welcome to Xtratime Demonheunet !

And as for Crespo , he didn't have Veron nor Nedved in his last year with Parma .. but still banged in the goals didn't he ?

joannab · Sep 21, 2001

another graduate from LMF

bee registered here for ages but never posted till now.

I just wanted to point out that Crespo always starts the season slowly, it seems to always take him a few weeks to warm up and he's yet to get going this year. I still have faith.

Humbird · Sep 21, 2001

You're right Joannab. He does seem to have slow season starts.

There also may be things going on with both players that have not been made public.

I would not be surprised if Bielsa calls two totally different strikers for the Paraguay match.

czar · Sep 21, 2001

I do think that Crespo needs some rest and that he is known to have slow start to the season, however I think that he is sorely missing the ball distributon that Veron and Nedved were able to offer him.

Bati is fine physically but he seems to be suffering from a crisis in confidence.

In any case, I'm sure that both of them will overcome their adverse situations and they'll be back to their best in due time.

soman · Sep 21, 2001

Both Lazio & Roma are flopping, & badly too. And half our Nt play for them. How do you thing it will develop? And to think that Crespo is already 4 behind Shevchenko, ****! With Bati's days, sadly numbered, Crespo has to be leader for Nt. If he has a poor season, his morale would be really down for the summer. Enough praying for New York victims, start praying for Crespo & Bati.

czar · Sep 21, 2001

No the praying for New York's victims should NEVER end!!!

Why do you only show up on this forum to criticize Argentinean players?? I don't get it! Last season you were being critical of Crespo and he end up being the top scorer while Bati won the scudetto. Take a look at CONMEBOL standings and you'll see that our players obtain amazing results! The season in Europe just started, so give our players a break!!!

Humbird · Sep 21, 2001

now there are rumors about the possible cancellation of the Olympics. I will not even think about cancellation of the World Cup. It can't happen. Things keep getting worse and worse.

OK. I will cheer up a bit.

Crespo 4 behind Shev? Not to worry. Look what happened last year. HC only had four total goals in the first half of the season and 22 in the second half. Now if he could only find some balance in his statistics. He's driving his fans mad. :dazed:

bati & Crespo

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