Roma closed out the year with an emphatic 4-1 win at Fiorentina to ensure they end 2019 in the top four.
Edin Dzeko finished off a neat move involving Lorenzo Pellegrini and Nicolo Zaniolo to break the deadlock, with Aleksandar Kolarov scoring an excellent free kick shortly after.
The pace dropped off slightly for the rest of the first half, and Milan Badelj was allowed to pull one back for the hosts, but Roma were back on top in the second half, with goals from Pellegrini and Zaniolo putting the result beyond doubt.
Here’s how Giallorossi Yorkshire rated the players.
Pau Lopez – 7
Lopez continued his strong finish to 2019 with another impressive performance. Making several important saves, the only area that let him down was his distribution in the first half, as some of his passes fell short. However, with his hands, he was excellent. It took him some time to be tested this year, but now he is showing what he can do.
Alessandro Florenzi – 6
Paulo Fonseca has used his right-backs in waves this season. No-one has stood out as a first choice, but when any of his options get a chance to start, they often keep that berth for a few games.
Florenzi followed suit in starting a third consecutive game. Unfortunately, he didn’t replicate the standards he showed in the previous match against SPAL, although his crossing showed improvements.
Gianluca Mancini – 6
Roma’s defence have to take collective responsibility for the goal they conceded, which chalked off their clean sheet to deny them a truly perfect result. Mancini in particular should have been more alert.
Many of Fiorentina’s attacks came down his side, and he had less success in stopping them than his partner Chris Smalling. However, he was strong for the most part.
Chris Smalling – 8
Embed from Getty ImagesIndeed, it was an instant return for Smalling, who had missed a couple of games with injury. He reclaimed his place at the heart of the defence, and showed once again why he must be in contention for a recall into the England squad.
Straight from the off, he was back doing what he does best – making perfectly-timed tackles, well-judged blocks and leading the backline. It was as if he’d never been away.
Aleksandar Kolarov – 7
Is there anyone more dangerous from free kicks in Serie A? Kolarov took his season tally to five goals when he curled the ball around the wall for Roma’s second.
Ever dependable, he performed well in open play as well, continuing to prove himself as an immovable member of the lineup at 34 years old.
Amadou Diawara – 7
Fast becoming the orchestrator of Roma’s play, the midfielder closed 2019 on a high note. A rotation player at Napoli at the start of the year, Diawara’s summer move to Roma has allowed him to showcase his true qualities.
While it took the Guinean a while to get in the flow of the game against Fiorentina, he eventually began to dominate. It has been a long time since Roma have had a midfielder with his range of passing.
Jordan Veretout – 6
A player who has well and truly earned the break he is about to receive over the Christmas period, Veretout has been a key cog in the Roman midfield. Returning to his former club, it would be unfair to say he was fazed by the occasion, even if he didn’t quite take his usual stranglehold on proceedings.
Nicolo Zaniolo – 7
Embed from Getty ImagesZaniolo has ended the year as an out and out winger, something that would not have been expected back in January. The youngster worked hard, sending a reminder about his strength and pace.
He became Roma’s last scorer of the decade with his goal, and what a well-taken strike it was. Making the most of the space he had been given by Fiorentina’s indecisive defence, he picked the perfect moment to shoot, arrowing the ball into the bottom corner.
Lorenzo Pellegrini – 8
You can’t keep him out of the action. Pellegrini pulled the strings once again, brilliantly picking out Zaniolo for his teammate to set up Dzeko for the opener. The Rome-born midfielder drifted around the pitch and even made room for a few flicks and tricks.
Sometimes, it was like he had 360° vision, as he backheeled the ball to his teammates and spotted the space with his through balls – with his setup for Zaniolo’s assist just one example. The injury he suffered near the end appears to be nothing serious, which is a huge relief given his influence on the team.
After seeing his shot deflected for a goal last week, Pellegrini finally got his first goal of the season with a fantastic finish in the second half, picking out the perfect spot in the bottom corner. It capped off another man of the match display.
Untouchable right now ✨
— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) December 21, 2019
Congratulations to @LorePelle7 on being voted the #ASRoma @qatarairways Man of the Match against Fiorentina! ⚡️🐺👏 pic.twitter.com/0Ahi7zxPVx
Diego Perotti – 6
Perotti had been brilliant in the last match, against SPAL, so perhaps it should not have been too surprising that he wasn’t as effective against Fiorentina. Rarely consistent, but brilliant on his day, Perotti’s outing at the Stadio Artemio Franchi was one of his quieter showings.
Edin Dzeko – 7
Embed from Getty ImagesHis goal was a simple finish. There were phases in the game when he was quiet. But that is of little importance when Dzeko is at his decisive best.
The Bosnian – who moved onto 97 club goals thanks to his strike, just five off the now-departed opposing manager Vincenzo Montella – led the line with his expert wisdom. In addition to his goal, his two assists meant he had played a part in every goal scored in open play by his side.
Strong, committed and a leader, he has been one of the club’s best players this decade. With two-and-a-half years still left on his contract after this summer’s renewal – one of Gianluca Petrachi’s best bits of work so far – the knowledge that he will be leading Roma into the 2020s is something to feel secure about.
Subs:
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – N/A
Fonseca has been leaving his substitutions late recently, and when things are going so well, he has no reason not to. Mkhitaryan was the first to enter the fray, but didn’t have enough time to get involved – even if he has scored a couple of late goals from the bench this season.
Cengiz Under – N/A
Replacing Pellegrini, Under had just five minutes to have an input. He managed to play an inviting aerial through ball with the outside of his left boot in a particularly impressive piece of skill.
Leonardo Spinazzola – N/A
Brought on as an added security measure by Fonseca in stoppage time.
Coach:
Paulo Fonseca – 8
Embed from Getty ImagesAt the start of the year, Roma looked like they were only heading in one direction – down. It is to Fonseca’s credit that by the end of it, things have completely changed.
Hardly the most high-profile quantity when he was appointed in the summer, it has taken virtually no time for his ideas to come across. Going into the Fiorentina game, it had reached a point where his starting lineup picked itself. Fonseca has been the brain behind all this. He has got Roma into a position where they have several players performing well on a regular basis.
Fonseca’s choice of headwear last night... 😍
— Giallorossi Yorkshire (@RomaYorkshire) December 21, 2019
Would fit right in with us Yorkshire folk 😂pic.twitter.com/zHglIlx2vg
As mentioned, he waited late to make his changes, knowing how well the game was flowing for his side. His decision-making all season has been purely rational – and the rewards are coming.
Fonseca is building something. You can almost feel it. With him at the helm, there is a sense that something special could fall into place.
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