Serie A player ratings: US Palermo 3 – AS Roma 1 (Part 2)
AS Roma
Julio Sergio – 6
The Brazilian had a difficult outing against Palermo attack. Made some strong blocks on likes of Ilicic, Pastore and Miccoli but ultimately conceded three goals. However, to his credit, Julio was not at fault at any of the goals as he was left exposed by
a poor defence in front of him.
Marco Cassetti – 5
The 33 year old was given a torrid time by Balzaretti and co all night long. Cassetti was nowhere to be seen as all three Rosanero goals were initiated from his side of the pitch. The usually marauding Cassetti went missing as he couldn’t contribute to the
attack either.
Philippe Mexes – 5.5
Mexes started the game in inspired form but his influence dwindled as Palermo grew into the game. While he should have done better for Palermo’s second, Mexes was not to be blamed for the other two goals.
Juan – 5.5
The usually dominant Juan was a rare sight this afternoon as he failed to deal with the trickery of Miccoli and Ilicic. The Brazilian will have better days than the one he went through yesterday.
John Arne-Riise – 6
Riise had a decent if not spectacular outing. The Norwegian failed to close down Miccoli for the Palermo’s opener while his attacking contribution was lacking as well.
David Pizarro – 6
Clearly not his best after persistent niggling injuries. However, the Chilean tried his best to keep momentum going for the team with sharp simple passes.
Daniele De Rossi – 5
It was a poor performance from the Gilarossi inspiration as he went missing for the entire first half. De Rossi was uncharacteristically poor with his long range passing in a game where Roma cried for his influence.
Fabio Simplicio – 5.5
The return to his former hunting ground was a night to forget for the Brazilian. Simplicio ran his socks off for the team but his final ball was always lacking. Simplicio Gave away possession on Palermo’s third and that sealed the result in the favour of
the home team.
Jeremy Menez – 6
Menez was always willing to run at the Palermo defence but to no avail. While he tried his best, his decision making clearly needs to improve as he tried to do too much at times.
Francesco Totti – 6.5
Er Pupone couldn’t provide the magical moments that he is capable off. Even though he scored the consolation goal, it was far from a perfect night. Totti couldn’t link up with Menez and was clearly frustrated at Menez’s unwillingness to pass the ball.
Marco Borriello – 5.5
The bulky striker tried his best last night but got no rewards out of a superbly organized Palermo defence. Was forced to move away from goal on the occasions he did receive the ball. While he wasn’t provided appropriate service, Borriello’s inability to
create chances was evident on the pitch.
Substitutions
Cicinho – 5.5
The out of favour Brazilian replaced a tiring Pizarro in the second half but he couldn’t make a telling impact.
Julio Baptista – 4.5
‘The Beast’ was thrown into the pitch in a desperate attempt to eke out a result but to no avail. While his dribbling was always poor, even his strength counted for little on a night that Gilarossi will want to forget at the earliest.
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