Roma v Cagliari talking points: Cutting through the controversy

October 7, 2019 Samuel Bannister Features, First Team, Reviews 0

Roma had to settle for a point after a fiery clash with Cagliari on Sunday ended as a 1-1 draw – much to the anger of senior figures at the club.

Everyone from president Jim Pallotta to sporting director Gianluca Petrachi and coach Paulo Fonseca – who was sent off at full-time for arguing with the referee – has vented their anger at the officiating, with Roma going behind via a penalty conceded by a Gianluca Mancini handball, and seeing a last-minute winner chalked off for a foul by Nikola Kalinic.

Admittedly, both decisions were probably correct – even though the free kick that was given against Roma immediately before the penalty should never have been awarded – but the referees had no control over the game in general.

The club have not seen so many decisions go against them in one game, rightly or wrongly, since the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Liverpool in 2018, when two clearcut penalties were not spotted by the referee, which if converted would have sent Roma into the final.

The ramifications of the decisions may not have been so high against Cagliari, but they still cast a large shadow over what should have been an entertaining game between two decent sides, and may come back to haunt the Lupi.

But it is important to take a step back from all that. This website was built to talk about Roma, not referees. And if Roma find themselves short of a target by the end of the season, it will likely not be because of the officiating in this game, but some greater theme that prevented the side from getting the results they required. So here is a dissection of the issues that the team could control.

Possession play beginning to decline

Roma started the season playing their most fluid possession-based football in years. Fonseca quickly implemented his style and, for the first time in a long time, Roma were playing attractive football.

Recently, however, that has started to come undone. Not helped by the physical nature of the match or the early injury to Amadou Diawara – with another key component, Lorenzo Pellegrini, already on the sidelines – Roma struggled to string a series of successful passes together. Of course it is difficult when the squad is thin on the ground and has to be rotated often, but there is certainly room for improvement in this aspect of the game. Roma have shown they can do it before.

Full-backs falter

One area in which injuries have really hit the squad is in the full-back positions. Since the start of the season, only Aleksandar Kolarov and the infrequently-used Davide Santon have avoided time out. Against Cagliari, it was Kolarov and Leonardo Spinazzola who flanked the defence, and neither showed what they are really capable of.

In many games, Kolarov’s crossing has been an outlet for Roma, but on Sunday it was aimless. His balls into the box were struck without real direction or with so much power that no attacker would ever arrive on the end of them. As for Spinazzola on the opposite side, he had fewer opportunities, but even less came off well for him. Fonseca needs to be wary to keep all his options for these roles on their toes, so that the main choices avoid fatigue wherever possible.

Antonucci makes an impression

Playing further forward was someone who, like Santon, has not been afforded many opportunities thus far: youngster Mirko Antonucci. The winger, who had a fairly positive pre-season, came on as a substitute for the second game running, although this time he was called into action much earlier to replace the injured Diawara.

Of all the attackers, Antonucci looked the most likely to make something happen. Justin Kluivert kept running into traffic, while Nicolo Zaniolo was forced to try and make the most of half-chances, and Edin Dzeko looked weary. Antonucci could consider himself unfortunate to have been taken off in the second half, but that was probably a reflection of the fact that he has not played much competitive football at this level. If he is to be truly integrated into the side, he needs to be given more regular 15 minute cameos here and there, so that he can be ready when called upon. There is something promising to work with.

Cristante becoming captain material

With Romans Alessandro Florenzi and Lorenzo Pellegrini out of the squad, and Federico Fazio left on the bench, there were a lack of leaders on the pitch. Edin Dzeko wore the captain’s armband, but his approach has always been to lead by example rather than words – still undoubtedly valuable, but maybe not what Roma needed in the heat of the moment.

The next most senior player, ex-Manchester City teammate Kolarov, fought for Roma’s corner at every opportunity when things weren’t going their way, but beyond that, it was unclear who the armband would have fallento if Dzeko had been taken off.

Perhaps the most likely candidate would have been Bryan Cristante, someone who is growing in confidence. The midfielder has earned his place in the lineup through his work rate rather than his quality – his passes often went astray in the opening minutes – but that can be enough for him to be a beating heart of this post-De Rossi team. Cristante was involved in the confrontation with the referee after the full-time whistle, as was Mancini. The younger Italian players are showing their passion for the cause.

Fonseca’s fury a positive sign

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The final moments of the match, and the ones that followed the full-time whistle, were even uglier than the action that had taken place on the pitch. Fonseca showed no restraint as he confronted the referee, receiving his marching orders as a result. But, like the players who also made their voices heard, this passion is a good thing going forward.

Fonseca seems well suited to dealing with the highs and lows of managing at a club with as much pressure as Roma. He thrives on the rollercoaster of emotions, some of which should maybe be kept a little more in check, but ones that show he is embodying what the fans are feeling. Can a supporter ask for much more in a coach beyond the tactical expertise which Fonseca has already largely established? They want to see a group of people displaying the same passion as them, led by a manager who encourages those kind of expressions.

He has only been at Roma for a few months, but it seems that Fonseca has already got caught up in the emotions of what it means to follow this club.

Player Ratings: Lopez 6; Spinazzola 4; Mancini 6; Smalling 7; Kolarov 5; Cristante 7; Diawara 7; Kluivert 6; Veretout 6; Zaniolo 6; Dzeko 6
Subs: Antonucci 7; Kalinic 4; Santon N/A
Coach: Fonseca 6

Man of the Match: Smalling

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