GIALLOROSSI YORKSHIRE BLOG
Roma will look to make it into the qualification spots at the halfway point of the Champions League group stage when they face CSKA Moscow tonight.
A win would lift Roma into at least second place - depending on how Real Madrid fare against Viktoria Plzen - after three games, ahead of the return fixture with the Russians in a fortnight. However, it won't be plain sailing, as CSKA have proven themselves to be a stern challenge to Roma's aspirations of making the knockout rounds. Tonight's opponents currently lead Group G after stunning Real Madrid on matchday two with a 1-0 win. It has become clear that CSKA pose a significant threat to Roma's likely target of finishing second. Croatian attacking midfielder Nikola Vlasic has scored in both of CSKA's group stage games so far, including a 95th-minute equaliser against Viktoria in September. He also found the net in their most recent Russian Premier League game, a 2-0 win over Anzhi on Friday. Roma's defence, which has not been water-tight recently, must be on their A-game to stop him. However, one key man who will be absent for the visitors is goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, who was sent off against Real Madrid and so will miss the game through suspension. Akinfeev has been hugely important for the club over the years, a one-club man who serves as their captain. CSKA's two alternative keepers have not made as many appearances in their whole careers put together as Akinfeev has in this season alone, so this will be a boost for Roma's strike force. Who will comprise Roma's attack remains to be seen. Edin Dzeko endured a frustrating afternoon against SPAL on Saturday, but with Patrik Schick only just recovering from a muscle problem, the former is likely to start. Cengiz Under should flank him on the right, with Justin Kluivert and Stephan El Shaarawy competing for a place on the left wing. Crucially, Kostas Manolas is in the squad after missing the loss to SPAL. Roma missed his solidity in Saturday's game, and his experience can benefit Roma tonight. Two men who won't be playing though, are Argentine duo Javier Pastore and Diego Perotti, who are both injured. The game kicks off at 8pm UK time. Can Roma get back to winning ways? Projected Roma lineup:
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Roma will look to pick up from where they left off as they return to domestic action with a game against SPAL.
Eusebio Di Francesco inspired his side to a run of four games unbeaten before the international break, including victory in the Derby Della Capitale and a record-breaking Champions League win over Viktoria Plzen. Now, after what has been a fruitful period with their countries for many of the players, Roma will be aiming to build on the momentum they gained before the break. One player who enjoyed particular success while on international duty was Edin Dzeko, who entered the top 10 highest goalscorers of all-time for a European nation by scoring a brace for Bosnia-Herzegovina against Northern Ireland. With Patrik Schick ruled out of the matchday squad with a minor injury, Dzeko is practically certain to start, and will be looking to continue his good form in front of goal. Due to Schick’s absence, Primavera forward Gianmarco Cangiano has been called up to the squad. Assigned the number 54 shirt, it will be a valuable opportunity for him to learn the mechanisms of the first team, even if he doesn’t feature. Daniele De Rossi and Aleksandar Kolarov are also out injured, so there will be opportunities for other players to have a run in the first time. Di Francesco confirmed a place in the starting lineup for Luca Pellegrini at left-back, another display of faith in the young Roman. It will be the 19-year-old's second start for the first team. Javier Pastore has overcome his own battles with injury to return to the matchday squad. It’s unlikely that he will slot straight back into the starting lineup, but his presence will be a boost to the squad at a time when several players are injured or fatigued. SPAL have had a decent start to the season with three wins and five losses. And even though four of those losses have come on the bounce in their most recent four fixtures, they will look to give Roma a game, having pushed Inter close before the break. Roma will have to keep an eye on key men such as Manuel Lazzari, Alberto Paloschi and Andrea Petagna, the latter two having each scored two goals this season. The game kicks off at 2pm UK time. Expected Roma lineup: Olsen, Santon, Manolas, Fazio, Luca Pellegrini, Nzonzi, Cristante, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Under, Dzeko, El Shaarawy Four wins out of four. Three clean sheets in that time. You'd think that now would be a bad time to break up that momentum. However, there's nothing Roma can do as 12 of their players jet off for the international break.
Key first team players such as Edin Dzeko, Steven Nzonzi and Alessandro Florenzi will all be featuring for their countries over the next week, with Roma's upwards momentum set to be disrupted. Aleksandar Kolarov is another player who clearly needs rest, but will be turning out for his nation. After finally finding their rhythm this season, Roma are set to come off the boil and will have to start all over again when their international players return. Of course, there's nothing that can be done about this. The international break is a fixed part of the football calendar, and the fact that so many of the squad have been called up to represent their countries reflects well on Roma's current form. Yes, it's not ideal that Roma's momentum is being disrupted by this break, but all good teams are adaptable, and the Giallorossi will have to show that they can adapt to these circumstances, so they can resume the league season in the most positive manner. Some factors will play into Roma's hands here. While many complain about the lack of rest players get due to their international commitments, Roma have several first team players who have not been called up. Davide Santon, Stephan El Shaarawy and Federico Fazio have all played key roles at club level recently, but all will be staying in Rome over the next week after not getting the nod for their countries. This gives them ample time to rest, plus they will have more time with Eusebio Di Francesco, learning more about the way the coach wants them to play. Another player who will benefit from this break is Javier Pastore, who missed the last couple of games with injury. This small break in the action gives him more time to recover in a less pressurised environment. His return to fitness is less time critical now, and if he recovers by the end of next week, it'll mean he'll have missed less games than he would have done had the international break not come around now. Roma found a positive rhythm using a new 4-2-3-1 system before the break, and this small window of opportunity will give Di Francesco a chance to reflect and refine it. In the same way that the emergency training camp that took place after the loss to Bologna had a positive impact on the team, these few days can give the team further time to learn about Di Francesco's change in methods, ensuring they become a fully functioning machine when domestic action resumes. It's now time for the squad to regroup. They've done well over the last couple of weeks, and now some of them get the chance to rest and reflect, helping them to improve even further. It's almost like a boxer who is close to knocking their opponent out, but then the bell for the end of the round sounds. It's frustrating, but the momentum will still be with them when the next round begins. They'll get another chance soon enough. Roma's fixtures immediately after the break should test the quality and depth of the squad. After the matchup with SPAL that sees club action resume, Roma face CSKA Moscow twice, as well as Napoli, Fiorentina and Sampdoria within the next month. These are all potentially challenging games, and it's important for the squad to recuperate now, so they can prepare in the most effective way. You wouldn't start climbing a mountain if you were out of breath. This is the right time for Roma to re-focus themselves and make sure they are energised before the challenges ahead. Of course it would have been nice for club football to have continued for another week or so, for Roma to have made it five wins in a row before the momentum was halted. But with the right balance in training sessions, the side can easily pick up where they left off when they face SPAL in 10 days' time. This is the perfect opportunity to plan for the upcoming battles, to make sure Roma finish October as strongly as they started it. After five games without a win, Roma's season finally got back on track on Wednesday night with a 4-0 thrashing of Frosinone. The Giallorossi took an early lead through Cengiz Under and never looked back, going three goals up before half-time. Aleksandar Kolarov added a fourth in the second half to mark Daniele De Rossi's 600th Roma appearance with a win. There was also a Roma debut, as young full-back Luca Pellegrini replaced the captain late on for his first senior appearance. Here's a look at all the goals. Goal one: Cengiz Under (1-0) Roma needed to make a statement after a run of poor results, and what better way to do so than with a goal in the opening few minutes. Cengiz Under got his first goal of the season in quite some style. Picking up the ball just inside the Frosinone half, the Turkish winger nutmegged one opponent before dribbling past another. Under always plays with a direct, forward momentum, and his approach paid dividends as he found an opportunity to shoot from outside the box. He let fly with his left foot, and despite a fingertip from goalkeeper Marco Sportiello, the ball ended up in the bottom corner. It was Cengiz's commitment to running at opponents which made the goal, and the way he struck the ball meant it couldn't be stopped by Sportiello. Goal two: Javier Pastore (2-0) Pastore scored his first goal of the season against Atalanta with a backheel, and he used the same technique again to double his tally for the campaign. Davide Santon got the ball on the right wing, looked up and saw Pastore hovering on the edge of the box. Santon caught the defence out with a square pass to his teammate, who had bypassed a midfielder with his run. When Pastore got in front of his marker in the box, Santon timed the pass well, and Pastore found the far corner with another backheel. He didn't even need to look where the goal was, using spatial awareness and instinct. He played the ball cleanly with the inside of his foot, and it ran into the bottom corner. Goal three: Stephan El Shaarawy (3-0) Restored to the starting lineup, El Shaarawy contributed with a goal to give Roma a virtually unassailable lead going into the break. As Cengiz once again drove directly at defenders and broke into the box, El Shaarawy ghosted in at the back post. As the Frosinone defensive line got caught all over the place, Cengiz was left with a simple square pass to play to his opposite winger. El Shaarawy's pace, movement and intelligence allowed him to get into a scoring position, leaving him with a tap in into an empty net - much like his other goal this season, against Chievo. El Shaarawy was calm and composed, brushing the ball with ease into the goal. Goal four: Aleksandar Kolarov (4-0) Having been brought on for his debut, Luca Pellegrini was keen to make the most of the opportunity. And that he did, as he claimed an assist for the final goal. Running down the left wing, he drifted into the box, using strength to hold off an opponent. Pellegrini was determined and wasn't going to get out-muscled easily. Once in the box, he spotted Kolarov, unmarked, in a central position. Kolarov had shown desire to get into the box at a late stage of the game, showing a professional attitude. Knowing he had space, he calmly controlled the ball on his right foot, before shooting with his preferred left, opening up his body to allow him to place the ball at the right angle. It smashed the underside of the crossbar and bounced over the line to wrap up a convincing win. Highlights from Serie A YouTube
Roma will be looking to bounce back from recent disappointments as they travel to Bologna on Sunday afternoon.
Eusebio Di Francesco's side have only won one game this season, most recently being outclassed by Real Madrid on Wednesday. Now it's time to return to domestic action, and to try and find a way to kickstart the season. Di Francesco confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Justin Kluivert will start the game. The young Dutch attacker sat out the loss to Real Madrid, but has shown glimpses of quality when coming on, so he will be hoping to take the opportunity in his stride. It will be his first start in a Roma shirt, and he will be aiming to show his coach what he can bring to the side in a bid to gain more starts further down the line. Returning to the squad is Javier Pastore, who also missed the match with Real. The attacking midfielder may not start the game, but knows he has some critics to prove wrong if called upon. For his age, he has a large transfer price to justify, and his recent comments that PSG will remain the best club he has ever played for will not have gone down well with sections of the Roma crowd. He needs to get back on track with some strong performances in upcoming weeks. Rick Karsdorp and Ante Coric are missing from the squad to face Bologna, with the latter still awaiting his Roma debut. The reasons for Coric's continued absence are unclear, with the midfielder not appearing to be suffering from injury. He may soon start to grow anxious over his lack of playing time following his summer move from Dinamo Zagreb. Bologna have not started the season well, and are without a win - or even a goal - so far. They have lost to SPAL, Inter and Genoa, while drawing 0-0 with Frosinone. However, they had more luck in their Coppa Italia third round tie versus Padova, which they won 2-0. Managed by Filippo Inzaghi, who has taken his first Serie A job since leaving AC Milan in 2015, their squad includes former Roma players Lukasz Skorupski, who featured in a swap deal with Antonio Mirante this summer, and Mattia Destro, the striker who now serves as vice-captain for the club, and is playing under Inzaghi again after their brief stint together at Milan in 2015. Former Roma youth player Arturo Calabresi also joined the club in the summer, but has only featured in the Coppa win over Padova so far. The game kicks off at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara at 2pm UK time today. With the summer transfer window now closed across all of the major European leagues, here's a look back at all the transfers involving Roma this summer, including the ones you might have missed.
This extensive list covers not only first team transfers, but transactions at Primavera and youth level as well. In: Ante Coric (€6m, Dinamo Zagreb) Ivan Marcano (free, Porto) Bryan Cristante (€5m loan + €15m obligation to buy, Atalanta) Justin Kluivert (€17.25m, Ajax) Antonio Mirante (€4m, Bologna) Javier Pastore (€24.7m, PSG) Davide Santon (€9.5m, Inter) Nicolo Zaniolo (€4.5m, Inter) William Bianda (€6m + bonuses, Lens) Daniel Fuzato (€450k, Palmeiras) Robin Olsen (€8.5m + bonuses, FC Copenhagen) Steven Nzonzi (€26.65m + bonuses, Sevilla) Nicolo Buso (free, Cesena Primavera) Gennaro Nigro (undisclosed, Players Academy) Pietro Boer (undisclosed, Venezia Giovanili) Out: Bogdan Lobont (retired) Arturo Calabresi (€200k, Bologna) Marco Tumminello (€6m, Atalanta) Lukasz Skorupski (€9m, Bologna) Radja Nainggolan (€24m, Inter) Alisson Becker (€62.5m + bonuses, Liverpool) Leandro Castan (free, Vasco Da Gama) Kevin Strootman (€25m, Marseille) Bruno Peres (loan + €6m option to buy, Sao Paulo) Umar Sadiq (loan, Rangers) Mirko Antonucci (loan, Pescara) Elio Capradossi (loan, Spezia) Gerson (loan, Fiorentina) Ezequiel Ponce (loan + option to buy, AEK Athens) Moustapha Seck (loan, Almere City) Edoardo Soleri (loan, Almere City) Gregoire Defrel (loan + option to buy, Sampdoria) Daniele Verde (loan, Real Valladolid) Maxime Gonalons (loan, Sevilla) Jose Machin (€800k, Pescara - last year's loan made permanent) Norbert Gyomber (€500k, Perugia) Juan Manuel Iturbe (€5m, Club Tijuana - last year's loan made permanent) Ervin Zukanovic (€1.2m, Genoa - last year's loan made permanent) Nicola Falasco (€90k, Avellino - last year's loan made permanent) Giammario Piscitella (free, Carpi) Kevin Mendez (undisclosed, Karpaty) Christian D'Urso (loan, Apollon Smyrnis) Matteo Ricci (undisclosed, Spezia) Lorenzo Di Livio (loan, Siena) Alessandro Bordin (loan, Perugia) Emanuele Spinozzi (loan, Piacenza) Eros De Santis (undisclosed, Siena) Ismail H'Maidat (released) Jacopo Ferri (released) Conor Borg (free, Hamrum Sport) Luca Petrungaro (free, Torino Primavera) Filippo Franchi (free, Matelica) Stefano Ciavattini (free, Reggina) Matias Nani (free, Belgrano) Giacomo Molinari (free, Catania Primavera) Rezan Corlu (loan, Lyngby BK) Niccolo Tofanari (undisclosed, Gubbio) Keba Coly (loan, Ascoli) Andrea Romagnoli (loan, Renate) George Ganea (undisclosed, Cluj) Lorenzo Crisanto (loan, Pistoiese) Lorenzo Valeau (loan, Ascoli) Lirim Kastrati (undisclosed, Bologna Primavera) Maoudo Diallo (undisclosed, Sconosciuto) Dario Anatrella (free, Paganese Primavera) Riccardo Cataldi (loan, Venezia Primavera) Francesco Laurenzi (undisclosed, Torino Primavera) Alessandro Barbarossa (loan, Perugia Primavera) Alessio Giuliani (released) Matteo Marini (released) Francesco Proietto (released) Marco Carruolo (released) Roma's first home game of the season ended as a 3-3 draw against Atalanta on Monday night. Javier Pastore opened the scoring early on, before the away side put themselves 3-1 in front. Roma had to claw their way back into the game, scoring two second half goals to secure the draw. It means Roma are on four points from two games. Here is a detailed look at all six goals. Goal one: Pastore (1-0) Pastore scored his first goal for the club in quite some style. The move began on the right flank, as Alessandro Florenzi threaded it through to Cengiz Under. The Turkish winger cut back onto his favoured left foot to deliver a cross, easily beating the defender, whose momentum took him beyond Under. The cross was lightly weighted, meaning it was falling just in front of Pastore, who had run closer to the near post. With the ball dropping as it approached Pastore, the summer signing expertly backheeled it into the bottom corner. It showed excellent spatial awareness from Pastore and great technique. Goal two: Castagne (1-1) Atalanta found an equaliser just under 20 minutes in. Duvan Zapata dribbled down the right wing, unleashing a shot which smashed back off the post. Timothy Castagne arrived just in time to tap the ball into the net. The most striking thing about this goal from a Roma perspective was the positioning of Federico Fazio. 'Il Comandante' was caught too high up the pitch, and didn't have the sufficient pace to get back. Consequently, he couldn't keep up with Castagne as he jogged into the box. Yes, there was a hint of misfortune with the way the ball rebounded straight into Castagne's path, but Fazio could've done more to prevent him receiving the ball. Goal three: Rigoni (1-2) If the first Atalanta goal was bad, the second was even worse. Kostas Manolas stumbled over the ball with his back to goal in a right-back position, allowing Zapata to run at goal. Manolas was able to keep within touching distance of him as he sprinted back, but a clever chop from Zapata opened up new space and took Manolas out of the game. Fazio then failed to intercept Zapata's ball across, leading to a simple one-on-one finish for Emiliano Rigoni. Goal four: Rigoni (1-3) Roma's centre back partnership of Manolas and Fazio were put under the spotlight again for Atalanta's third goal. Fazio came out of position to try and dispossess Rigoni - which he wouldn't have had to do if one of the midfielders had stopped the simple ball into Rigoni's path. Daniele De Rossi in particular was too high up the pitch as he went to close down a defender, a job which could have - and should have - been done by Pastore. Rigoni quickly flicked the ball round Fazio as the Argentinian rushed on, carrying on his run so that Mario Pasalic could play him in. Manolas couldn't block the pass, leaving Rigoni one-one-one again. The midfielder pulled off a lethal finish, despite Florenzi's best efforts to recover ground, beating Robin Olsen at his near post to make it 3-1 at half time. Goal five: Florenzi (2-3) After being involved in the build up for Roma's first goal, Florenzi got on the scoresheet himself on the hour mark. The right-back clipped the ball forward to Edin Dzeko, who chested the ball down and held it up as Florenzi followed his pass. As Dzeko turned, Florenzi took the ball off him and dribbled towards goal. Space opened up for him as Atalanta's defence backed off, with the centre-back distracted by Pastore's movement towards the right. Florenzi then sidefooted the ball down the middle of the goal and under the keeper's body to set up a comeback. Goal six: Manolas (3-3) Now an expert in sealing late comebacks, Manolas scored the equaliser in the 82nd minute. Pastore's free kick was played at just the right height to catch out the Atalanta defence, sailing over Zapata's head as the striker attempted to clear it, with Manolas running to the far post. The timing of Manolas' run allowed him to meet the ball for a simple tap in. He managed to set his feet right so that he could cushion the ball into the goal with the inside of his foot, securing redemption for Roma. Final thoughts The goals conceded by Roma highlight clear areas for improvement in the defensive phase. The Giallorossi cannot afford to make such defensive mistakes against clinical opponents like Atalanta, and that requires hard work all over the pitch. However, at the other end, Pastore has importantly got off the mark in a Roma shirt, and two of the club's longest serving players ensured Roma earned a point. It's always satisfying when the team's most passionate players score, and they will be hoping to have opportunities to add to their tallies over the next few months. Highlights courtesy of Serie A YouTube
Roma's season began with a 1-0 win over Torino yesterday, as Edin Dzeko scored a magnificent volley late on to send Roma home with three points.
Torino had a goal disallowed by VAR for offside earlier in the match. Robin Olsen and Javier Pastore made their first starts for Roma, while Justin Kluivert and Bryan Cristante came on from the bench for their club debuts. Here is how Twitter reacted during and after the game.
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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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