GIALLOROSSI YORKSHIRE BLOG
To round off the individual reviews of Roma's squad last season, let's evaluate the forwards' campaigns.
Diego Perotti Average Rating: 7.13 Man of the Match: 3 times Season Rating: 7 What began in blistering fashion, turned out to be a disrupted season for winger Diego Perotti. Until the end of 2016, he was in superb form, and also showed how cool and reliable he is from the penalty spot. Sadly, the second half of his season saw him succumb to a couple of minor injuries, which stinted his gametime. When he did play again, he continued to remind us of his superb technical ability. He is also clearly a two-footed player, which is a gift for any coach looking to utilise different options in attack. Eusebio Di Francesco reportedly instructed the club to keep hold of him before he joined up as head coach on Tuesday, meaning he could be in store for an excellent next season. Edin Dzeko Average Rating: 6.66 Man of the Match: Once Season Rating: 7.5 The best way to answer your critics is to perform well on the pitch. That's exactly what Edin Dzeko did this season, putting the misery of the prior campaign behind him. In 2016/17 he scored 29 league goals, equaling Rodolfo Volk's record for Roma that had stood since 1930/31. He joined an illustrious club of only four Roma players to score over 30 goals in a season in all competitions, joining Volk, Pedro Manfredini, and, of course, Francesco Totti. Not only that, he also impressed by working tirelessly from the front for the good of the team. He will hope to continue the same form into 2017/18. Mohamed Salah Average Rating: 7.96 Man of the Match: 5 times Season Rating: 8.5 Another phenomenal season for the lightning-quick Egyptian, 2016/17 saw Mohamed Salah bag double figures for goals and assists - a feat only matched by Marek Hamsik, Jose Callejon and Alejandro Gomez in Serie A. He found consistency and matured, his hat trick against Bologna in November being a standout moment. His pace and technical skill saw him become an outlet for Roma, the rest of the team knowing he could be used effectively on the counter attack, catching any teams using wingbacks off guard. Whilst he still leaves something to be desired on occasion - a right foot, to be specific - he is starting to find the best form of his career, and it is no surprise that Liverpool are heavily interested in him. Thanks to the season he has just had, he will not be leaving Roma for any cheap price. Stephan El Shaarawy Average Rating: 7.12 Man of the Match: None Season Rating: 6.5 El Shaarawy's season worked in the opposite way to Perotti's - especially given they were competing for the same position. In the first half of the season, El Shaarawy became almost a forgotten man, only getting slight glimpses of time on the pitch. However, with the turn of the New Year, he found an opportunity, thanks to Perotti's injuries and Mohamed Salah's absence at the African Cup Of Nations. In these times, he showed enough hard work and good form to retain a place in the side, leading to selection headaches for Luciano Spalletti. From March on in particular, he really earned his place in the side. He also recorded a hat trick of assists for the first time in his career, in the 4-1 win over Pescara in April. However, El Shaarawy will have to be more consistent if he wants to succeed personally next season - only time will tell if he is able to. Francesco Totti Average Rating: 6.5 Man of the Match: Once Season Rating: 6 And so the curtain closes on the most glistening career of any player in Roma history. Totti's farewell season saw him mainly appear from the bench, for limited spells. He could not run as fast as he once could - or for as long as he once could - but Il Capitano was still eager to make a contribution to the team. His handful of starts were restricted to mainly cup matches, but despite his decreasing time on the pitch, he still showed his skillful qualities and expert range of passing. When he played, he was eager to follow the ball wherever it went, to get as many touches as possible - until his last match of the season against Genoa, when he stayed higher up the pitch, desperate to score just one more time. That goal did not come, but he was certainly insistent on having the last touch of the game, protecting the ball in the corner until the final whistle blew. True, Totti's season didn't quite have the romance of the one before, where he saved the team from the bench on several occasions with late goals, but you would be foolish to not recognise the technical ability that Totti clearly still possesses. But now, it is sadly time for him to move on to the next stage of his life - let's hope it stays Roma related. Roma's front line had a successful year, as the team secured a record number of league goals in their history. There perhaps weren't enough alternative options - Di Francesco has confirmed in his first press conference as Roma boss that his ideal squad features six top class forwards - but the players Roma did have showed no signs of feeling any pressure, and helped to lead the team to success. And so concludes Giallorossi Yorkshire's individual player reviews of 2016/17. Stay tuned to this website over the next couple of weeks, as I will round off my look back at last year with my nominations for player awards.
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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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