GIALLOROSSI YORKSHIRE BLOG
Having watched replays of the games against Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona in the International Champions Cup, here are the lessons that have been learnt from Roma's pre-season outings.
The Tottenham game Despite going 1-0 up very early on through Patrik Schick, Roma lost their ICC opener 4-1, with all the goals coming in the first half. Eusebio Di Francesco's team selection featured a mixture of first team players such as Kostas Manolas and Cengiz Under, with new recruits such as Javier Pastore and Bryan Cristante also included from the start. The main concern that most fans have with Pastore is his ability to play as a mezz'ala (one of the outer central midfielders in a 4-3-3). In this game, Pastore showed at times that he might be better in the position than expected. Although he lost possession too easily on occasion, he was more switched on in the defensive phase than many would have thought. There's no doubting Pastore's talent - it's a question of whether or not he can be clinical enough in his new role. One of the most-criticised purchases of the summer is Davide Santon. However, he did reasonably well at right-back in this game, even if he could've reacted quicker to prevent Spurs' third goal. The ex-Inter man defended well in other periods of the game and looked comfortable on the ball. Roma signed a new defensive midfielder on Tuesday in the shape of Steven Nzonzi, but before that, the Tottenham match gave an insight into the other two players competing for the role. The divisive Maxime Gonalons started in the position, but showed no signs of improving on last season's performances. He was too slow to react to the game, and consequently was at fault for Tottenham's fourth goal - a passage of play which looked like it was happening at double the speed Gonalons thought it was (the same could be said for Santon in that Spurs attack). In contrast, Daniele De Rossi was much calmer and more confident in possession when he replaced the Frenchman. This outing proved that De Rossi needs to be ahead of Gonalons in the pecking order. Roma's young players had mixed success in the game. Luca Pellegrini started at left-back and looked alright, but still a little bit raw. Perhaps he's still one season away from being good enough for the first team. Late in the game, new signing William Bianda made a short cameo in the position, but struggled. Even Cengiz Under, expected to be Roma's starting right winger for the season, showed signs that he still has room for improvement. He showed his talent and potential last season, but this year he needs to deliver more regularly. He wasn't clinical enough in the game against Spurs, with his strange overhead kick finish a prime example. Hopefully, like last season, once he gets one goal, more will start flying in. There were positive signs from both Justin Kluivert and Ante Coric. The pair of substitutes brought something new to the game, Kluivert looking dangerous with his pace and Coric showing he is not afraid to shoot. Should Coric get chances with the first team this year, his willingness to go for goal will come in handy. Ratings: Mirante 6 Santon 7 Manolas 6 Jesus 6 Lu Pellegrini 5 Gonalons 6 Cristante 7 Pastore 6.5 Under 6 Schick 6 Perotti 5 Subs: Fuzato N/A Florenzi N/A Marcano 6 Bianda 4 De Rossi 7 Lo Pellegrini 6 Strootman 6 Kluivert 7 Dzeko 7 Coric 7 The Barcelona game Roma beat the La Liga champions 4-2, with goals coming from Stephan El Shaarawy, Alessandro Florenzi, Bryan Cristante and Diego Perotti. This game saw more first teamers come into the starting lineup, while Barcelona used the opportunity to test out some of their younger players. Roma started the game in a sluggish manner (travelling over 1,000 miles probably didn't help), but began to work hard and showed resilience, a characteristic we have become used to in Di Francesco's Roma. Kluivert, this time a starter, continued to impress, showing an impressive work rate. He was as fast going back as he was going forward; clearly, this is a young man determined to help the team in all areas of the pitch, with or without the ball. Robin Olsen, making his Roma debut in goal, was decent, making a couple of smart saves. The jury is still out over whether he'll be a success this season, but he got an important 45 minutes under his belt in a Roma jersey. Despite impressing against Spurs, Santon wasn't as good in this game, deployed as a left-back. It's a position he's used to playing, but the majority of Barcelona's attacks came down that flank, perhaps indicating room for improvement in the Italian's defensive play. Another summer signing who was a little shaky was Ivan Marcano. The centre-back has been brought in with a wealth of experience, but didn't look like he'll cause any problems for Kostas Manolas and Federico Fazio by breaking up their partnership. He wasn't dreadful - he just didn't look to be on the same level as Roma's current first-choice centre-backs. Someone who did make an impact, though, was Cristante. The midfielder helped pull Roma back into the game, also scoring his first goal in giallorosso. In the end, Roma's experience showed against the youthful Barca outfit, but it should be of concern that the Blaugrana youngsters managed to outperform Roma's seniors in sections of the game. Ratings: Olsen 7 Florenzi 7 Manolas 6 Marcano 5 Santon 5 De Rossi 6 Lo Pellegrini 6 Strootman 6 Kluivert 7 Dzeko 6 El Shaarawy 7 Subs: Mirante 6 Fazio 6 Jesus 7 Lu Pellegrini 7 Gonalons 6 Cristante 7 Pastore 6 Perotti 6 Schick 6 Crossover themes: In both games, we saw Roma looking resilient, but sometimes the team were too slow to react when defending in the box. This led to poor goals being conceded, which could have been prevented by better marking, or timing the jump before a header more accurately. However, Di Francesco will take positives from these experiences. Some of the new signings played well in both games, notably Cristante and Kluivert. These are players who can have an impact on the first team this year, and will help Roma gain points. One area that won't be as strong as last season is the goalkeeping department. Whilst Olsen did well in his outing, one theme that occurred between both him and Mirante in each game was poor distribution. Passes from the goal area sometimes went astray, which rarely happened under Alisson last season. This should improve with time, as the new keepers get to know the players in front of them better, but the defence will have to be switched on if it continues the way it has started. Few players played poorly in both games, but as discussed, Marcano has shown little to worry the established order. Further upfield, apart from his goal from the penalty spot against Barcelona, Diego Perotti was pretty ineffectual in both games, while Schick didn't see as much of the ball as he would've liked. He'll have to stay on his toes in games like these in the future to make the most of chances when they arrive. All in all, there have been some useful tests for Roma this pre-season. Fitness levels have been restored and Roma have learnt a lot about themselves as a unit. Di Francesco has got to know his new players, and some of them will have a big chance to make a positive impact this year. Even though the games were played at a good intensity, it will be quite different on Sunday, when the Serie A season gets underway against Torino. Competitive football is a different beast altogether. Roma will have to be ready, using the lessons they have learnt from pre-season to start the season in a positive manner.
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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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