GIALLOROSSI YORKSHIRE BLOG
Giallorossi Yorkshire's end-of-season review continues with a look at five key games which summed up Roma's 2018-19 campaign.
Read part one of the season review - five 'What Ifs' on Roma's season - via this link. Cagliari 2-2 Roma, 8/12/2018 When Roma travelled to Sardinia in December, they were facing a Cagliari side that had only won three of their 14 league games so far. It should have been plain sailing - and it certainly looked like it was going in Roma's favour when Bryan Cristante and Aleksandar Kolarov gave them a 2-0 half-time lead. However, in the second half, things began to unravel, and Cagliari pulled one back in the 84th minute. Deep into stoppage time, the hosts had two players sent off, but still managed to grab a last-gasp equaliser to deny Roma the win. It was perhaps the first sign of Roma's increasingly fragile mentality under Eusebio Di Francesco, which would rear its ugly head again several times throughout the season. Fiorentina 7-1 Roma, 30/1/2019 This is the game that will, unfortunately, live longest in the memory from the season. Di Francesco's side were dumped out of the Coppa Italia without putting up any kind of fight, looking like they were going to concede every time Fiorentina came forward. Roma had lost by that kind of scoreline before, but not for some time, and when they did, it had been against a European giant like Manchester United or Bayern Munich. For it to happen against a side who narrowly avoided relegation, who only scored one goal in their last eight Serie A matches of the season, was an embarrassment of the highest order, and should have been the final nail in the coffin for EDF. Lazio 3-0 Roma, 2/3/2019 It had been a disappointing campaign right from the beginning, but one of the better moments of the first half of the season was winning the Derby Della Capitale. In the return fixture, though, Roma fell to pieces. The Lupi offered little threat at all, and matters were only made worse when former Lazio man Aleksandar Kolarov was sent off in stoppage time - much to the delight of the opponents. To lose a Derby was bad enough, but to show such little resistance made it punishing viewing fans. It was the first time Roma have lost by that scoreline to their rivals since 2006. Roma 1-4 Napoli, 31/3/2019 Even after the change in coaches, there was another heavy loss to a great rival, as Napoli demolished Roma at Stadio Olimpico. Just Claudio Ranieri's third game in charge, the team still very much bore the image of Di Francesco, and they crumbled under the pressure of their opponents' attacks. Needless fouls were committed by experienced players, and little was created at the attacking end. However, the game proved to be a turning point. It ended up being the last game Robin Olsen would play all season - and, probably, for the club overall - with Ranieri dropping the below-par keeper for Antonio Mirante thereafter. Ranieri inspired the reaction that Roma needed, and beyond that point, they didn't taste defeat again, closing the season on a nine-game unbeaten run. Roma 2-0 Juventus, 12/5/2019 With Ranieri back at the helm, optimism was restored again, and it manifested itself most beautifully with the 2-0 win over Juventus. Roma soaked up the pressure from their opponents - showing themselves to be much more compact than they were against Napoli - and seized their chances late on. Alessandro Florenzi scored with a neat finish to have the last laugh after being mocked by Cristiano Ronaldo earlier in the match, and even Edin Dzeko scored - for only the second time at the Olimpico in the league all season. Overall, 2018-19 was a season of disappointments - some expected, others less so. However, there remained the occasional positive moment, such as the Juventus win, that mean that Roma's next coach won't necessarily have to start from scratch over the summer. The new man will be hoping, however, that his debut season will be remembered for more positive results in general than those listed above.
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Roma returned from the winter break with a comfortable 4-0 win over Virtus Entella to kick off their Coppa Italia adventure for 2018-19.
Patrik Schick scored early in either half to help Roma on their way to victory, with Ivan Marcano netting his first goal for the club - just minutes after seeing a goal disallowed - and Javier Pastore completing the scoring. It wasn't Roma's smoothest performance, but it didn't need to be. This was a case of getting the job done against a lower-ranked opponent, giving some players essential minutes and getting back into the routine of competitive football after a couple of weeks off. Here are the game's biggest talking points. Karsdorp slots in well Rick Karsdorp's time at Roma has been an injury-plagued nightmare. One-and-a-half years after joining the club, he started for just the third time. The Dutchman fitted in well and didn't look like a player who had missed most of the last 18 months through injury. Going forward he was a threat, linking up well with Cengiz Under. Apart from a few lapses in concentration, Karsdorp did reasonably well in the defensive phase too. Whether this was a sign of things to finally come in a Roma shirt, or just an opportunity to put him in the shop window during the January transfer window, remains to be seen - but if it was the former, then there are plenty of positives to take. Kolarov influential in first half 2018 was a mixed bag for Aleksandar Kolarov, who after starting the 2017-18 season in amazing form, seemed to run out of steam. However, for the first 45 minutes at least, he was back to something resembling his best, powering up and down the left flank and putting in some inviting crosses - including the one from the set piece which led to Marcano's disallowed goal. The Serbian seemed to drop off the pace a little bit in the second half, but that was probably more prudence than fitness; the game was already won, and Kolarov didn't need to run himself to the ground when there are tougher challenges coming up.
Kluivert overcomes quiet start to make an impact
Whatever Kolarov lost in the first half, his companion on the left side, Justin Kluivert, seemed to gain. The first half saw Kluivert engaged in a battle with Entella right-back Francesco Belli, which proved to be much more competitive than he would have expected. Kluivert is still a young man and was getting outmuscled and struggling to find space. After the break, however, he began to grow in confidence on the ball, getting more touches and contributing to attacks. So much so, that he assisted both goals in the second half, with the through ball for Pastore's goal particularly standing out. Coppa confidence booster for Schick Patrik Schick lives for the Coppa Italia. He may have failed to live up to expectations at Roma in general, but in the domestic cup he becomes a different proposition. It was the competition in which he scored his first Roma goal last season, and once again it gave him a platform to build on. He led the line well, using his physicality in a way not often seen during his time with the club so far. He had a hand in the first three goals, backheeling the first one in and using the same technique to set up Marcano for the second. Whether anything different should have been expected ought to be addressed. Schick thrives in games against lower opponents. In pre-season, he scored a first-half hat-trick against Latina and followed it up with a goal against Avellino. It was enough to deceive some into believing that this could be his breakout season at Roma. The first half of the season hasn't proven those claims, and perhaps it would be hasty to say that this is the moment from which Schick kicks on. However, it will have done his confidence a world of good, and with the psychological aspects boosted, who knows how this will affect his form going forward?
Pastore is becoming Roma's Ozil
If there was one player who could be criticised for not doing enough, even though he scored, it would be Javier Pastore. The attacking midfielder played at virtually a walking pace throughout, when he really needed to take this opportunity to remind everyone of his qualities. In terms of technical ability, there are few, if any, better players in this squad. Pastore certainly believes so, and he needs to pull his head out of the clouds, knuckle down and work harder to become a truly important, functioning part of the starting lineup. Much like Mesut Ozil at Arsenal, he has bundles of talent, but if he doesn't break out of a jog every now and then to impose himself on games, he will soon find himself falling down the pecking order. Perhaps it was telling that it was Pastore starting this game instead of Nicolo Zaniolo. With the latter a former Entella player, he was expected to be assigned a key role in the match. However, Pastore was given the nod ahead of him. Was this because Eusebio Di Francesco sees Zaniolo as a more important player now and wanted to rest him? Or was it just to give Pastore minutes to boost his fitness again, in a bid to reintegrate him into the first team? Either motive could be possible, but with Zaniolo and Lorenzo Pellegrini also vying for that attacking midfield spot, Pastore must realise his position in the team isn't to be taken for granted and that he could have used a game like this to make a strong statement. Witnessing the start of something special? Roma are lucky enough to have four academy graduates plying their trade for the first team, in Daniele De Rossi, Alessandro Florenzi, and Lorenzo and Luca Pellegrini. Against Entella, a fifth Primavera product was given his first opportunity in the senior team. Alessio Riccardi has been tipped by many as the most likely player in the current youth setup to follow in the quartet's footsteps and break into the first team. With less than 10 minutes remaining, Di Francesco gave the Roman the chance to make his senior debut from the bench. Although usually an attacking midfielder, Riccardi slotted into a deeper role, and managed to get involved with the play. He looked a little nervous at times, but that's understandable for a boy of his age. Riccardi was barely two months old when Roma last won Serie A. The youngster looked to get involved and looked composed when playing short passes. He even went close to accidentally opening his Roma account with a goal when his (slightly rushed) cross nearly dropped in at the far post. It was only 10 minutes, and it could have been a lot more. Di Francesco could have brought him on a lot earlier, with the game already wrapped up early in the second half. However, a debut is a debut, and Riccardi did well enough to suggest that this might not be the only time he is seen in a Roma shirt. His next opportunity might not come for some time - the route to the Coppa final will not pair Roma with an 'easy' side again, and the battle for the Champions League spots in Serie A may be seen as too important to risk a teenager in certain games - but Di Francesco has shown that he is not afraid to use youth players unexpectedly. Zaniolo made his debut away at Champions League holders Real Madrid, for example. Perhaps Riccardi will get more chances to mix with the first team in 2019, and fans could be looking at a fifth Roman representing the team. Roma will appear in the Coppa Italia for the first time this season tomorrow, as Sinisa Mihajlovic's Torino visit.
The Round of 16 tie kicks off at 4:30pm UK time. Torino are having a mixed season in Serie A, but will still fancy their chances against a Roma side who have been struggling to find goals recently. At the same time, Roma remain favourites and will be looking to make their first steps towards bettering last season's achievement of reaching the semi finals. The two sides met in the league back in October with Roma winning 1-0, Aleksandar Kolarov getting the goal. Since then, Torino have had differing fortunes, winning three, drawing four, and losing two of their nine games in both the league and cup. Their last fixture was a 3-1 defeat to Napoli, which saw them drop one place to tenth in the Serie A table. They beat Carpi at the end of November to reach this stage of the Coppa Italia. They will be better balanced for this encounter with Roma, as this time they can call on their star striker Andrea Belotti, who missed the league game between the two sides through injury. Highly-rated Belotti scored his side's solitary goal against Napoli. Meanwhile, Roma will be showing how seriously they are taking the Coppa this season. Di Francesco's team selection should give some hints as to how high the competition ranks on his list of priorities. One thing we do know is that Emerson Palmieri is expected to make a first start since returning from an ACL injury. The left back was one of the standout performers of last season, but Kolarov has been impressing in his place whilst he has been recovering this term. Emerson will be keen to put in a good shift and remind everyone of his qualities as he continues his return to first-team action. One thing Roma must always be wary of against Torino is the number of former employees hoping to make an impression. The team are led by an ex-Roma player of two seasons in Mihajlovic, and their playing squad contains ex-Giallorossi forwards Adem Ljajic, Iago Falque and the on-loan Sadiq Umar. Could any of them make an impact? Roma will be looking to get the job done efficiently, with a match against another Turin side, Juventus, waiting after this one. Can Di Francesco's team get through the cup tie without expending all their energy? It will be a far from simple task, but the coach will be hoping he can find a way of doing so. |
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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