GIALLOROSSI YORKSHIRE BLOG
Giallorossi Yorkshire's season review continues with a look at how Roma's defenders did this season.
As with all player reviews in this series, each defender gets an average score, by taking into account their GY ratings out of ten from games this season, and a season rating, as an overall judgement of how they did. If they were named man of the match in a game, their rating for that match counts as double. Here's the lowdown on how the backline did. Juan Jesus Average Rating: 7.14 Man of the Match: 2 times Season Rating: 7 After being chosen as Roma's most improved player in last season's Giallorossi Yorkshire awards, Jesus continued his progression at the club with a string of solid performances. He adapted well to Eusebio Di Francesco's 4-3-3, despite previous claims that he was better in a back three. He did make mistakes throughout the season, but proved himself to be a capable back up option. Aleksandar Kolarov Average Rating: 7.65 Man of the Match: 6 times Season Rating: 9 Starting the season so well that Emerson Palmieri couldn't find a way back into the team, Kolarov showed the world that his best years were not behind him as he became a force to be reckoned with down Roma's left flank. At times later in the season he appeared fatigued from playing so much football, but he was playing so well that he simply had to be picked. He had a really influential first season at Roma. Elio Capradossi Average Rating: N/A Man of the Match: Once Season Rating: N/A Returning to the club in January following a loan spell at Bari, Capradossi waited for his opportunity and took it. Making his debut for the club against Cagliari in May, he impressed enough to be named Giallorossi Yorkshire man of the match. The young centre back was also given a cameo in the final game of the season. Federico Fazio Average Rating: 7.33 Man of the Match: 4 times Season Rating: 8 He wasn't quite as good as he was last year, but Il Comandante was still an imperious presence at the back. What he lacks in pace, he makes up for in his reading of the game. In 2017/18, he was able to continue his successful partnership with Kostas Manolas, protecting Alisson's goal with some top defensive work. Alessandro Florenzi Average Rating: 6.5 Man of the Match: 0 times Season Rating: 5 Oh dear, Alessandro Florenzi. This season he just wasn't the same player that the Roma faithful have grown to love. With the arrival of Rick Karsdorp in the summer, it appeared that Florenzi would finally be able to vacate the right back spot and return to his more natural midfield position. Sadly, the injuries to Karsdorp meant Florenzi had to play as a full back again, and he had a really difficult season. The fundamental qualities went missing, as he misplaced passes and crosses, and got caught out by wingers' attacking runs. One can only hope that he won't have to play at right back again next year. Bruno Peres Average Rating: 5.69 Man of the Match: 0 times Season Rating: 6 With Di Francesco immediately casting doubt on Bruno Peres' credentials upon his arrival, things didn't look good for the Brazilian in the summer. He had been woeful the season before. This season wasn't a great deal better, but he did improve in some aspects. His crucial block on the goalline against Shakhtar, for example, was a decisive moment which helped Roma in their Champions League run. Rick Karsdorp Average Rating: N/A Season Rating: N/A A wasted season for Karsdorp, who was the unfortunate victim of injury in his first season in Italy. Making just one appearance, the right back missed out on his chance to impress. He will be hoping that his injury troubles are behind him now, so that he can revive his Roma career next season. Jonathan Silva Average Rating: N/A Man of the Match: 0 times Season Rating: N/A Signed as an alternative for Kolarov at left back in January, the Sporting loanee didn't get many opportunities to prove himself. He was clearly brought in solely as a back up, and Kolarov was too good for Silva to see the pitch often. Kostas Manolas Average Rating: 7.11 Man of the Match: 3 times Season Rating: 8 Manolas rediscovered his best form this year after a slightly underwhelming 2016/17. The Greek centre back is a long-serving member of Roma's backline, and showed his passion for the shirt on numerous occasions. He made important last ditch challenges, and at the other end had his best season in front of goal in Roma colours, weighing in with four goals. The most memorable was surely his decisive goal against Barcelona, to eliminate them from the Champions League. But in that match, as well as many others, it was his excellent defending that set him apart from the rest. Manolas can be proud of his season.
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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. 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. Giallorossi Yorkshire's season review continues with summaries of how Roma's defence fared this season.
Roma have always had good defenders recently, selling on players like Benatia and Marquinhos to major clubs, but have often struggled as a unit. This season, thanks mainly to Federico Fazio's assured presence, the defensive system worked much better together. In case you missed the first part of the season review, players are given an average rating and a season rating. The average rating is the sum of all their scores out of ten from the matches I watched this season, with man of the match performances counting double, divided by the number of games considered. The season rating is how I judged them overall. So who impressed most in Roma's backline? Alessandro Florenzi Average Rating: 7.5 Man of the Match: Once Season Rating: 6 It almost seems strange to remember that Alessandro Florenzi played this season. He has been plagued by injury, with two cruciate ligament injuries ruling him out for most of the season. Needless to say, when he returns, it will be a slow process, much like the slow integration of Kevin Strootman back into the first team after his similar troubles. When Florenzi did play at the start of the season, he showed the consistency that he has become associated with. A versatile player if there ever was one, realisation of Florenzi's impact on this team came not when he played, but when he was absent. His passion and ability was missed throughout this season, and hopefully next year we will see him return to the pitch. Kostas Manolas Average Rating: 6.20 Man of the Match: None Season Rating: 6 By his standards, Kostas Manolas had a disappointing season. Particularly towards the end of the season, he was at fault for some crucial goals conceded by Roma. He certainly did not look the coveted centre back that has attracted attention from Europe's elite. He has stated he wants to stay in Rome, which is a good sign, but is demanding a payrise that may not be warranted given the season he has just had. Nevertheless, you can expect a player of his ability to bounce back and find top class form again next season. He has various ideal qualities for a centre half, and is at a good age, so should do better next time around. Thomas Vermaelen Average Rating: 6.2 Man of the Match: None Season Rating: 4 Another defender to have a disappointing season, Vermaelen - who has had injury troubles over the past couple of years - looked shaky when he managed to find a rare appearance for Roma this season. Occasionally he played well, but overall, he did not look to be one of Roma's strongest options at the back. It is unlikely Roma will sign him permanently from Barcelona. Juan Jesus Average Rating: 5.53 Man of the Match: None Season Rating: 6 A definite contender for most improved player of the season, Brazilian defender Jesus had a difficult start to the season, playing mainly as a left back, but found form when Roma switched to a back three half way through the season. This is a system he is most comfortable in, as it suits his qualities best. He became a consistent performer in this formation and showed great signs of improvement, becoming a reliable figure at the back. Emerson Palmieri Average Rating: 6.61 Man of the Match: None Season Rating: 8 The surprise package of 2016/17, we got a hint of left back Emerson's potential at the back end of the prior season, with Spalletti giving him a run of games culminating in a goal against Milan. This form carried over into this season, and he established himself as a first team regular. He even sometimes appeared on the right hand side of defence as cover, despite being left footed. This was a great help to the team and showed his adaptability. He switched allegiance to Italy this year, and was about to be capped by Ventura, before an untimely ACL injury ended his great season. Federico Fazio Average Rating: 6.68 Man of the Match: Four times Season Rating: 8.5 Premier League reject Fazio found some of the greatest form of his career at Roma this season. The former Tottenham and Sevilla man was easily Roma's best centre back, exuding calmness and responsibility at the back. He is good on the ball, good at marking, and good at reading the game. He even managed to make one of Europe's best defenders, Kostas Manolas, look weak in comparison. Without a doubt, Fazio was one of the best players of Roma's 2016/17, and hopefully will stay in the Italian capital. Bruno Peres Average Rating: 5.77 Man of the Match: None Season Rating: 5.5 Oh, Bruno Peres. The man who had arrived at Roma with so much promise. The man who many believed would be the answer to Roma's right back problem. And it just didn't happen. For whatever reason, the Brazilian didn't live up to his reputation, something he himself nobly acknowledged. His first half of the season was decent, but the remainder of the year was almost disastrous, as he was kept out of the team by Antonio Rudiger (a centre back) and Emerson (a left back), and when he did play, he was lacking quality. Better things were expected from a player who had promised so much. Antoni0 Rudiger Average Rating: 6.19 Man of the Match: None Season Rating: 7.5 Recovering from a serious ligament injury which kept him out of Euro 2o16 (a tournament he would surely have done well in), Rudiger's season started a little later than most, but he made up for it in quality. With a big reputation to follow given his excellent debut season in Italy, Rudiger once again lived up to the pressure of playing for Roma. Playing at either centre back or right back, and adapting as part of a back four or back three, he had another solid season, and is yet again the subject of interest from other clubs. No less than 40 million euros is expected to move him. Mario Rui Average Rating: N/A Man of the Match: Once Season Rating: 6 Another player who missed the start of the season through injury, Rui would surely have had a good season had he not damaged his knee ligaments in pre-season. Unfortunately, he was sidelined for a good portion of the season, debuting in January. He was understandably a little off the pace, but showed signs of being a good full back, capable of defending well and putting in good crosses for his strikers. It is unknown where he will be next year - his former boss at Empoli, Maurizio Sarri, is interested in taking him to Napoli. All in all, a good season for Roma's defence, which saw just 38 league goals conceded. Only the champions Juventus conceded less, which, given their defensive reputation, is a good indicator of Roma's defensive success in 2016/17. |
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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