GIALLOROSSI YORKSHIRE BLOG
Roma gave themselves another mountain to climb in the Champions League last night, falling 5-2 to Liverpool in the semi final first leg.
The hosts went 5-0 up before Edin Dzeko and Diego Perotti (penalty) clinched two away goals late on, to leave optimistic Roma fans wondering if there could be a way back into the tie. However, despite the late goals, it was a poor performance from Roma, who were mostly outplayed. Former teammate Mohamed Salah was instrumental with two goals and two assists, and was visibly apologetic for inflicting such pain on his old club. Set pieces undo Roma Warning signals were sent in the first half for Roma when Dejan Lovren hit the bar with a free header from a corner, with the score at 1-0. Roma showed little to no defensive organisation from corners, with poor marking and no one attacking the space. Lessons were not learned from this Lovren chance, as Liverpool went on to score their final goal from a corner. Defending corners should be basic for any team, but Roma looked in danger whenever they conceded a set piece. Too much space given to Liverpool players Eusebio Di Francesco sent his Roma side out to play with a high defensive line, and it caused all sorts of problems at the back. Rarely did the defensive three/five stay in a flat line, keeping Liverpool players onside and with plenty of space to attack. Further upfield, the pressing was not as intense as it was against Barcelona, meaning Liverpool's midfielders could dictate the play. In contrast, Liverpool closed Roma down often, forcing the side into mistakes and not giving them any time to play with. Roma ineffective at keeping possession Partly as a result of Liverpool's press (and partly out of pure bad play), Roma were poor at keeping the ball. Possession was given away far too frequently for the side to be able to stage many meaningful attacks. Statistically, Roma actually had more possession (just) and better pass completion, but it didn't look like it. The team tried to play football in the wrong areas, often getting basics like the weight of pass wrong, and letting Liverpool in. Roma's players will need to be calmer on the ball in future. Final thoughts There's now a nervous wait until the second leg, as fans wait to see if Roma can pull off another miracle and win by three goals, just like against Barcelona. It won't be easy, but the first goal will be crucial. Whichever way it goes will give that side an impetus. But along with chasing goals, Roma must learn some defensive lessons from where they went wrong last night, unless they want to make their task even harder.
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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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