GIALLOROSSI YORKSHIRE BLOG
Roma's disastrous 2018-19 campaign continued with an embarrassing 4-1 loss to Napoli on Sunday afternoon, in which the Giallorossi were played off their own park at Stadio Olimpico.
After Napoli took an early lead through a powerful close-range Arkadiusz Milik effort, the game only looked like going one way, and Roma's worst fears were confirmed. Despite Diego Perotti's penalty giving Claudio Ranieri's side a lifeline on the stroke of half-time, Napoli were able to exploit the shaky Roma backline in the second half, with Dries Mertens, Simone Verdi and Amin Younes rounding out the win for Carlo Ancelotti's men. There will no doubt be repercussions for several members of this squad at the end of the season, as their misery was compounded. This was not an isolated negative performance, but just another in a long list of showings that just haven't been good enough in 2018-19. Here are the major talking points from the game. Experienced players let Roma down Napoli's quick attacking play cut through Roma's defence like a knife through butter, with each member of the back four culpable of mistakes. The man often seen as Roma's only beacon of hope at the back, Kostas Manolas, didn't cover himself in glory in the first half by picking up a needless yellow card for tugging on an opponent's shirt in the buildup to a disallowed Napoli goal. Manolas' booking means the centre-back will now be suspended for Roma's clash with Fiorentina, further adding to the side's difficulties at the moment. It was a moment of immaturity from a player who, at 27 years of age and with over 200 Roma appearances to his name, should know a lot better. Likewise, Aleksandar Kolarov's booking came from a similar situation. He didn't need to pull his opponent's shirt, as Federico Fazio was covering. Kolarov is another player who is meant to be a senior member of the squad, but he certainly didn't show it, and it nearly led to a goal from a free kick. These players are supposed to be examples, but they are playing like youngsters at the minute. Back to Manolas, and it's not the first time he has made a formerly-uncharacteristic mistake this season, and it begs the question: how long will he still be considered an unsellable player? He has long been heralded as untouchable, too important to Roma's defence to let go. But this year he has not lived up to his usual standards, and if Roma need to raise money in the summer, then maybe it's time for his five-year spell at the club to come to an end. It's easy to blame Juan Jesus or Fazio, but their expectations are lower, and Manolas has been equally as poor at times this term. Maybe his importance to Roma has been overstated and it's time to move on. Dzeko should have been replaced earlier It feels a touch harsh to overly criticise Claudio Ranieri, given the squad he inherited and the fact that he is only managing the club on an interim basis. However, he should have taken Edin Dzeko off at half-time. The striker was clearly limping, and wasn't contributing much anyway, so it would have been better to put on a player who could move more freely. Instead, Dzeko played through the pain, and it wasn't to the side's benefit. Ranieri's decision to take Patrik Schick off just after the hour mark was a poor one - Schick had won Roma's penalty thanks to his movement and could have offered more in a central role. Dzeko should have departed instead, and he put himself at risk of aggravating an injury by staying on. Players lack the passion to put 100% in Napoli were clearly a level above Roma, but that shouldn't have stopped the Giallorossi putting an effort in. Too many times, the Roma players were found jogging, with no sense of urgency to defend. This wasn't just when the game was out of reach, but when the scoreline was still at 1-0 in the first half. Napoli's third goal came from a counter attack from Roma's corner, and the way some of Ranieri's men jogged back was inexcusable. It was almost like they had consigned themselves to the fact that they were going to concede, and just gave up. In fairness, Fazio did make a decent effort to get back - it's not his fault he lacks pace, and he tried his best to keep up. But his centre-back partner Manolas, the one who does have some speed, was nowhere to be seen. If Roma are to get out of the current mess they are in, they need the players to put maximum effort in. There is no room for jogging. These players shouldn't have been tired - they've had time off in the international break. It makes you question just how much they want to be here. Any positives to take? Realistically, no player rated above a five out of 10. But, as stated, Fazio's effort was commendable. He also put in a big block to deny Younes, which stood out. Yes, he has made many errors this season, but at least his effort is there. The same can't be said for many of this team. Likewise, not everything came off for his compatriot Diego Perotti, but the winger tried to make things happen. He stepped up when the side needed a cool head to level things up with the penalty, and as usual made no mistake from the spot. He remains a divisive figure among the fanbase, but he is trying to be a leader. The quality is lacking from the entire team at present, so the ones who are putting an effort in are the ones who deserve praise. Like them or not, on Sunday that was Fazio and Perotti more than anyone else. The Monchi excuse is getting tired To anyone with objectivity, it was clear from the summer that Monchi's work in the transfer window had not been good enough. The sporting director spent far too much money on far too many average players, and failed to replace the experience he removed with the sales of Radja Nainggolan and Kevin Strootman. With Roma suffering under Eusebio Di Francesco and now Ranieri, the coaches have been absolved of some blame. It's only gone to prove that Monchi is the one who should be held accountable, and that his work in the summer was an absolute horror show. However, as horrendous as the job Monchi did was, it's getting too easy to just blame him. Some of the players need to take a long, hard look at themselves. They should question their attitude, desire and performance levels. Only a few will be spared this summer if Roma drop further down the table. It's up to them to ensure that doesn't happen. Yes, the simple answer is sometimes the most accurate. The simplest answer for this crisis is that Monchi left the club in a wreck with a series of terrible decisions. But now that he's gone, Roma need to emerge from his shadow. To do so, the players, staff and ownership need to take some responsibility themselves. With the condition as critical as it is, there can be no more room for basic excuses. Everyone at the club is in this together, and now is the time to step forward. By just blaming someone who isn't at the club any more, it makes it sound like it doesn't matter to those who still are. Europa League qualification now in danger With nine games left, Roma find themselves three places adrift of their target - a top four finish. If the league was to finish today, they would miss out even on Europa League football next season. With two tricky matches coming up this week, against Fiorentina and Sampdoria (the latter of which could see the opponents leapfrog Roma and push them even further away from the European spots), it's going to be a make-or-break period. Roma cannot afford to lose both matches, or they may be out of the European equation altogether. After last season's success in the Champions League, that's not acceptable. However, it's starting to look alarmingly possible.
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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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