Well, that was the kind of performance and result to make you pause and think: how did it get to this?
While last season Empoli were the side that enabled Roma to move on from their three-game winless start to the season, this year there’s a distinct possibility that they could be part of another three-game winless start, unless something drastic changes next Sunday against Juventus.
This should have been a celebratory evening. Paulo Dybala has stayed. Let’s enjoy his magnificence again. And after a dreary opening draw against Cagliari, let’s move on and pick up the momentum. Let’s build something.
No one was demanding for Roma to match the 7-0 win they managed against Empoli last season. But not many would have expected them to lose either. Indeed, it’s never happened before against that opponent at home. It has now.
Roma were disjointed, switched off and fearful. Empoli’s runs towards the backpost caused problem after problem, as seen with Emmanuel Gyasi’s opening goal.
In contrast, Roma’s players seemed utterly incapable of passing the ball to anyone other than the person next to them. Sometimes they couldn’t even get that right.
It gave frightening flashbacks to one of the biggest flaws that pervaded the Paulo Fonseca era, when Roma didn’t seem to have anyone capable of switching the play. That kind of approach leads to a congested area on the pitch. The opposition defence finds it much easier to close down the space. And Roma just kept running into trouble.
Positives were few and far between. Eldor Shomurodov looked charged up and impactful from the bench, scoring Roma’s only goal. Tommaso Baldanzi, who assisted it, likewise. But most of the starters were poor. Evan Ndicka did alright, to an extent. Picking out anyone else would be clutching at straws.
Even Dybala was off colour in the first half especially. Midway through the second half he seemed to switch on, ending up as the player with the most shots, but none of his five were on target.
Roma desperately need things to click. New striker Artem Dovbyk touched the ball 18 times – half as much as keeper Mile Svilar. New winger Matias Soule was frustrating. Roma lacked constructed attacking plans under Jose Mourinho and now need to conjure up some creative approaches to weave their best forwards together.
It’s a microcosm of how this squad seems cobbled together still. Roma had an opportunity this summer to construct a squad in the image of a new coach and new formation. Adding wingers was essential but still hasn’t been fully addressed. Too many options are too similar to each other. Still the midfield is dysfunctional; even Leandro Paredes, Roma’s best in the department last season, sloppily gave away the ball and then committed the foul in the box that enabled Empoli to double their lead with a penalty. And at full-back Roma remain lacking.
Assessments of Florent Ghisolfi’s work will have to wait a few more days until the window closes, but having overseen one of Roma’s highest ever summer spends, the fact there are still gaps not just in the deeper squad, but evidently visible on the pitch, is concerning.
Whatever Roma’s squad looks like by the end of the week, those players will simply have to show more bravery and charisma. And that’s not just in terms of their attitude. It needs to be seen technically in how they play on the pitch. Make brave passes, try and dribble past players, take some risks.
Maybe a game against a better side like Juventus next week will make Roma raise their own levels in competition. It could be the wake-up call they’ve needed. There is some talent in this squad still, but Roma just need to get that first win on the board sooner rather than later to prevent this discontent spreading too far into the season.
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