Roma extended their unbeaten run to four games on Sunday evening with a 4-3 win over Cagliari.
It was a dramatic game, with Roma going behind after 28 minutes through a well-taken Joao Pedro goal. However, Nikola Kalinic hit back almost instantly with his first Roma goal, before adding a second before half-time.
Justin Kluivert and Henrikh Mkhitaryan (by the faintest of touches on Aleksandar Kolarov’s free kick) also got on the scoresheet in the second half, and despite the hosts getting two back themselves – one after Pau Lopez had saved a Pedro penalty, only for it to unfortunately rebound back to the attacker – Roma held on to secure all three points.
Paulo Fonseca was always going to rotate his players for this match, given that it was played less than 72 hours after the Europa League trip to Gent, but one of his more eyebrow-raising selections was to hand Gonzalo Villar a full debut.
The midfielder had only played 28 minutes for the club, spread across three substitute appearances, since joining from Elche in January, but took the place of the dynamic Jordan Veretout – who was celebrating his 27th birthday – in the starting lineup.
Villar repaid his coach’s faith, though, with a promising performance. Despite his seemingly frail frame, the 21-year-old exuded confidence and strength, helping his side win free kicks and breaking between the lines.
Who was your #ASRoma man of the match in #CagliariRoma?
— Giallorossi Yorkshire (@RomaYorkshire) March 1, 2020
Comment if someone else!
Sat alongside Bryan Cristante – hardly someone who can be described as a playmaker, although he put in a steady performance – Villar had to take the responsibility of creating things from within the midfield double pivot as well. It’s a role in which Amadou Diawara has particularly excelled this season, and while Villar has a long way to go to match the Guinean’s standards, he tried to play in a similar fashion.
Completing 83% of his 40 passes – only Federico Fazio made more for Roma – Villar kept the ball moving, ensuring the midfield kept a dynamic structure that fans may have feared would be absent without Veretout or Diawara.
Villar also proved himself to be the more mobile of the midfield pairing, completing both his dribbles successfully as he pushed to support Henrikh Mkhitaryan in attacking midfield.
KALINIC DOUBLE! pic.twitter.com/jscUMUwir8
— asrgoals1 (@asrgoals1) March 1, 2020
On a side note, the Armenian continued his great run of form recently with a goal and an assist – setting up Kalinic’s second with a display of sheer determination, balance and awareness – meaning the idea of buying out his loan from Arsenal continues to float around.
It was with the assistance of Villar behind that Roma kept a solid structure, with the Spaniard also generally impressing defensively – winning both his aerial duels.
4-2-3-1 classico per l’#ASRoma a #Cagliari
— AS Roma Data (@ASRomaData) March 1, 2020
Spunti vari:
▪️La vicinanza Miky-Kalinic
▪️Le partite differenti di Under e Kluivert, il turco molto alto a dx, l’olandese molto vicino a Kolarov
▪️la connessione #Villar/#BrunoPeres
▪️la catena di sinistra #CagliariRoma pic.twitter.com/Nu0cqqUh9L
Throwing him in for a first start may have seemed a bold move from Fonseca, but looking ahead to the rest of March, this was the right time to settle him in. Veretout will be suspended for the first leg of Roma’s Europa League Round of 16 tie with Sevilla, and while Diawara may be back from injury by then, Villar can now give Fonseca a genuine option should the coach decide the number 42 is not quite ready.
That was what the January transfer window was about for Roma – adding the depth to help the team compete on two fronts. Carles Perez is also gradually being integrated, and his compatriot Villar now has the chance to back up his impressive first start with a role of responsibility in Europe.
Getting this 90 minutes in before the Sevilla clash was a wise choice from Fonseca, as Villar could be crucial. He may never have played in La Liga, but has the general understanding of the Spanish way of playing that Roma will come up against.
Now, he not only has the knowledge of the opponents, he also has the understanding of his own teammates to help him be successful when called upon.
It may only be early days in Villar’s Roma career, and it’s far too soon to make a judgement on how the rest of his time at the club will go down, but in the short-term at least, he could be ready to make an impact.
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