GIALLOROSSI YORKSHIRE BLOG
After nearly two years in charge of Roma, Eusebio Di Francesco has left his role as the club's head coach.
Di Francesco's tenure will be remembered for a series of highs and lows, some of which were joyful, others frustrating. Here are four each of his biggest successes and failures during his time as Roma manager. Successes Champions League comeback against Barcelona It will go down in history as the most memorable night of Di Francesco's time as Roma coach. When the Giallorossi overturned a three-goal deficit by outplaying the five-time European champions, the football world stood still. All eyes were on Roma as they pulled off a miracle. Di Francesco's role in that triumph cannot be understated. It was he who made a bold decision to switch to a back-three, and it was justified, as several players put in the performances of their lives. He always thrived in an underdog role in previous jobs, and once again, EDF delivered when nobody expected him to. Outplaying Chelsea in the CL group stages Before that quarter-final victory, Roma had been involved in two dramatic group stage matches with Chelsea. The away tie, a 3-3 draw, saw the Lupi play with spirit and determination. Edin Dzeko's emphatic volley was easily the best goal the side scored all season. The home fixture was even better, as Roma dominated in a 3-0 win. Di Francesco's Roma showed they could compete with the best in Europe. Giving Nicolo Zaniolo a key role One of the standout stories this season has been the surprise emergence of Nicolo Zaniolo. The young Italian midfielder was signed from Inter in the summer, and even though Monchi takes the credit for his arrival, Di Francesco should be praised for giving him the platform on which to succeed. Instead of being loaned out as initially planned, Zaniolo stayed at the club, and EDF put faith in him, handing him a debut against Real Madrid, of all sides. Admittedly, Di Francesco has sometimes deployed Zaniolo in positions that won't aid his development, but overall, he should be recognised for his role in allowing the 19-year-old to flourish. Finding Lorenzo Pellegrini's best position Coming into Roma in 2017, Di Francesco was inheriting a squad he had little familiarity with. However, one player who came with him from Sassuolo was Roma youth product Pellegrini. The midfielder showed signs of being a good player in his first year, but was inconsistent. In 2018-19, EDF moved him into a more attacking midfield role, and it has allowed Pellegrini to thrive and contribute to more goals. The Italian midfielder remains adaptable and has filled in in deeper positions still, but his creativity has really come to the fore when he has been deployed as a trequartista. Failures Coppa Italia defeat to Fiorentina This one was really uncomfortable viewing. Roma were outplayed by La Viola as they slumped to a 7-1 loss. Di Francesco's preference for a high back line didn't help, and the players did not appear motivated. It was an awful night for the Giallorossi, and it really began to suggest that EDF was running out of time. First leg semi-final loss to Liverpool After completing the remarkable against Barcelona, expectations were high for Roma's next Champions League game. They were closer to a final than they'd ever been in the UCL era, and while Liverpool were a strong side, it was the best draw Roma could have asked for. Unfortunately, Roma were absolutely annihilated, as the Reds took a five-goal lead. The choice of a back three was this time a poor one, as it gave too much space for Liverpool's pacy front trio to attack. Even though Roma nearly clawed the tie back in the second leg, the decisions during the first fixture made the job far too difficult. Management of Justin Kluivert While EDF did give space to youngsters like Zaniolo and Cengiz Under, some others have been frozen out to an extent. Kluivert was an exciting signing, but has not been given enough space in his debut season. Limited to just eight Serie A starts, the Dutch winger hasn't been able to build on the form he showed with Ajax. Certainly given that Under has been injured for large parts of this season, it's disappointing that EDF didn't call on Kluivert more. Tactical inflexiblity It's perhaps a little harsh to say Di Francesco was completely inflexible tactically. In his second season, he did change to a 4-2-3-1 to change the team's dimensions. However, in his first season, his strict insistence on a 4-3-3 did not help some of the team's strongest players. The shape has proved to be useful for the team on some occasions, but more often than not, EDF was tactically immature, and it meant Roma suffered. Overall thoughts The time was right for Di Francesco to move on, but not without regret. A promising coach and a former Roma player, he had the chance to build something special with the club. He sometimes showed he could be brilliant, but often left fans frustrated as Roma dropped points against smaller clubs. Sometimes those fans were too harsh on him - his job is far from easy, and expectations are often far too high - but there have been enough bad performances recently to suggest that this is the right decision. It's a shame that it didn't work out, but EDF has his flaws, and it's now time for Roma to move on.
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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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October 2019
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