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| | Week 23 Spotlight: Man of awe | Monday 6 February, 2006 |
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 Player of the Week: Mancini (Roma)
It took a while for him to get his season going, but the New Year appears to have given Amantino Mancini a new lease of life. The attacking midfielder was twice on target for Roma on Saturday night, as the Giallorossi registered their seventh successive Serie A victory, in a well-deserved 3-0 win at Parma.
For the first goal, the Brazilian was on hand to finish off what Francesco Totti started by pouncing on a rebound to beat Matteo Guardalben - after the goalkeeper had twice thwarted the Roma captain.
The second put the match beyond doubt and was the pick of the bunch, Mancini springing the offside trap, racing on to Totti's pass and lobbing the Parma goalkeeper with all the confidence of a man in form.
Roma’s resurgence appears to have coincided with that of Mancini, who, along with Totti, has been hugely influential in their side’s return to prominence. The Giallorossi are now serious Champions League contenders – a scenario that was almost unthinkable two months ago, when Mancini was out, the Antonio Cassano saga was still an unwelcome distraction and team morale in general was low.
Mancini has scored five times since his return to the side last month when he came off the bench to register the only goal of the game against Milan and establish a confidence-boosting win at the Stadio Olimpico.
His current vein of form is a far cry from that of a matter of months ago. In November, the former Venezia man was dropped from the side after a series of disappointing performances. Then he suffered the personal anguish of his father passing away and was granted a leave of absence on compassionate grounds.
Injury followed as did the unsettling news that Juventus were interested in buying him, which led to him requesting a pay rise and threatening to leave. Mancini suddenly became the target of abuse from Roma supporters, for whom leaving their beloved side for their hated northern rivals is regarded as a criminal offence, and his Giallorossi days began to look numbered.
It can only be a testament to his character then that the 25-year-old has reacted to such turbulent times with a series of inspirational performances that have prompted Roma to declare a hands-off warning to the Bianconeri.
“Our jewels are not to be touched," said Roma’s sporting director Daniele Prade’ last month. "Mancini is part of our project for the future." With seven goals in just 13 appearances, it’s easy to see why.
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Goal of the Week: Paredes (Reggina)
Carlos Paredes picked the right time to score the Goal of the Week for Reggina on Sunday afternoon. Just when it seemed that Palermo had done enough to earn Giuseppe Papadopulo his second win in as many matches at the Rosanero helm, the Colombian executed a spectacular overhead kick in stoppage time to gift his side a valuable 2-2 draw before a delighted Stadio Oreste Granillo. |
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Number of the Week: 20
The number of matches Inter have now gone undefeated – but they are still eight points behind leaders Juventus! |
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| Words: Richard Aikman |
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