GIALLOROSSI YORKSHIRE BLOG
Roma tightened their grip on third place yesterday with a comfortable 4-1 win over Chievo Verona.
Apart from a red card for Juan Jesus in the second half, and a needless goal conceded late on from a corner, it was an ideal performance in front of the Stadio Olimpico crowd, as the team moved on to 70 points. Alisson Becker saved a penalty from Roberto Inglese after Jesus's dismissal. At the other end of the pitch, Roma were rampant. After failing to score past Stefano Sorrentino in the away game, Edin Dzeko and co. put that right in blistering fashion. Let's take a look back at all four Roma goals. Goal One: Patrik Schick (1-0) One week after scoring his first Serie A goal for Roma, Patrik Schick netted again early in the game. The move started when Radja Nainggolan received the ball on the left wing and played in a great ball with his weaker left foot, which fell straight into Schick's path. The Czech forward then finished off the move with a calm finish to divert the ball past Sorrentino. Goal Two: Edin Dzeko (2-0) Roma doubled their lead with what initially looked like an 0wn goal. Replays, however, clarified that it was the talismanic Dzeko who got the final touch with his outstretched leg. The goal came from Aleksandar Kolarov's cross from the left, perfectly picking out Dzeko's delayed run. Goal Three: Stephan El Shaarawy (3-0) El Shaarawy was superb throughout the encounter, putting in a performance that will have done his credentials for starting against Liverpool on Wednesday no harm. After a couple of good chances (hitting the woodwork at the end of a good move in the first half, and having a goal disallowed for offside), he finally got the goal he deserved in the 65th minute. And what a goal it was. Starting from inside his own half, the winger dribbled all the way up the pitch, beating Alessandro Gamberini as he cut inside, before slotting into the far corner of the net. Goal Four: Edin Dzeko (4-0) Dzeko got his second of the evening just a couple of minutes after El Shaarawy had netted Roma's third. After Alisson's long throw out found Nainggolan, Dzeko got the ball on the edge of the box, created space for himself, and picked out the bottom corner of Sorrentino's goal. The curling left-footed strike reminded the world of how deadly Dzeko can be with his 'weak' foot. Re-watch all of the goals on Roma's website here.
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Sandwiched between the two Champions League semi final matches against Liverpool, Roma take on Chievo in Serie A tomorrow night.
Roma are looking to complete a third straight league victory after overcoming Genoa and SPAL recently. Tomorrow's opponents Chievo are involved in a relegation battle, just two points above 18th place. They are without a win in five games - and with sides below them gaining some momentum, need to pick up all the points they can get. The last time they faced Roma, it was a 0-0 draw, memorable for an amazing Stefano Sorrentino performance in goal. The Giallorossi will be hoping they can breach him this time around, as they look to tighten their grip on third place. Eusebio Di Francesco may opt to rest players ahead of Wednesday's second leg with Liverpool, in the hope that his side can pull off another miracle. Therefore, there could be opportunities for the likes of Patrik Schick, who scored his first Serie A goal for Roma against SPAL, and Maxime Gonalons, who came on as a substitute on Tuesday. Two players who featured in the first leg are injured for the Chievo game. Kevin Strootman and Diego Perotti are both absent from the squad. Jonathan Silva and Bogdan Lobont, who were both ineligible for the Champions League match, return to the setup. Kick off is at 5pm UK time tomorrow. Giallorossi Yorkshire's weekly feature, asking fans to pick their favourite Roma five-a-side team, returns with a contribution from across the Atlantic.
Name: Salvatore LaRizza Location: Toronto, Canada Team: Alisson Becker - A glistening gem on the current Roma roster & perhaps in the team's goalkeeping history. Has the potential to be one of the world's best (if he isn’t already in contention) & starter for the Brazilian national team. Integral part of Roma’s current season and potential future. Enough said! Philippe Mexès - More of a personal choice on this one. The Frenchman had always been my favourite defender when I was younger. He played the position with a gladiatorial attitude and was a key player in Roma’s Coppa Italia victories in 06/07 & 07/08. Daniele De Rossi - What can you say... on the same path as Francesco Totti in terms of his life long commitment to the Roma shirt. The Roman-born bleeds Giallorossi & has been an important part of a Roma midfield that spans 438 games. Edin Džeko - After a rough first season with Roma, Džeko has established himself as Roma’s biggest threat upfront in several years! He beat Roma’s all time scoring record [for a single season] in his second season with Roma scoring 39 goals in all competitions that season. I must take credit for buying his jersey immediately after I found out about his transfer! Gabriel Batistuta - The Argentinian acquired the nickname “Batigol” for his clinical ability to put the football past goalkeepers. Roma’s top scorer during the 2001 season in which Roma won their third Scudetto. Feels wrong not to include Totti, but Roma fans already know he is number 1 in our hearts. Roma gave themselves another mountain to climb in the Champions League last night, falling 5-2 to Liverpool in the semi final first leg.
The hosts went 5-0 up before Edin Dzeko and Diego Perotti (penalty) clinched two away goals late on, to leave optimistic Roma fans wondering if there could be a way back into the tie. However, despite the late goals, it was a poor performance from Roma, who were mostly outplayed. Former teammate Mohamed Salah was instrumental with two goals and two assists, and was visibly apologetic for inflicting such pain on his old club. Set pieces undo Roma Warning signals were sent in the first half for Roma when Dejan Lovren hit the bar with a free header from a corner, with the score at 1-0. Roma showed little to no defensive organisation from corners, with poor marking and no one attacking the space. Lessons were not learned from this Lovren chance, as Liverpool went on to score their final goal from a corner. Defending corners should be basic for any team, but Roma looked in danger whenever they conceded a set piece. Too much space given to Liverpool players Eusebio Di Francesco sent his Roma side out to play with a high defensive line, and it caused all sorts of problems at the back. Rarely did the defensive three/five stay in a flat line, keeping Liverpool players onside and with plenty of space to attack. Further upfield, the pressing was not as intense as it was against Barcelona, meaning Liverpool's midfielders could dictate the play. In contrast, Liverpool closed Roma down often, forcing the side into mistakes and not giving them any time to play with. Roma ineffective at keeping possession Partly as a result of Liverpool's press (and partly out of pure bad play), Roma were poor at keeping the ball. Possession was given away far too frequently for the side to be able to stage many meaningful attacks. Statistically, Roma actually had more possession (just) and better pass completion, but it didn't look like it. The team tried to play football in the wrong areas, often getting basics like the weight of pass wrong, and letting Liverpool in. Roma's players will need to be calmer on the ball in future. Final thoughts There's now a nervous wait until the second leg, as fans wait to see if Roma can pull off another miracle and win by three goals, just like against Barcelona. It won't be easy, but the first goal will be crucial. Whichever way it goes will give that side an impetus. But along with chasing goals, Roma must learn some defensive lessons from where they went wrong last night, unless they want to make their task even harder. For the first time in over 30 years, Roma will play in the last four of Europe's top competition tomorrow night.
Roma travel to England to face Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool in the Champions League semi final first leg. Kick off is scheduled for 7:45pm. Roma reached this stage by beating Barcelona on away goals in the quarter finals, after a blistering second leg performance. Now, the dream continues, as Roma look to make history by reaching the final. Eusebio Di Francesco has virtually a full strength squad available to him, with Aleksandar Kolarov returning after sitting out Saturday's win over SPAL. Along with Kolarov, Edin Dzeko, Daniele De Rossi and Alessandro Florenzi may return to the starting lineup, having been rested at the weekend. Liverpool also rested players at the weekend, but could only manage a draw against Premier League bottom side West Brom. They are expected to restore Roberto Firmino to their lineup, with ex-Roma winger Mohamed Salah ready to face his former club, fresh from winning the PFA Player of the Year award. Neither side were expected to make it this far in the competition, so it's a huge opportunity for both of them. Both clubs will be desperate to reach the final having come all this way. Part one begins tomorrow evening at Anfield. Whose dream will come true? Roma brushed aside any doubts of underestimating SPAL and being distracted by Liverpool by beating their opponents 3-0.
Several key players were rested for the game, including Edin Dzeko, Aleksandar Kolarov and Daniele De Rossi, allowing some of Roma's fringe players to make an impact. That was the case, as it was a comfortable win in the end. Schick breaks Serie A duck Patrik Schick's debut season in Rome hasn't been plain sailing, and before yesterday, he was without a league goal all season. The striker put that right against SPAL with a header for 3-0. The goal will have done his confidence a world of good. Roma fans will be hoping he can now follow in Cengiz Under's path by going on a scoring run after his first goal. Defence shaky at times Although Roma were a level above SPAL, it was the hosts who could have taken the lead in the first half. There were claims for a penalty after some clumsy defending from Federico Fazio, although the referee was not interested. Nonetheless, it was untidy from the Roma player, and is an area that will need to be improved upon against Liverpool's pacy attack. Roma find success with narrow formation In attack, Roma played without much width, instead attacking SPAL down the middle. Playing a 4-3-2-1 with Radja Nainggolan and Stephan El Shaarawy occupying the attacking midfield positions allowed Roma to get at their opponents, something that may work well at Anfield. With Nainggolan more naturally a central player, and El Shaarawy cutting inside from the left onto his stronger right foot, plenty of chances were created. This tactic could be utilised again in midweek, bearing in mind that Liverpool full back Trent Alexander-Arnold has been at fault for a couple of goals recently having got caught out from runners inside. The use of this tactic against SPAL was the perfect dress rehearsal for Tuesday's game. Final Thoughts SPAL could have been a banana skin game for Roma, with the relegation candidates preventing Fiorentina last week, and the Giallorossi preoccupied by the Champions League. Instead, Roma kept their concentration, gave much needed minutes to some players (including Jonathan Silva's debut), and came home with three points and a clean sheet. Not much more could have been asked for. Roma travel to the Emilia Romagna region tomorrow to take on relegation-threatened SPAL.
SPAL are trying hard not to go straight back down to Serie B at the first time of asking. They are currently in 17th place, just one point above the drop zone. As a result of their fight against relegation, it will not be an easy game for Roma. SPAL caused problems for Fiorentina last week, holding La Viola to a 0-0 stalemate. They managed the same score against Juventus a month earlier as well; in fact, they have drawn their last six straight games. Roma may have one eye on Tuesday's Champions League semi final against Liverpool, but will need to be fully focused to make sure their hosts don't extend that unbeaten run. Diego Perotti has finally shaken off his injury troubles to return to the squad, but may not be risked from the start. Aleksandar Kolarov, meanwhile, has been left out of the squad, with what the club report as a "minor muscle injury." They will hope to have their key player back for the trip to England. For tomorrow's game, either Jonathan Silva or Luca Pellegrini will start in his place - meaning we will see a Roma debut in the game. In the last meeting between the two sides, Roma won 3-1. Edin Dzeko, Kevin Strootman and Lorenzo Pellegrini gave La Magica a three-goal lead, before ex-Roma midfielder Federico Viviani grabbed one back from the spot. Saturday's encounter kicks off at 2pm UK time. Every Friday on Giallorossi Yorkshire, a Roma fan submits their all-time dream Roma five-a-side team. Today it's the turn of a fellow Yorkshire-based supporter, Billy.
Name: Billy Location: Near Hull, United Kingdom Team: Alisson Becker: Best goalkeeper in the world and typically Brazilian feet, hurts me not to include Lobont given my Twitter name but Alisson is that good. Kostas Manolas: Champions League hero and all round physical machine, Manolas has been my favourite CB for a while and while he's prone to occasional mistakes, I've got to have him for his majestic slide tackles. Radja Nainggolan: This season he hasn't been at his very best, but choosing Ninja is like choosing three midfielders in one because of how good he is at everything. He's also a good leader for the team and can keep them motivated, but he's not getting the captain's armband because... Francesco Totti: Pretty sure it's illegal for me to not include him, I don't need to justify this choice. Creator, scorer, legend. Antonio Cassano: Every team needs a little bit of drama and I think Cassano can provide that nicely. Him and Totti playing together is too good of a partnership for me to miss out on. Thought about adding Mancini, Salah, De Rossi and of course Iturbe among others but they just missed out. Roma take on Genoa tonight, aiming to build momentum for the final weeks of the season.
The midweek fixture takes place at Stadio Olimpico at 7:45pm UK time. Despite a mid-season scare, Genoa look to be safe from relegation this season, 11 points clear of the drop zone in 12th. The reverse fixture was remembered for Daniele De Rossi's slap on Gianluca Lapadula, which led to a red card and a penalty for Il Grifone, allowing them to claim a draw. Roma will be hoping to not repeat the errors of that game, with a more mature performance needed. Diego Perotti is still out of the squad, which is unchanged from the one called up against Lazio. Eusebio Di Francesco hopes to have him back for the game versus SPAL at the weekend. The coach's pre-match press conference revealed that Edin Dzeko will be involved in the game. Stephan El Shaarawy, Cengiz Under and Maxime Gonalons were also mentioned as possibilities, although Di Francesco seemed keen to keep his selection choices to himself. A win would take Roma back into 3rd above Inter, who beat Cagliari 4-0 yesterday. With just over a month of the season left, Roma still have plenty to play for.
There's the Champions League semi final showdown with Liverpool on the horizon, the race to qualify for the same competition next season by finishing in the league's top four, and a big game against Serie A leaders Juventus still to play. With many big games in such a short space of time, Eusebio Di Francesco will need all his top players firing at full strength. He is a coach who has favoured rotation this season, and although he has sometimes made too many changes for games, he may be forced to do the same in order to remain competitive on both fronts. As key players are rested for the most important matches, opportunities may open up for some of Roma's most talented young players. Di Francesco has long carried a reputation for helping to develop youngsters, and with Roma, he may be able to do the same. We may see some changes implemented very soon; the next two games, against Genoa and SPAL, appear very winnable on paper, and no doubt he will have one eye on the following game, the first leg against Liverpool. It wouldn't be too surprising to see him utilise these games to give minutes to some of his squad players. Neither of Roma's two January additions have yet played for the club. Jonathan Silva was brought in on loan from Sporting CP, as a replacement for Chelsea-bound Emerson. However, the left back, 23, arrived in Rome with an injury, delaying his debut for his new club. He has since been able to make squads, but hasn't yet set foot on the pitch for Roma. Instead, EDF has tended to prefer using Juan Jesus as a left back when resting Aleksandar Kolarov. However, his recent switch to a back three may rule out this option. Roma don't have a lot of depth at centre back, and besides, Jesus is much more comfortable there than as a wing back. Hence, if Kolarov was to be rested, Silva may get his chance to impress as a left wing back. Alternatively, the role could be filled by Luca Pellegrini, a Primavera graduate whose transition into the first team has been disrupted by injury. Roma's number three, now fully fit again and having just signed a new contract, will want to state his case to Di Francesco as he looks to progress his career further. The other 'new' arrival in January was Elio Capradossi, the 22-year-old centre back who was recalled from his loan spell at Bari. Like Silva, Capradossi is yet to feature for Roma, but his time may be approaching. He only has three natural centre backs ahead of him in the pecking order, so it should only take one of them to be rested for the former Primavera captain to get his chance. Even if that is as a late sub, he could still be of great value in helping the team remain as competitive as possible. If either of these players makes the most of their chance when brought into the side, it will mean Roma's more senior players can remain fresh for the biggest games. Di Francesco will have more options he can call on and trust, enabling him to make lineup alterations to protect his most important players. Further upfield, could Mirko Antonucci be given more chances? The 19-year-old winger made a couple of substitute appearances earlier in the season, impressing with an inch-perfect assist for Edin Dzeko against Sampdoria which secured a late draw. Roma fans - always eager to see homegrown talent come through the ranks, having seen the likes of Francesco Totti, Giuseppe Giannini and Daniele De Rossi graduate from the academy to become club legends - liked what they saw from the youngster. However, Antonucci's opportunities have since been limited, with him making no first team appearances since January. He was in the squad for the weekend's Derby Della Capitale, showing that EDF is still keen to keep him aroud the first team. Perhaps he has more cameos in store for him before the end of the season, to help take some of the workload off Diego Perotti, Cengiz Under and co. If he can produce more assists like that cross for Dzeko, then he'll certainly be a useful option. These are just three names that Di Francesco may wish to consider when affording rest to his most-used players. The energy of the young players could be a real benefit to the team as they chase results in two competitions. All EDF has to do is get the balance right when making changes to his lineup. |
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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