GIALLOROSSI YORKSHIRE BLOG
Every Friday on Giallorossi Yorkshire, a Roma fan names their all-time dream Roma five-a-side team. Today's has been chosen by Laura, and sees one current Roma defender picked for the first time in this series.
Name: Laura Gibbs Location: Bedford, England Team: Tempted as I am to choose such legends as Giannini and Montella, perhaps foolishly, I feel I can't having not witnessed them in action. My baptism into to the Romanisti and indeed football itself, didn't come until April 2011 in the stands of the curva. So. Francesco Totti - How can he not be my striker? No other player could turn a match around from certain defeat to victory in a mere 4 minutes! As well as his obvious goal scoring talent he has the ability to read and control the game. The phrase "game changer" was invented for him. The only forward I need in my heavily defensive team. Daniele De Rossi - Who doesn't need a talented Roman defensive midfielder with a side order of an elbow in the face? Passionate, occasionally hot headed, severely underrated outside of Rome. Seeing the entire Italian defence fall apart when he was subbed off in the Euros is all the evidence I need. Aleksandar Kolarov - Easily the best signing of last summer. Steady, dependable with a touch of psycho simmering beneath the surface. The added bonus is that he's hated by Lazio fans! Lucas Digne - Two words... Come back! I was sorely disappointed Roma didn't sign him permanently. He was eager, always pushing forward but without letting his true position suffer, never seemed to put a foot wrong defensively and fitted perfectly with the team. Alisson Becker - Despite my soft spot for De Sanctis, it has to be Alisson after last season's performance. I doubt we'd have reached the Champions League without him. Also endearing is seeing the way he celebrates each goal, a real team player and a hugest loss to Roma.
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Having watched replays of the games against Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona in the International Champions Cup, here are the lessons that have been learnt from Roma's pre-season outings.
The Tottenham game Despite going 1-0 up very early on through Patrik Schick, Roma lost their ICC opener 4-1, with all the goals coming in the first half. Eusebio Di Francesco's team selection featured a mixture of first team players such as Kostas Manolas and Cengiz Under, with new recruits such as Javier Pastore and Bryan Cristante also included from the start. The main concern that most fans have with Pastore is his ability to play as a mezz'ala (one of the outer central midfielders in a 4-3-3). In this game, Pastore showed at times that he might be better in the position than expected. Although he lost possession too easily on occasion, he was more switched on in the defensive phase than many would have thought. There's no doubting Pastore's talent - it's a question of whether or not he can be clinical enough in his new role. One of the most-criticised purchases of the summer is Davide Santon. However, he did reasonably well at right-back in this game, even if he could've reacted quicker to prevent Spurs' third goal. The ex-Inter man defended well in other periods of the game and looked comfortable on the ball. Roma signed a new defensive midfielder on Tuesday in the shape of Steven Nzonzi, but before that, the Tottenham match gave an insight into the other two players competing for the role. The divisive Maxime Gonalons started in the position, but showed no signs of improving on last season's performances. He was too slow to react to the game, and consequently was at fault for Tottenham's fourth goal - a passage of play which looked like it was happening at double the speed Gonalons thought it was (the same could be said for Santon in that Spurs attack). In contrast, Daniele De Rossi was much calmer and more confident in possession when he replaced the Frenchman. This outing proved that De Rossi needs to be ahead of Gonalons in the pecking order. Roma's young players had mixed success in the game. Luca Pellegrini started at left-back and looked alright, but still a little bit raw. Perhaps he's still one season away from being good enough for the first team. Late in the game, new signing William Bianda made a short cameo in the position, but struggled. Even Cengiz Under, expected to be Roma's starting right winger for the season, showed signs that he still has room for improvement. He showed his talent and potential last season, but this year he needs to deliver more regularly. He wasn't clinical enough in the game against Spurs, with his strange overhead kick finish a prime example. Hopefully, like last season, once he gets one goal, more will start flying in. There were positive signs from both Justin Kluivert and Ante Coric. The pair of substitutes brought something new to the game, Kluivert looking dangerous with his pace and Coric showing he is not afraid to shoot. Should Coric get chances with the first team this year, his willingness to go for goal will come in handy. Ratings: Mirante 6 Santon 7 Manolas 6 Jesus 6 Lu Pellegrini 5 Gonalons 6 Cristante 7 Pastore 6.5 Under 6 Schick 6 Perotti 5 Subs: Fuzato N/A Florenzi N/A Marcano 6 Bianda 4 De Rossi 7 Lo Pellegrini 6 Strootman 6 Kluivert 7 Dzeko 7 Coric 7 The Barcelona game Roma beat the La Liga champions 4-2, with goals coming from Stephan El Shaarawy, Alessandro Florenzi, Bryan Cristante and Diego Perotti. This game saw more first teamers come into the starting lineup, while Barcelona used the opportunity to test out some of their younger players. Roma started the game in a sluggish manner (travelling over 1,000 miles probably didn't help), but began to work hard and showed resilience, a characteristic we have become used to in Di Francesco's Roma. Kluivert, this time a starter, continued to impress, showing an impressive work rate. He was as fast going back as he was going forward; clearly, this is a young man determined to help the team in all areas of the pitch, with or without the ball. Robin Olsen, making his Roma debut in goal, was decent, making a couple of smart saves. The jury is still out over whether he'll be a success this season, but he got an important 45 minutes under his belt in a Roma jersey. Despite impressing against Spurs, Santon wasn't as good in this game, deployed as a left-back. It's a position he's used to playing, but the majority of Barcelona's attacks came down that flank, perhaps indicating room for improvement in the Italian's defensive play. Another summer signing who was a little shaky was Ivan Marcano. The centre-back has been brought in with a wealth of experience, but didn't look like he'll cause any problems for Kostas Manolas and Federico Fazio by breaking up their partnership. He wasn't dreadful - he just didn't look to be on the same level as Roma's current first-choice centre-backs. Someone who did make an impact, though, was Cristante. The midfielder helped pull Roma back into the game, also scoring his first goal in giallorosso. In the end, Roma's experience showed against the youthful Barca outfit, but it should be of concern that the Blaugrana youngsters managed to outperform Roma's seniors in sections of the game. Ratings: Olsen 7 Florenzi 7 Manolas 6 Marcano 5 Santon 5 De Rossi 6 Lo Pellegrini 6 Strootman 6 Kluivert 7 Dzeko 6 El Shaarawy 7 Subs: Mirante 6 Fazio 6 Jesus 7 Lu Pellegrini 7 Gonalons 6 Cristante 7 Pastore 6 Perotti 6 Schick 6 Crossover themes: In both games, we saw Roma looking resilient, but sometimes the team were too slow to react when defending in the box. This led to poor goals being conceded, which could have been prevented by better marking, or timing the jump before a header more accurately. However, Di Francesco will take positives from these experiences. Some of the new signings played well in both games, notably Cristante and Kluivert. These are players who can have an impact on the first team this year, and will help Roma gain points. One area that won't be as strong as last season is the goalkeeping department. Whilst Olsen did well in his outing, one theme that occurred between both him and Mirante in each game was poor distribution. Passes from the goal area sometimes went astray, which rarely happened under Alisson last season. This should improve with time, as the new keepers get to know the players in front of them better, but the defence will have to be switched on if it continues the way it has started. Few players played poorly in both games, but as discussed, Marcano has shown little to worry the established order. Further upfield, apart from his goal from the penalty spot against Barcelona, Diego Perotti was pretty ineffectual in both games, while Schick didn't see as much of the ball as he would've liked. He'll have to stay on his toes in games like these in the future to make the most of chances when they arrive. All in all, there have been some useful tests for Roma this pre-season. Fitness levels have been restored and Roma have learnt a lot about themselves as a unit. Di Francesco has got to know his new players, and some of them will have a big chance to make a positive impact this year. Even though the games were played at a good intensity, it will be quite different on Sunday, when the Serie A season gets underway against Torino. Competitive football is a different beast altogether. Roma will have to be ready, using the lessons they have learnt from pre-season to start the season in a positive manner. Roma have been busier than most in the transfer market this summer, spending more money than in any other transfer window in the club's history.
However, many of the 12 new arrivals have split opinion among fans. Will Robin Olsen be a good enough replacement for Alisson? Ante Coric looks promising, but is he too young to make an impact? There are even question marks over Javier Pastore, the club's biggest signing of the mercato (until yesterday). Can he adapt to play as a mezz'ala in Eusebio Di Francesco's 4-3-3? Amidst all these questions, yesterday Monchi provided Roma fans with an emphatic answer. He brought in Steven Nzonzi, a player of immense quality, who the fans surely can't disagree on. Fresh from winning the World Cup with France, Nzonzi has joined Roma for a fee in the region of €26m, with Monchi signing him for a second time after he initially took him to Sevilla. He has signed a four-year contract, a symbol of faith in the quality that the 29-year-old will bring. Unlike many of the summer arrivals, Nzonzi provides respite in an area of the pitch that was a huge problem last year. Daniele De Rossi fared reasonably well when deployed as the side's defensive midfielder, but at the age of 35, it became clear that fatigue was catching up with him. It was unfeasible that he could be Roma's starting defensive midfielder for 30+ games a season, and the alternative, Maxime Gonalons, had played very poorly in his first season with Roma. It was obvious that Roma needed a better solution in the mediano role. In Nzonzi, Monchi has brought in not just a suitable solution for the position, but one of the best in the world at his role. Few players in world football offer better protection in front of the defence, while Nzonzi is also very comfortable in possession. With his 1.96m frame, he is also much better in the air than De Rossi and Gonalons. It could even be said that the World Cup final changed when he came on, the momentum swinging in France's favour. Although they were already winning, they played with a much better shape and rhythm with Nzonzi in the side, allowing them to score two further goals on their way to glory. At 29, Nzonzi is in the prime of his career. The importance of this cannot be understated - most of the players Monchi has signed this summer have many years left before they reach their peak. William Bianda, Nicolo Zaniolo and Justin Kluivert are all still teenagers, while Daniel Fuzato and Coric are both 21. It's been one of the main concerns in this mercato: Monchi has provided potential for the future, but the immediate effects may not be as good. Of the dozen players the Spaniard has signed, most add depth to the squad, but not improvement to the starting lineup. Prime examples are Ivan Marcano and Davide Santon, who will clearly be rotation players. However, Nzonzi is different. He is a player that goes straight into the starting lineup, and is an instant upgrade on what Roma already have in his position. In fact, Roma could be lining up with an entirely new midfield next season. Ahead of Nzonzi, Bryan Cristante and Pastore will add creativity and attacking threat. And there is no better anchor for them than Nzonzi. He will be a reinforcer, giving the team exactly what they need. Potentially, he can be the difference between a good Roma, and a great one. He may have only won two trophies in his career, but he is a player that definitely increases Roma's chances of winning one this season. For all the debate over the impact some of Monchi's signings will have this season, there can be no question marks over Nzonzi. An experienced professional of the highest ability will come in and make Roma a force to be reckoned with again. There's no debate. Monchi got this one right. It was the sight that no Roma fan wanted to see, but it was pretty unavoidable yesterday: Alisson Becker in a Liverpool shirt.
The Brazilian number one made his Liverpool debut against West Ham on Sunday, just under a month since he completed his move from Roma to the Anfield club. His departure was a massive blow to Roma, after he impressed so much for the Giallorossi in the 2017-18 season. Despite the support shown to Alisson from the Roma fanbase, it doesn't seem like the decision to leave the club was one that he made with any difficulty. After Brazil's World Cup adventure concluded, it took Alisson just 13 days to say goodbye to Roma, with little sign of regret. But could things have turned out differently? Alisson's two seasons in Rome were quite different from one another. In his first season, under Luciano Spalletti, he featured only in cup competitions, with Wojciech Szczesny preferred in Serie A. When Szczesny moved to Juventus last summer, an opportunity presented itself for Alisson in Eusebio Di Francesco's new look Roma. Despite initial doubt over whether Alisson or Lukasz Skorupski would be number one, the former quickly established himself as first choice, and his performances over the season showed why. As his good form continued, Alisson made an admission. His lack of action under Spalletti could have led to an even earlier exit. In September, he confirmed: "If I hadn’t had the guarantee of playing, I would have asked to leave Roma. "This is the most important year of my career. I didn’t want to leave, but I would have had to think of myself and my targets. Now I know that everything depends on me and my performances. Nobody in Brazil, in a World Cup year, has a guaranteed place. "I didn’t play much due to the decisions of our ex-coach, Spalletti. "I am a calm boy and I don’t like talking. I didn’t feel comfortable going to him and saying things because he chose to have two high-level keepers and he played me in the cups. He used meritocracy because Szczesny had done well during the first year. Let’s say that I learned to have a bit of patience." And there it was. The seed was planted. It seemed a reasonable enough comment at the time, but looking back, it's clear that the idea of leaving Roma was already in Alisson's mind. When the opportunity to become the (short-lived) most expensive goalkeeper of all time came this summer, by moving to a side tipped by many to challenge for the Premier League title, his decision to leave Roma was a little easier. Would Alisson have been more inclined to stay if he had played more in his first year? Perhaps it's wishful thinking, but there is an argument there. He wouldn't have had to seek assurances in 2017, and maybe wouldn't have entertained the idea of leaving so easily. After all, it's not like Roma weren't successful last season. There were reasons to stay. In some ways it's difficult to discuss with conviction, because Szczesny was very good in his time in Rome. Hence, Spalletti's reliance on him was understandable. However, it's clear now that Alisson is the better keeper. Had Spalletti realised that early, Alisson could have featured a lot more in his first season, enough to make him feel more like a part of the club. Then, when the offer to join Liverpool did arrive, he might have considered the option to stay with Roma more carefully, knowing the club had shown faith in him. Now Roma look ahead to a new campaign with a new look goalkeeping department. Robin Olsen has big gloves to fill, and while expectations are low among some supporters, he has a big chance to enhance his own reputation. In a hypothetical world, Alisson may have stayed with Roma into a third year, but in reality, he has not. Instead, 28-year-old Olsen has been tasked with the responsibility of protecting the Roma goal. Whereas Alisson is competing with the talented Ederson for the Brazil jersey, Olsen is clearly his country's number one, and therefore perhaps has less to prove to the world. Hopefully, that will lead to a bit more loyalty in the somewhat unlikely event that he also excels enough to earn links to top clubs. It wouldn't go amiss. Every Friday on Giallorossi Yorkshire, a supporter chooses their dream five-a-side team made up of Roma players from across the years. Today's team has been selected by Stephen.
Name: Stephen Sweeney Location: Falkirk, Scotland Team: Goalkeeper: Morgan De Sanctis - Even when he wasn’t playing in his last years at the club, his energy and enthusiasm were fantastic – if there’s a goal celebration, you know he’s run 50 yards from the bench to pile on top. Defence: Walter Samuel - You need a master of the dark arts to defend your goal – Walter had all that and more. If you wanted to get past him, you had to be prepared to suffer! I considered Panucci, but I still haven’t forgiven him for scoring against Scotland in 2007… Midfield: David Pizarro - Did you ever see anyone dispossess him? The ball was stuck like glue to his feet, until he unleashed the killer pass. He would be absolute murder to play against in a 5-a-side. Forward: Antonio Cassano - It still feels like “What if…?” with Fantantonio – the combination with Totti was so good and so exciting, if he had stuck around, who knows what might have happened. The mighty 4-0 thrashing of Juve back in the day seems like a dream now. Also, he scored on my first ever visit to the Stadio Olimpico in 2002, as did... Forward: Francesco Totti - It might provide more variety if we were banned from picking him in this side! There were times in his final playing years when just his presence in the stadium could lift the team, so just having him on the bench would be an advantage. But how could you pass up the chance to see him play one more time? The flicks, the back-heels, the no-look passes, the sheer overwhelming joy that comes from seeing him score. He’s in the team for sure! Today's team on Five-a-Side Friday, where supporters choose their all-time dream Roma five-a-side team, has been chosen by a fellow Leeds-based fan.
Name: Kevin McDougall Location: Leeds, England Team: GK: Alisson Becker - As tempting as it is to go with someone with more service to the club, this comes down to Alisson genuinely being the best keeper Roma have had. Stops everything, and sweeps up too. DF: Aldair - "Pluto" stood out in my earliest memories of Football Italia in the 90s - amongst all the superstar strikers - for how elegantly he could defend and distribute the ball, and I imagine he could still fit in most teams now. A club legend, who tempted me to follow Roma rather than the more glamorous (at the time) clubs in the North. MF: Daniele De Rossi - First name on the sheet. Sure, he can defend, pass and shoot as well as anyone, but his sense of positional play, organisation and leadership are second to none. I could talk for hours about DDR but I'll stop here. Everybody knows the big man's value. MF: Damiano Tommasi - The minimum wage year and charity work add credence to his place as an all-round great guy, but there's more to him: tough but fair, ran for miles, intelligent, looked amazing... you'd want him on your team. A difficult (props to Perrotta, Conti, Pjanic) and partly sentimental choice, as he symbolises some amazing times at the Olimpico, but definitely a great player. FW: Francesco Totti - Nobody can seriously leave Totti out, right? Batistuta would probably be the best finisher that I can remember, but the memories of Spalletti's 4-6-0/false-nine campaign shine bright for me and push il capitano infinito into the forward role. Prime Totti given the freedom to go where he liked and score some ridiculous goals! |
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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