Here's what Di Francesco must do for Roma to win the Scudetto
Despite losing last season’s MVP Mohamed Salah, star goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, manager Luciano Spalletti, and Roman god Francesco Totti, AS Roma shockingly only find themselves four points off the Serie A lead, despite one less match than leaders Napoli.
While grizzled veteran Aleksander Kolarov has been a revelation in his return to the San Siro, much of the remaining key players so far this year are holdovers from last. Their success is a testament to new manager Eusebio Di Francesco’s style and command of the club. However, despite what the standings will tell you, there are deep concerns about the make up of the squad that must be addressed.
It took a stoppage-time winner off Federico Fazio’s chest to lift Roma to a 1-0 victory over lowly Cagliari last night. The Giallorossi had dominated possession last night, but appeared on the verge of another deflating draw before the goal.
Fazio’s was Roma’s third goal in their last four of their last five matches (they won 3-1 against SPAL in between). On the face, that’s not terrible. However, those four matches were against Genoa, Qarabag, Chievo Verona, and Cagliari. Not exactly the “Murderers Row” of opposing defenses.
During the last four matches, Roma has dominated possession, and barely allowed their opponents into their own half of the pitch for extended times. However, it’s been Roma’s lack of creativity in the final third that cost them four points after drawing with Genoa and Chievo.
Di Francesco’s strategy is clear. Get the ball to the wing, and cross it in for Edin Dzeko to head home. In theory, it’s not a bad idea. Unfortunately for Roma they play in Serie A, where any club can adapt. As a result, their opponents have been keeping numbers inside the box and nullifying Dzeko’s size.
With offensive talents like Dzeko, Patrik Schick, Diego Perotti, Stephan El Shaarawy, Gegoire Defrel, and Cengiz Under, it’s imperative that Roma finds secondary scoring. They can’t rely, solely, on Dzeko’s size. They need for El Shaarawy, Schick, and Defrel to cut inside and create chances inside the box. They just can’t keep lobbing crosses into it. It’s a one-dimensional attack.
Now, with a healthy Schick, it’s up to the manager to get creative as he now needs to adjust. If he fails to do so, not only will Roma miss out on a very winnable Scudetto this season, they’ll miss out on Champions League in the next.