GIALLOROSSI YORKSHIRE BLOG
Roma's top four hopes suffered a setback yesterday with a 1-1 draw away at Genoa, leaving Claudio Ranieri's side three points behind with three games left.
It was a tight game, but Roma thought they had found the winner when Stephan El Shaarawy powered the ball home in the 82nd minute. However, a stoppage time equaliser from Cristian Romero meant it was a case of two points dropped for the Giallorossi. The result was nothing other than what Genoa deserved, having caused several problems for Roma's defence. In the end, their poor finishing - including Antonio Sanabria's missed penalty in stoppage time - spared Roma from defeat. If Krzysztof Piatek had still been at the club, then one has to wonder if it could have been a whole lot worse for Roma. Nonetheless, the top four race isn't over, and the performance wasn't as bad as some have made it out to be. Whilst it was definitely one of the lower points of Ranieri's brief tenure, there were some positive signs from individuals, that will give Roma hope of getting six points from their last three matches. It may not be enough to secure Champions League football, but in reality, fifth place would be an achievement given where the side was at Christmas. As the fallout continues from the game, here are the Giallorossi Yorkshire player ratings. Antonio Mirante - 6.5 It was probably Mirante's worst game since he usurped Robin Olsen as first choice. However, he still made some important saves throughout the game that Olsen probably wouldn't have managed. Mirante's positioning for Romero's goal should be called into question, as he didn't fully commit to punching the ball clear or staying on his goalline. Then, he gave away the penalty that could have handed Genoa all three points, but he made amends with a comfortable save from Sanabria's spot kick. Alessandro Florenzi - 7.5 Defensively, Florenzi still leaves something to be desired. He struggles to deal with crosses over his head, and it was a tactic Genoa could have utlised more to threaten Roma further. Offensively, however, it was Florenzi's best game in a while. He put in a number of inviting crosses - a quality that is often missing from his game - and got forward into some good positions. He was replaced late on after pulling up with a muscle injury. Kostas Manolas - 6 Manolas' underwhelming season continued as he found it difficult to deal with the pace of Christian Kouame. Genoa found no problems in getting at the Roma backline, and it was Manolas who was the weak link, with his reading of the play not the best. It wasn't a terrible performance, and thankfully none of his errors led to goals, but he is struggling to live up to his reputation at the minute. Federico Fazio - 7 Alongside Manolas, Fazio continued his upturn in form with a better display. 'Il Comandante' made a few important blocks, including one from a Kouame shot late on. He looks more confident than Manolas at present, and it will be critically important for Roma's season that he continues the way he is in the final three matches. Aleksandar Kolarov - 6.5 On the night, it was Kolarov's opposite full-back Florenzi who was delivering the majority of the better deliveries, which went against the usual plot. As for the Serbian, he didn't dominate his side of play like he sometimes can. He did occasionally indulge himself with his trademark chop, but he stopped short of breaking into the box like he sometimes does, ultimately making things easier for Genoa. Defensively, he struggled to keep pace, which is maybe why he was playing with more caution than usual. Bryan Cristante - 5.5 For a midfielder, Cristante's passing accuracy leaves something to be desired. Even when his passes did go to their intended target, he often put his teammates under pressure by playing the ball to them when they were being marked. There were a couple of better moments for him, when he tried switching the play, but his struggles in helping the team keep possession needs closer inspection from the coaching staff. Steven Nzonzi - 6.5 It was another better performance for Nzonzi, but he didn't quite grab the game by the scruff of the neck as he should be doing - or as the absent Daniele De Rossi would be. In his defence, he won several headers and made some good challenges. He's playing at a good level at the moment, but needs to make one more step up to reach the great levels which brought him to Roma in the first place. All in all though, not bad. Nicolo Zaniolo - 6 Once again, Zaniolo was a marked man, and it affected his output. Whilst he is more than capable of holding his own in a physical battle - just ask Domenico Criscito, who was outmuscled by him, fairly or otherwise, a couple of times - the very fact that he is being forced to get involved in them is affecting his ability to do what he does best. With his space and freedom restricted, he can't get the ball out of his feet and create things. There was one moment shortly before he was substituted, when he managed to break away inside and fire a shot in with his left foot, but his former Inter youth teammate Ionut Radu tipped it over. Lorenzo Pellegrini - 5 Perhaps one way that Zaniolo can rediscover his best is by being restored to a central position, and judging by Pellegrini's recent performances, he may get his opportunity soon. It's not through a lack of effort, but Pellegrini is not meeting the standards he reached earlier in the campaign. He found his time on the ball limited, and he was ultimately frustrated, being the first man to be withdrawn. Stephan El Shaarawy - 7.5 How many times is he going to be Roma's saviour? The winger got his 11th goal of the season with a cushioned left-footed volley, making it seem like he had inspired the side to victory again. He wanted to keep the celebration muted against his former club, but after a goal like that, he couldn't help himself break out into a little smile. He deserves all the plaudits he's getting, and is becoming more and more pivotal to Roma's potential success week by week. Edin Dzeko - 6 Technically got the assist for El Shaarawy's goal, nodding on Justin Kluivert's cross, but could have contributed more. Statistically, he had more shots than any other Roma player, but none of them really stick out in the mind, with just one of them being on target. He needs to get involved more, with better movement, if he wants to give himself a better chance of reaching double figures of league goals, needing two more from his last three games. Substitutes: Patrik Schick - 4 The first man to come on, Schick didn't do much with his 25 minutes on the pitch. He switched off and lost his man for the goal Genoa scored. Justin Kluivert - 4 Kluivert got 20 minutes on his 20th birthday, and he did get a card for the occasion - it was one of the yellow variety, given by the referee. Other than that, his major contribution was the cross that led to the goal. Rick Karsdorp - N/A Came on as a late replacement for Florenzi, making a return to action after not playing for a month due to injury. Coach: Claudio Ranieri - 5 Ranieri set Roma up a 4-2-3-1 formation which has become the norm in recent weeks. His decision to take Kluivert out of the starting lineup was not vindicated, as Zaniolo had a hard time of it out wide. Bringing the Dutchman on, as well as Schick, should have had an effect, but nothing much changed. Ranieri is trying his best for his team, but his faith in some players is perhaps not being repaid. Nonetheless, Roma would have lost this game earlier in the season. The minor improvement in mentality has coincided with Ranieri's tenure, and he will be making sure the players aren't resting on their laurels for the three games he has left with them.
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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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