GIALLOROSSI YORKSHIRE BLOG
Just two days after Roma's captain, Francesco Totti, played his final ever game for the club, Roma also lost their manager, as Luciano Spalletti left the club.
The reaction to Spalletti's departure has been mixed: some fans are delighted he's gone, with his name whistled when read out at the Stadio Olimpico at his final game in charge on Sunday; some fans are disappointed; and some are wondering who will be good enough to replace him. So, was his departure in the best interests of Roma? Many supporters of Spalletti will have pointed to his fantastic win percentage of 66%, as he won 50 of his 75 games in charge. This guided Roma to a record points total and record number of goals scored in a Serie A season in 2016/17. Even the top managers struggle to reach figures such as this, so Roma should have been happy with the work Spalletti did. And indeed they were - sporting director Monchi heaped praise on Spalletti at his farewell press conference on Tuesday, as did president James Pallotta when the news was announced that morning. Thanks in part to Spalletti, Roma qualified for next season's Champions League. Given it is a competition that Roma have struggled in in the past, perhaps Spalletti's experience would have benefited the Lupi in it next year. Instead, Roma may have to rebuild this summer, starting again with a coach who may have no Champions League experience. It will be a test, but could it be a risk worth taking? On the flipside, one can't help but consider that Spalletti has left Roma for money. He is heavily linked with the vacant role at Inter Milan, who are owned by Chinese financial heavyweights Suning Group. This leaves a sour taste in the mouths of Roma supporters, thinking that Spalletti could abandon the club he has led to Europe, just for some extra money. Besides, did Roma really do that well in Europe under Spalletti this season? Of course not. The Champions League play off second leg defeat to Porto was one of the most embarrassing games of the season, for a start. Roma's failure in that match meant they were forced to settle for a place in the Europa League group stage. Whilst they managed to get out of the group, it wasn't exactly a testing set of opponents compared to the ambitions a club like Roma should have. In fairness to Spalletti, beating Villarreal in the knockout rounds was an achievement, but the European adventure was once again cut short as Roma failed to progress against Lyon. At the start of the season, Roma set out to win a trophy. This was not to be done in Europe. Which turned the club's attentions to the Coppa Italia. The less said about the embarrassing performances against Lazio, which saw Roma eliminated by their bitter rivals, the better. But that word has appeared once again - 'embarrassing'. Yes, Spalletti won a lot of matches this season, but when his side lost, they often did not do so with dignity. There were too many results that Roma fans just couldn't account for, and that Spalletti couldn't defend. The Tuscan coach may have reminded us of his abilities as a tactician, switching, at the right times, between a 4-2-3-1 and a 3-4-2-1 over the course of the season. Both systems worked well for the team and it was useful to have multiple familiar systems that the side could adapt to. But squad rotation proved an issue for him, even with these system changes. No team in Serie A used less players than Roma did in 2016/17. Players like Clement Grenier, Gerson, and yes, Francesco Totti, didn't feature as much as they would have liked. It's good for a manager to know their best eleven, but they must recognise that refusing to vary it every now and then can have severely negative consequences on the fitness, and hence performance, of the team. Spalletti constantly reminded the press - with whom he has had a bitter relationship this year - that he would walk away from Roma if he did not win a trophy this season. That he did not accomplish, and he showed he is a man of his word. But his constant reminders of this make it so much easier to classify what has been a wonderful season as a failure. A negative atmosphere has been created around the club, by a man who, it should be noted, was rarely seen smiling on the touchline. Of course, every manager should take their job seriously, but at times this season, Spalletti looked like a man devoid of self-belief and passion. His mentality was a winning one, but not a positive one. As has been stated, he did not manage to cultivate a ruthless team, but one that every so often left themselves open for embarrassment. It is true that a man of Spalletti's seriousness and strictness is important for a manager of a successful or competitive club, but every professional manager is serious about winning; some just express it in different ways. Internally, the hunger for success is the same in any manager, and Spalletti's replacement will also ensure a strict, winning atmosphere is created. The Tuscan coach also reassured that the next manager will have a good squad nucleus to build a winning atmosphere around; "we're leaving a strong Roma," he said in his press conference. Spalletti came in to stabilise Roma and divert the attention away from a struggling group of players last January, which he managed to do, and then some. But it seems that his intention was never to stay beyond that first contract. He did his job, left Roma in a better place than when he joined, but his departure is no tragedy. There are other managers out there who can do great things with this talented group of players. Roma fans have no need to be concerned that, for the second time, Luciano Spalletti has left his role as Roma manager. They can instead look to a bright, progressive future.
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On Sunday, Roma will take to the field for the final time in the 2016/17 season. Here's the lowdown on which three players could have a key impact in securing automatic Champions League qualification against Genoa.
Kevin Strootman After returning to the starting line up on Saturday following a two match suspension, Kevin Strootman will be keen to round off his excellent season with another solid performance. Nobody could have predicted just how consistent Strootman would be in his first full season since recovering from a two-year period of injury hell, but the Dutchman has found great form over the season, that which only world class players are capable of producing. It would be a major surprise if Strootman didn't conclude the season in similar style against Genoa on Sunday. Stephan El Shaarawy El Shaarawy had a slow start to the season, but he has found his feet again in the New Year, particularly over the last two months. A brace against Chievo on Saturday meant he has scored in three consecutive Serie A games for the first time since 2012. His goals should have been enough to have secured his place in the starting line up for the final match of the season. Francesco Totti If you are to believe what you read, Sunday will be the last time we will ever see Francesco Totti in a Roma shirt. If you are to believe what you read elsewhere though, it may not be the final game of Totti's career. Former Giallorossi coach Zdenek Zeman, currently overseeing Pescara's fortunes, commented yesterday that he did not believe it will be Il Capitano's last match, and that he hasn't been informed that Totti wants to call it a day at his boyhood club. Either way, Sunday will be a great occasion for Totti, as he rounds off the 25th season of his professional career, playing for his only club. Whether he will start the match, as always, is by no means guaranteed, but it's almost undeniable that Totti will feature in the match. The kick off time has been set for 6pm (5pm UK time), so that there will be time after the game to celebrate Totti in the manner he deserves. A player who has lit up his club, league, and city deserves the most special send off, if he is indeed to retire. Presumably, the celebrations will - or at least should - last all summer. The match against Genoa has long been sold out with Romans believing it will be the last time to see their King play competitively for them. At 40 years old, can the magician conjure up some final tricks? As we have come to know, he's more than capable. Much of the speculation around the futures of Roma employees recently has related to manager Luciano Spalletti and captain Francesco Totti. Both men's contracts expire this summer, with a lack of clarity over whether they will extend their stays with the club or not, leading to an array of headlines and speculation.
Totti needs no introductions and remains a key figure at the club. Sporting director Monchi has heaped praise on him as a person, complimenting his phenomenal knowledge of Roma as a club. It would be a significantly small minority of Roma fans who would not want to see Totti wear the Roma shirt again next year, although the likelihood is he will retire. News reports have been contradictory, and Il Capitano himself posted a vague message about his future via social media, outlining that the team's last results and performances this season require full concentration by all parties before any discussions of contracts can be considered. Although less involved this season, last year Totti showed he could still contribute to Roma, and his teammates were shown they could still depend on him. His technical skill, leadership and mentality - and the fact that he is Francesco Totti - should make him worthy of a renewal, regardless of his age. But while there has been all this talk of Er Pupone's future, there has been one more legend who's Roma future is in doubt beyond the current season, and one legend equally deserving of a renewal. That man is Daniele De Rossi. Again, he is a player that needs no introductions. De Rossi has featured for Roma since 2001 and is, of course, a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006. His commitment to Roma hasn't been overshadowed by Totti's, but understandably, he has always been discussed just a little less often than Totti has. Even now at the age of 33, he is still 'Il Futuro Capitano'. And it isn't clear whether or not De Rossi will ever get to permanently captain the club he has given so much to throughout his career. Recent reports stated that Roma were willing to offer De Rossi a one-year contract extension, but he preferred the idea of a two-year contract, wanting the assurances of the security of his future. If he were only to be given a one-year extension, like Totti last year, he would find himself in the exact same scenario twelve months later, again wondering if the club would offer him a renewal. This repeated uncertainty is far from beneficial for a player entering the twilight of his career. So, has De Rossi warranted a two-year extension with his performances for Roma? Recently, yes. He has been in very good form of late, scoring in three consecutive games for the first time in his career. His leadership in big games against Milan and Juventus has shone through, as he has shown himself to be a hugely reliable figure, the beating heartbeat of the team. He is a solid defensive midfielder, organised and strong in the tackle, and is still being selected for his country despite his increasing years. We may see a change of position for De Rossi in the coming years, should his involvement at Roma continue. Perhaps he will slot back into the centre back role, a position he has played in a couple of times before. But even if he remains in midfield, his experience and passion are fundamentally important to this team, and can overpower any glimpses of deteriorating fitness and speed. It's essential that Roma keep that. De Rossi commented recently that his longevity at Roma had often been misinterpreted as selfless, when in fact he feels it has been selfish. He loves playing for Roma, his hometown team, and has never been willing to sacrifice that to play at a higher level, a career choice he recognises may have been wrong on a professional level. Supporters of Roma will be eternally grateful for his commitment. In the summer, one of the first pieces of business Monchi should do is to get the club to renew the contract of Daniele De Rossi. Ideally, he should be given a two-year contract to ensure he feels appreciated in return by the club, and to give him a stable end to his fantastic career. De Rossi has been consistently good this season and it would be a shame for Roma to finally lose him, and all his qualities, in 2017. 25 days. That’s it. That’s all that’s left. There are as many days left in Francesco Totti’s Roma playing career as there have been years in it so far. Soak it in, savour every breath of it. Because once he’s stopped, you know there’ll never be another player like him again. There will be no player that you will ever feel the same way about.
Where can you start? The word ‘destiny’ would be good. Raised in a Roman family, young Francesco was subject of strong interest from AC Milan before he was even a teenager, but his mother refused. There was only one place that her son was going to end up. It truly was destiny. Roma was made for Totti, and Totti was made for Roma. His talent was visible from a young age. As a four year old, he could already run rings around children twice his age. Having the ball at his feet was a joy. His talent would continue to develop as he grew up, and by the time he was eight he was playing regular youth football. At the same time, Giuseppe Giannini was writing his name into Roma history books as a successful number ten, playmaker and captain. Young Totti idolised him, and desired to be like him. Indeed, one day, he would be. And he would go on further, to surpass the heights of the legend he looked up to. He joined Roma’s academy in 1989, at the age of 13. He was nurtured there for three years, before what is possibly the most important day in Roma’s history came along. Totti, aged 16, made his first appearance in the Roma shirt that he would go on to become synonymous with, during a 2-0 win over Brescia. His manager that day was Vujadin Boskov. He has played under 16 more managers for Roma since (Zeman and Spalletti have had two spells each and are only counted once each). Totti soon became a regular for Roma in an attacking midfield role, although that is not the only position he has flourished in over the last twenty five years. He has been deployed as a left winger, a striker, a false nine and in several other positions. It was as a trequartista in a 3-4-1-2 that his greatest triumph for Roma came: winning the Scudetto in 2001. Under Fabio Capello, Totti, in his third season as Roma captain, led the team to success in Serie A. He was becoming more influential by the minute. 2006/07 was possibly the best season of Totti’s life. After representing his country at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, in which he contributed four assists and one goal to Italy’s tournament victory, he finished the next league season as top scorer, not just of Serie A, but across the whole of Europe, winning the European Golden Shoe with his haul of twenty six goals. It was during these times that he attracted interest from the biggest clubs in the world, Real Madrid coming close to capturing his signature. But if there’s one word that sums Totti up, it is loyalty. His passion for Roma has meant that he has never wanted to wear another shirt. Even at the age of 40 now, he is remaining committed to his one and only club. He has passed 300 goals in all competitions, and is the club’s all-time record scorer and appearance maker. He holds dozens of other records for Roma and has climbed to third in the list all-time appearances in Serie A (behind only Gianluigi Buffon and Paolo Maldini). He stands second in the league’s all-time scoring charts, 24 goals behind Silvio Piola. He has scored the most Serie A goals from penalties (71), and the fourth most from free kicks (21). Despite his age, he still possesses a range of technical qualities that only a few players could dream of achieving. His vision is superb, and in recent seasons he has become a great provider to his teammates, spotting passes that only the most special and gifted players can. He is able to break down the most resistant defences, finding spaces where no others can. His skill and touch are quality; his leadership incomparable as he carries the weight of a whole club on his shoulders. He is an emblem of Roma, club and city. As Claudio Ranieri said, “The icons of Rome are the Colosseum, St Peter’s Basilica, and Francesco Totti.” Totti will be missed on the pitch hugely; however, his influence at the club will remain, as he enters a five-year contract as a director. His name will forever be inseparable from his club, and vice versa. Roma and Totti live side by side, and will continue to do so as he moves on from his playing career. On 10th March 2002, after Roma’s 5-1 win over city rivals Lazio, Totti famously wore a shirt reading ‘6 Unica’, a play on words in Italian meaning ‘You are unique’, dedicated to the club’s fans. Now, we will be reflecting similar messages back in Totti’s direction. Francesco Totti, one of the most gifted footballers of the past thirty years, will be able to look back on an incredible career, safe in the knowledge that he too, is unique. Grazie, Capitano. Well that was horrible. The final Derby of the season saw Roma outsmarted, outpaced, outwitted. There's now a long wait until next season to prove ourselves again as the best club in the capital. How could it have gone so wrong?
Lazio set up using the same 3-5-2 formation they had played against Roma in the Coppa Italia semi final clashes in March and April, although it was more resemblant of a 3-5-1-1. Roma opted for the 4-2-3-1 shape that has been reasonably successful of late. The game didn't actually start badly for Roma. For the first eight or so minutes, i Lupi had the upper hand in terms of possession and the creation of chances. Edin Džeko wasted a good chance early on, albeit due to a good save from Lazio goalkeeper Strakosha. However, as the clock turned to the 10 minute mark, the game began to turn in Lazio's favour. Roma's defence seemed to lack organisation and good reading of the game. Too many times in the first half, Lazio found Keita Baldé with huge expanses of space to attack. Keita's pace appeared problematic for Roma's centre back partnership of Kostas Manolas and Federico Fazio. Fazio especially looked in difficulty with the pace offered by the Lazio attack. Despite being a reliable rock at the back this season, picking up the nickname Il Comandante along the way, he was noticeably off the pace, and nearly gave away a penalty when he brought Lazio full back Jordan Lukaku down in the box. Maybe this game showed that Fazio is more comfortable in the middle of a back three than in a back four. He looked extremely, and unusually, vulnerable. However, it is far from reasonable to single out only Fazio as having a bad performance. As stated, Džeko missed a good chance early on, which set the tone for the rest of the game. He barely got a sniff in front of goal over the 90 minutes. In addition, star man Radja Nainggolan went by quietly in a game he would have been expected to perform in, as he has done in other big games this year. Tactically, on Roma's part, perhaps the two full backs played slightly too high up the pitch. (Given Roma were using inverted wingers, the full backs had to do this to create width in attack). The defence looked stretched as a result of this, and this is what allowed Keita to find so much joy - and Manolas and Fazio so much despair. The gaps between the defence and the midfield were also huge, even Daniele De Rossi foraging too far forward in the match. In contrast, Simone Inzaghi's tactic to deploy Lazio's three central midfielders very deep, almost in touching distance of their three centre backs, limited the space that Roma's equally quick and dangerous attackers could find. Hence, chances of any meaning were limited, causing Roma's midfield to (naïvely) push higher in search of a breakthrough, leaving the defence unprotected. A couple of counter attacks from Lazio, and the damage was done. Lazio's resolute defending was certainly problematic for Roma's attack, and the Giallorossi quickly ran out of ideas. With Lazio playing wing backs, it would have been expected to see Roma exploiting the width left in behind Dusan Basta and Lukaku. Mohamed Salah did indeed see a lot of the ball in the first half and was definitely Roma's best player on the day. However, as the game went on, Lazio's wing backs dropped deeper and deeper, cutting off the space in which the Egyptian was finding some joy, and formed something closer to a back five. This tactic had been used by the Biancocelesti in the two legs of the Coppa Italia clash, so it is surprising that Roma were unable to find a way around it. The tactic to sit deep and cut off the spaces for Roma's threatening attack by packing the midfield and defence was nothing new, yet Roma couldn't adapt. Roma's only goal came not from great play, but from an inexcusable dive from Kevin Strootman, who will have to take a long look at himself in the mirror after that. It has put a dampener on what has been a fantastic season for the Dutchman. If there was a game this season that sealed Luciano Spalletti's fate, it was this one. His self-imposed, hypercritical high standards have not been met, and to lose two derbies in a season is frankly not good enough. His constant refusal to talk about his future may be having an impact on the team's play and mental focus, and the negativity caused by his uncertainty is not what an ambitious club like Roma needs. His players may not have performed for him on Sunday, but he seemed to have run out of ideas by the end of the game. The switch to a back three at half time was the right decision, but it looked uncharacteristically disorganised and was quickly abandoned. By the end of the game, all three substitutes used, he seemed to have forgotten how to lead a team to a Derby victory. Roma should have been incredibly motivated to win this game after the disappointment of being eliminated from the Coppa. Those demons were not vanquished, and the team will have to live with the effects of this defeat for a while. Second place still looks possible, but Napoli's fantastic recent form has put them just a point behind, with a potentially easier run in as well. It would be a good achievement to come second, but Roma simply must do better in derbies next season. Because no Roma fan wants to see anything as shambolic as Sunday's pathetic performance against our most bitter rivals ever again. Personally, I was a little bit disappointed when Roma sold Lorenzo Pellegrini to Sassuolo on 30th June 2015. Then captain of the Primavera, and having made one substitute Serie A appearance the previous season, perhaps he deserved a chance to showcase his abilities with the first team, and then potentially be loaned out the year after. I was pleased, though, that Roma retained a buyback clause on the Rome-born man. I hoped that one day it would be exercised, and Pellegrini would return to the club he spent eight years of his youth career at. Time has shown that the move to Sassuolo has clearly benefitted the player. Pellegrini has now become an Italy Under 21 international, and this season has contributed eight goals and seven assists for the Neroverdi across all competitions. Thanks to his form, he is now subject to interest from some of Europe's biggest clubs. Enter the buyback clause? Should Roma exercise the buyback clause for Pellegrini this summer, it remains to be seen what will be done with the player. According to calciomercato.com, Pellegrini's agent met with representatives of AC Milan on 28th April, "flattered" by interest from them. So will Roma be willing to listen to the Rossoneri? Notably, a quick profit would be turned on the player, with the buyback clause believed to be in the region of €8-10m, and Milan's resultant bid expected to be much higher. However, president James Pallotta has said he would like to see more youngsters breaking into the first team at Roma, and the club maybe needs a greater Italian identity, with only four Italians in the first team at present. Pellegrini could be the starting point to solving both these problems. It would be good to see Pellegrini return to Roma, but if he did, he would have to negotiate less playing time in comparison to what he has now. Kevin Strootman and Leandro Paredes also play in his position, not to mention Daniele De Rossi, who hopefully will extend his contract with the Giallorossi beyond the current season. Despite this competition, Pellegrini has certainly shown this season he can compete at the highest level, and he would undoubtedly be eager to make an impact upon a return to his hometown club. So what shall be done with Lorenzo Pellegrini? Will Roma bring him back to the Stadio Olimpico, or will we see another Andrea Bertolacci-style deal where he is sold on to another club after returning? The latter perhaps looks more likely, but nothing is for certain. It will depend on the desires of new sporting director Monchi - who does have a history of helping young players progress through their club into the first team at Sevilla, such as Sergio Ramos, Jesús Navas and José Antonio Reyes - and whoever the manager of Roma will be next season. The club is famous for its homegrown players and the impact they make at the club. Unfortunately, Roma will soon face a future without Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi, leaving a massive Roman-shaped void in the team that will be too big for Alessandro Florenzi to fill alone. As the club look to the future, could Pellegrini be an answer? |
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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