Roma fell to a second successive defeat on Sunday night when they were beaten 2-1 by Juventus.
For the first time this season, Roma conceded within the opening 10 minutes, when Merih Demiral headed home for the visitors. Not long after, Cristiano Ronaldo doubled their lead from the penalty spot.
Roma remained competitive in an intense battle, but could only claw one goal back – with Diego Perotti grabbing another goal from the penalty spot.
🐺 A lifeline for Roma thanks to Diego Perotti!
— Premier Sports 📺 (@PremierSportsTV) January 12, 2020
🙌 Alex Sandro is penalised for hand ball, and the penalty makes this a real game once again!
⏳ Juve still lead 2-1, but Roma have over 20 minutes to search for an equaliser pic.twitter.com/UgjIbvkeey
The game was overshadowed by the ACL injuries suffered by Juventus’ Demiral and Roma’s Nicolo Zaniolo, who will miss the rest of the season and Euro 2020 as a result.
Strange scheduling
It is easy to look at the list of ACL injuries Roma players have suffered in recent years and think it cannot be a coincidence. Perhaps the players are being asked to do the wrong things in training, or the surface at Trigoria is straining them.
To group Zaniolo among the injuries for which those factors are blamed would not necessarily be the right judgement. The fact that an opponent also suffered a similar injury in the same game raises another question instead: why was the Stadio Olimpico allowed to host two games in two days?
Both Roma and Lazio had to play at home this week, as they will need to play their last games of the season away while the Olimpico is being renovated for Euro 2020. However, making the teams play on the same pitch one day after another could surely have been avoided.
Perhaps one team could have played on Friday night, and the other on Monday, to give the pitch adequate time to repair. Instead, Roma and Juventus stepped onto a playing surface that wasn’t as safe as it could have been – and now two young players will miss a year between them as a result.
One of the best solo runs of the season by Nicolo Zaniolo, which unfortunately ends in a ruptured ACL injury 😞
— Uncle Sharma (@RSharmzz) January 12, 2020
Looks like he will miss Euro 2020. Gutted. pic.twitter.com/tgiJTep7Rs
Creative solutions
Zaniolo’s absence for the remainder of the season is a major blow, but is far from the end of the world. If anything, it has happened at the best time possible – with it being January, Roma can act immediately to sign a replacement if required.
There are other players in the current squad that can help contribute the same creativity as Zaniolo in the meantime. Cengiz Under has been off colour this season, though the promise of a consistent run of games may not only convince him to stay at Roma, but also allow him to put together a better run of form – more akin to what the fans have grown used to seeing from him.
Justin Kluivert remained absent from the squad on Sunday, but when he returns to fitness, he can also provide an option on either wing. It should be remembered that he has put in some of his best performances for Roma as a right winger, in the exact void that Zaniolo has now left.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan has also been decisive coming off the bench on certain occasions this season, and now needs to step up and impose himself as a starter. Likewise, Javier Pastore returning to fitness could be crucial.
Perhaps a new player will come in (more on that in today’s Mercato Monday video a bit later on). Or perhaps the problem isn’t a lack of bodies, but the chemistry between the ones that are there. There appeared to be little fluidity within the attacks, which led to Edin Dzeko being isolated and Roma being restricted to ambitious shots.
Juventus had far fewer chances, but were more clinical because of the spaces they worked themselves into. Roma didn’t have the necessary connections to do so. Their interplay should be looked at in training.
Pellegrini pauses breathtaking season
Of course, the main provider of quality in terms of creating chances this season has been Lorenzo Pellegrini, but he has not played well in either of the games in 2020. He was due a bad game at some point, but to put in two in a row is a little concerning.
He started the game full of energy, and picked out Edin Dzeko with a superb defence-splitting pass, but it was the last action of quality he really provided.
Struggling to get a real grip of the game, he resorted to poor decision making – although he wasn’t the only one. Nonetheless, his lack of dominance in attacking midfield was one of the main reasons Roma’s attacks did not glue together.
Pellegrini must ensure these two performances are fully out of his system by the time he next steps onto the pitch. Leading the way for assists this season, his ability to unlock defences will be even more important now that one of his fellow protagonists is out for the remainder of the campaign.
Mancini muscles way into game
This was the biggest game Gianluca Mancini has played in so far for Roma, and it became apparent that the action was happening a little too quickly for the 23-year-old in the first half.
Beaten to the ball by Juventus’ pacy attackers on several occasions, Mancini gave away a few fouls and picked up a customary yellow card for his troubles.
However, later in the second half, he really grew into the game. Perhaps the withdrawal of Paulo Dybala for Gonzalo Higuain contributed to Mancini’s improvement. While Higuain remains a deadly finisher, he is less dynamic on and off the ball than Dybala, and this played to Mancini’s strengths.
The former Atalanta defender had Higuain’s number for the rest of the game. He timed his challenges much better and dealt well with the physical approach from his opponent.
Although Roma could not push on for an equaliser, Mancini’s strength in the dying moments at the back at least gave them hope that they could keep probing.
Florenzi finally established for Fonseca?
It has been a tough season for all of Paulo Fonseca’s right-backs, with neither Alessandro Florenzi, Davide Santon nor Leonardo Spinazzola appearing to gain his full trust.
Against Juventus, though, Florenzi showed signs that Fonseca’s thoughts might be changing. The captain, who had been left in the cold earlier in the season, made a fifth start in a row.
On the whole, Florenzi performed well. His crossing was generally improved, with one pass leading to a chance for Dzeko on the volley; the striker ultimately hit the post.
Like Mancini, Florenzi epitomised the fight within Roma towards the end of the game, producing acrobatic pieces of control to try and keep his side on the front foot.
With some talk suggesting he would have to consider his future this month ahead of Euro 2020, it seems as if he is finally convincing Fonseca of his ability, and he may not need to look away from home after all.
Player Ratings
Lopez 6; Florenzi 7; Mancini 7; Smalling 6; Kolarov 5; Diawara 7; Veretout 6; Zaniolo 6; Pellegrini 5; Perotti 5; Dzeko 5
Subs: Under 6; Cristante 6; Kalinic N/A
Coach: Fonseca 6
Man of the Match: Florenzi
Leave a Reply