GIALLOROSSI YORKSHIRE BLOG
It was a frustrating performance from Roma upon their return from the international break, as they could only manage a 1-1 draw at Bologna.
The hosts took the lead in the first half through Erick Pulgar, but substitute Edin Dzeko rescued Roma late on with a headed equaliser. Here are three talking points from the game. Schick still not up to speed Patrik Schick was chosen from the start up front, but couldn't make an impact. The striker is struggling to justify his club-record transfer value this season; the side fare much better with Dzeko on the pitch. Initially his problems were understandable, given he started the season with an injury, but now he should be back at 100%, and isn't performing. Perhaps playing Schick a little deeper, behind Dzeko, could benefit the ex-Sampdoria man. At present, he is struggling to find form. Nainggolan's injury a concern Everyone at the club will be worried about the state of Radja Nainggolan, who had to leave the field with what appeared to be a muscle injury. His removal early in the game affected the team's focus and rhythm, and they will be hoping to have him back as soon as possible - in time for Wednesday's Champions League game against Barcelona. Roma missed Cengiz's unpredictability It wasn't too surprising to see Stephan El Shaarawy replaced in the second half. SES did little with the ball on the right wing, an area that has been problematic for Roma this season. Cengiz Under sat the game out through injury, and as a result, the team lacked the pace and positivity he brings. In 2018, Under has scored some great goals out of nowhere, but against Bologna, ambitious shots from his teammates were few and far between. Bologna's third choice keeper, Antonio Santurro, went relatively untested. Final Thoughts A win would have been the ideal preparation for the midweek trip to Spain, but frankly Roma didn't deserve it. The performance lacked creativity and quality on the ball. Bologna were organised at the back, and Roma couldn't break them down - it's a theme that's been all too recurrent this season, and something that will have to be solved.
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Serie A action resumes this weekend, with Roma being the first team to get things back underway, alongside Bologna.
It's an early kick off for the two sides at the Stadio Renata dell'Ara, with kick off set for 11:30am UK time. Squad news sees Cengiz Under and Lorenzo Pellegrini miss out through injury. Both players featured for their respective countries over the international break. Cengiz's absence means Stephan El Shaarawy will definitely start - Roma's number 92 scored in the Giallorossi's last game, against Crotone. Elsewhere, young left back Luca Pellegrini returns to the matchday squad after missing most of the season with a ligament injury. With Jonathan Silva also in the squad, and still yet to make his debut for the club, it's possible that either alternative left back may see some game time. Barcelona are up next after this game, and a key player like Aleksandar Kolarov will need to be in optimum shape for the occasion. Eusebio Di Francesco will be eager to ensure his players aren't looking too far over the horizon at that Champions League clash though, with plenty still to play for domestically as well. Nine big league matches now await, in one final push to confirm qualification for Europe's premier competition again next season. Roma will aim to start that final run in the best way possible tomorrow by overcoming Roberto Donadoni's side. Liam Kinney provides today's team selection for Five-a-Side Friday; here are his choices.
Name: Liam Kinney Location: Blackburn, England Team: Alisson Becker – Prior to this season, picking a goalkeeper wouldn’t have been easy – I wouldn’t say that Roma have been blessed with top goalkeepers in my lifetime. However, that looks like changing with Alisson. He’s been superb this season and we wouldn’t still be in the Champions League without him. Cafu – What a phenomenon Cafu was, playing so consistently to such a high level for so long. He’s an all-time great and his energy and stamina would be most welcome in a five-a-side team! I missed Aldair’s prime years, so Cafu is my choice for a defender. Daniele De Rossi – De Rossi has been at the heart of Roma’s midfield for 15 years now, and his desire and will to win remain as high as ever. I can barely remember Roma without him, so he’s my pick for an all-round midfielder in my team. Francesco Totti – The King and the greatest Roma player of all time. Everything to be said about the genius of Totti has already been said. It was an absolute privilege to attend the great man’s final ever game last May and it goes without saying that he’d also be ‘Il Capitano’ of this team. Gabriel Batistuta – In addition to Totti, I’d also like a true number nine in my team. Montella gave us some excellent seasons and moments (four goals vs. Lazio anyone?) but I’ve gone for Batistuta. It can probably be said that we only had the one great season out of him, however he was brought in to take us to the next level and he certainly did that by playing a key role in the Scudetto season. An absolute monster of a centre forward who I feel would be the best in his position by some distance if he was around today. For today's edition of Five-a-Side Friday, Enzo Minicucci names his ideal all-time Roma five-a-side team.
Name: Enzo Minicucci Location: Toronto, Canada Team: Alisson: I know Alisson has only been here for a short amount of time but in my opinion he has been our best keeper. He loves the team, plays hard every night and bails us out when we need it the most. Francesco Totti: You all know why he’s in here, his name speaks for itself. When you hear Francesco Totti you think two things... King and Legend. Bruno Conti: He’s someone I wish I was able to watch as a kid, he was exciting to watch and a true Roman. He helped us capture our second ever Scudetto and his loyalty was immense, Grazie Bruno. Aldair: One of the smartest players I’ve ever watched, I was only a kid when he played but I’ve watched many games back and his mind for the game is undeniable. His technical ability for a centre back was astonishing and he always excelled at anticipating plays and winning the aerial duos. Cafu: One of the greatest fullbacks of all time. He was quick, intelligent when he had the ball and very good at starting up the attack. Roma are back in domestic action tomorrow, as they visit relegation-threatened Crotone.
After qualifying for the Champions League quarter finals in the week with a 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk, Roma return to the Serie A stage, intent on maintaining their place in the top four. Crotone - in their second season in Italy's top flight - are in 16th place at the minute, level on points with 18th-placed SPAL. They are coming off the back of a 4-1 win over Sampdoria, in which former Roma player Adrian Stoian scored alongside a Marcello Trotta brace and an Emiliano Viviano own goal. Walter Zenga's side tend to line up in a 4-3-3, and have ex-Roma winger Federico Ricci among their ranks. Roma's squad for the game does not include Diego Perotti, who was exceptional against Shakhtar, due to a minor injury concern. Another of that game's standout performers, Daniele De Rossi, is also out of the squad - as is Gregoire Defrel. Exciting young prospect Mirko Antonucci returns to the squad, along with Primavera player Lorenzo Valeau. The game could present an opportunity, at some stage, for Jonathan Silva to make his Roma debut. The January signing has not yet featured for his new club due to injury. Maxime Gonalons and Stephan El Shaarawy are set to start, having been confirmed by Eusebio Di Francesco in his pre-match press conference. Kick off is at 2pm UK time on Sunday afternoon. Five-a-side Friday returns today, travelling to the other side of the world for this contribution.
Name: Enzo Giordani Location: Auckland, New Zealand Team: Francesco Totti – How can you not? The club's favourite son. Arguably the best Italian player of all time in my opinion. Likely to be the first player picked by everyone in this series – and rightly so. Julio Sergio – A sentimental choice. Roma’s fourth choice goalkeeper until a confluence of events early in the 2009/10 season saw him get his chance. Boy did he take it! He shocked Roma fans and the world with scarcely believable form, the highlight being a crucial miracle double save vs Lazio. The ultimate underdog who flew. Falcão – Easily the most graceful player I have ever known, and call me a heathen but he’s probably the best Roma player of all time. When he had the ball at his feet it was like watching pure poetry. There will only ever be one Falcão – Paulo Roberto. Gabriel Batistuta – I should probably put a defender in here somewhere but stuff it, I’m going full Zeman! The opposition might score a couple but we’ll score plenty more. And with Totti and Falcão providing the service, who better to take the plaudits at the end of the moves than Batigol? Radja Nainggolan – Sometimes we won’t have the ball. That will make me sad. Hence Ninja. When Ninja wants the ball, Ninja gets the ball. Hey Ninja, go get us the ball! After a tense second leg, Roma advanced to the quarter finals of the Champions League with an away goals victory over Shakhtar Donetsk.
A goal from Edin Dzeko, via a superb Kevin Strootman assist, was enough to put Eusebio Di Francesco's side through, as the tie finished 2-2 on aggregate. It was a nervous watch for Roma fans, and they weren't quite as convincing as they could have been, but some individual performances went a long way towards sealing the result. Here are three of the best. Diego Perotti An often underappreciated player, Perotti's role in the 1-0 win should not be overlooked. He worked tremendously hard for his team, making positive runs and also putting in a major shift defensively. His experience was also pivotal to the management of the game, as he drew several fouls late on, helping Roma to run down the clock towards qualficiation for the next round. Daniele De Rossi Another player who made his experience clear was Roma captain De Rossi. The 34-year-old is in a good spell of form at the moment, and that spell continued against Shakhtar. He played with quality and confidence, helping to bind the team together as an effective unit. The picture of him celebrating Dzeko's goal at the other end with Alisson will be one of the most enduring from the night. Edin Dzeko Quite often, a goalscorer will get the plaudits in a game in which they actually didn't do much, but this wasn't the case for Dzeko. He had a very good outing regardless of the goal, with a curling right-footed shot also going close in the second half. He held the ball up well and made the most of the extra energy he had in store after sitting out Friday's win over Torino. The goal itself was a composed finish after a clever pass from Strootman. One-on-one, Dzeko calmly slotted the ball under Andriy Pyatov's legs to send Roma into the quarter finals, much to the delight of the Olimpico faithful. It's the second leg of Roma's Champions League Round of 16 tie with Shakhtar tonight, with nothing less than a win being suitable for progression to the quarter finals.
After losing the first leg, Roma have to win to stand a chance of making it through, but having got an away goal in Kharkiv, a simple 1-0 victory would be enough for Roma to advance. Expect atmosphere. Expect tension. And expect intensity. This is a pivotal game for AS Roma's season. Leadership will be needed. Who better than Daniele De Rossi to provide it? The captain has been in good form over his last couple of appearances, and he will need to repeat those performances on Tuesday night. Other senior players like Edin Dzeko and Federico Fazio, both of whom missed Friday's 3-0 win over Torino through suspension, will also have to use all their experience to help Roma through the game. The importance of advancing in the competition should not be underestimated. Reaching the quarter finals - which would equal the club's best performance in the Champions League era - may just be the difference for fans between declaring the season a success or a failure. The game is that pivotal. If Roma win 2-1, like Shakhtar did in leg one, the game will go to extra time. Any other outcome sees the tie decided within the ninety minutes. Eusebio Di Francesco will have to come up with the answers tonight, as he aims to lead his Roma side to a significant achievement. This is the deal-breaker. This is the match by which Roma's season will be judged. It's down to the players to deliver. Earlier in the season, much was made of Roma's impressive defensive record, with the team conceding far fewer goals than their rivals.
As time progressed, it became apparent that perhaps the good record wasn't to be attributed to the defence, but to the heroics of Alisson in goal. Defensively, Roma were starting to look a little more shaky and disorganised, with the Brazilian shotstopper often keeping his team in the game after mistakes in front of him. On Friday night against Torino though, Roma's four defenders were back to their best, playing a significant role in securing the three points. The clean sheet was fully deserved, and this time, it wasn't just Alisson who was to thank for it. You could go as far as arguing that every member of the back four had their best game for a long time. This was certainly the case for Alessandro Florenzi, who had a major impact on the game. Florenzi has not been his usual self over the last few months, but against Torino he regained his technique and influence. His crosses were successful, one leading to an assist, and he didn't look out of place defensively, when he has been exposed so often in recent games. Florenzi's opposite full back, Aleksandar Kolarov, had a fascinating start to the season, but had recently begun to look like a victim of playing too much. But just like Florenzi, he got forward on several occasions, creating three chances. And when play broke down, he got back in position and helped on the defensive side too. The centre back pairing of Kostas Manolas and Juan Jesus were assured as well, not letting Andrea Belotti have an influence on the game. It was incredibly fitting that Manolas got the opening goal, which he dedicated to his former centre back partner Davide Astori. It was a touch of class from Manolas, and if you believe in fate, perhaps this was a prime example. Manolas's goal was also a reward for his own superb performance. He made important blocks and challenges, forming the beating heart of the defence. Time and again, he proves himself to be one of the most passionate players on the pitch, and yesterday he backed it up, as usual, with a fantastic display. His case was a strong one for man of the match. The defence will need to be on their A-game again next week against Shakhtar, but they showed against Torino what their capabilities are. Each member of the back four played a big part in sealing the win last night, and are fully deserving of the praise that comes their way. Roma take to the field on Friday evening for a clash with Walter Mazzarri’s Torino.
It will be the third time the sides have faced each other this season, with Roma winning 1-0 in the reverse league fixture, but Torino knocking the Giallorossi out of the Coppa Italia in December. After impressing against Napoli last time out, denting the Partenopei’s Scudetto hopes, Roma will look to replicate the performance and keep their place in the top four. With Inter and Lazio not involved until later in the weekend, it’s a good opportunity to get points on the board ahead of their rivals. Torino will be no pushovers though. Ninth in Serie A, they have some quality players in their squad, such as star striker Andrea Belotti and ex-Roma winger Iago Falque. While it never really took off for Falque in the Eternal City, he has flourished at Torino, with nine league goals in 26 games to his name this year. Roma are without Edin Dzeko and Federico Fazio for the match, as both are suspended for the number of bookings they have received. Perhaps this will be a blessing in disguise, so both players can rest for the massive Champions League match against Shakhtar the following week. As a result, Patrik Schick will start up front. Schick scored his first ever Roma goal against Torino, so will be hoping to strike against the same opponents again. It will be the second time Roma have played on a Friday this season - the other was a 3-1 win over SPAL. Roma certainly wouldn’t mind repeating that scoreline tomorrow night as well. |
samuel bannister
Founder and editor of Giallorossi Yorkshire, who is also a columnist for Roma's official website about the women's team. Categories
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