GIALLOROSSI YORKSHIRE BLOG
Roma lost 3-0 to Real Madrid on their Champions League return, kicking off the 2018-19 European season in defeat.
Isco scored a free kick on the stroke of half-time to put the 13-time European champions ahead, before Gareth Bale and Mariano Diaz completed the scoring in the second period. As a result, Roma remain winless since the opening day of the season. Here are the main talking points from the match. Zaniolo's baptism of fire Nicolo Zaniolo was certainly thrown in at the deep end, given his first Roma start away at the home of the Champions League holders. There couldn't have been many tougher starts for the 19-year-old, who has never played in Serie A. Not only was he up against one of the best teams in the world, his personal battle was against the world's best midfielder, Luka Modric. Zaniolo did alright on his debut, but was nothing spectacular, and certainly didn't announce himself on the world stage as a wonderkid. He did get a decent share of the ball, but gave it away a few too many times. He needs to improve his composure if he is to play in games like these at this stage of his career. Eusebio Di Francesco's decision to give him his Roma debut in this game will be put under question; surely he should've played a Serie A game beforehand to get used to the pace of top flight football. Meanwhile, Ante Coric, who is also yet to feature in the league, was sat at home, not called up to the squad. Coric has experience of the Champions League from his time with Dinamo Zagreb, so could have been a better option. Nonetheless, Zaniolo did alright, and he certainly deserves to be given some opportunities in more games further down the line, although preferably in easier games than this. Ultimately, he was thrown into the lions' den, and while he came out relatively unscathed, the lions definitely won the battle. Full-backs go missing Real Madrid had a lot of joy down either wing, with Isco and Gareth Bale causing problems for Alessandro Florenzi and Aleksandar Kolarov respectively. Too many times, the full-back duo were caught wrong side of their marker; sometimes, they were nowhere to be seen. Both offer an outlet as an attacking threat, but in a game like this, Di Francesco needed his full-backs to play a bit deeper than usual, to limit the threat from Real's stars. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, and Real reaped the benefits of using the width when Roma's full-backs were stranded high up the pitch. Midfield press still needs improvement It was a problem in Sunday's game against Chievo, and it was a problem once again last night. Roma's midfield didn't press the ball quickly enough, allowing Real Madrid to thread balls through and control possession. It's understandable why Roma might have wanted to sit deeper than they usually would, but more energy was needed when closing down the ball. When closing down an opponent, the final yard is the most important, but the midfield trio of Daniele De Rossi, Steven Nzonzi and Zaniolo didn't get there quick enough. Consequently, Real dominated the ball as expected, while Roma offered little resistance. Olsen keeps the score down A few eyebrows were raised when Roma signed Robin Olsen in the summer, and while he's no Alisson, he played his part in this game. The Sweden number one made several decent saves to keep Real at bay. The scoreline could've been much larger in Real's favour, but Olsen was always on his toes, tipping shots over the bar or around the corner. In total, he made eight saves to relieve the intense Real pressure. Travelling support was excellent Shifting the attention away from the pitch, Roma's fans were excellent throughout. The Bernabeu is one of the most intimidating stadiums in Europe, and the Real fans certainly showed they know how to make a noise last night. However, the Roma fans who had travelled to Spain were still audible for large sections of the game, their support unwavering. Sadly, it couldn't inspire the team to perform better on the pitch, but the players should appreciate the levels of support they were given by the crowd.
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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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