Seven reasons Roma’s draw with Tottenham can be a turning point

Roma’s draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium extended their long wait for a second competitive win on English soil, but the performance was almost more important than the result on Thursday night.

For a side who have only won four games this season, there was a case for the 2-2 draw with Tottenham – an admittedly inconsistent side, but one fresh from thrashing Premier League champions Manchester City – being Roma’s best game of the season so far.

And although the schedule doesn’t get much easier at the start of December, Roma and Claudio Ranieri will have taken plenty of positives back with them to Italy.

Here are the reasons why Roma should be able to class the Tottenham game as step one on their rebuilding journey.

Confidence increases

Ranieri revealed in the buildup to the second match of his third spell in charge that his work on the training ground so far had been mostly psychological rather than tactical.

As the Roman icon works on stabilising things at the club, this is an important aspect to address – and there were signs in north London indicating that Roma’s confidence was growing.

It was a competitive game that Roma played their part in, particularly in the second half when they piled the pressure on. They looked more like a team enjoying their football, or at least one that believed they could get something from the game.

Hummels’ rollercoaster ends going upwards

With the way the game started, any sense that Mats Hummels may be cursed at Roma was reinforced after he conceded a penalty. But, symbolically for the team’s progress throughout, the veteran defender grew into the game as it progressed.

Although he struggled when being dribbled at, still lacking the sharpness that was either the reason Ivan Juric was leaving him out or caused precisely by Ivan Juric leaving him out, Hummels timed some challenges well. His reward came with the finishing touch he put on Angelino’s low cross for the equalising goal, once again getting his timing right.

Mats Hummels grabs the equaliser for Roma in injury time 🫣

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It was a rollercoaster performance from a player who has been the subject of more debate than gametime this season, but the fact it ended on a high note could be promising for what’s to come.

Paredes proves his forgotten utility

Ever since his presence at the pre-match press conference alongside Ranieri, Hummels’ inclusion in the starting lineup had been rumoured. A more surprising selection was the decision to bring Leandro Paredes back in from the cold.

In recent months, Argentine midfielder has been a shadow of his self from last season, if given a chance at all, and the attention has turned to a potential escape from the club. Against Tottenham, though, he proved he can still be useful.

Paredes spread the play in a way Roma have been lacking, opening up the game with his long balls. Not only that, he won plenty of his duels and made a pivotal prevention to avert a big scoring chance for Tottenham.

Unlike last season, Paredes may not be irreplaceable any longer, but he still has something unique to offer in Roma’s midfield when he gets it right. Ranieri might have an extra asset at his disposal.

Opening the game up

Paredes was a key influence in Roma opening the game up, but not the only one. For the first time in a while, Roma made use of more space, looking for longer passes (without choosing too many wild options).

A frequent theme in the first few months of the season was players only passing to the teammate nearest them, which was suffocating the space Roma could use to attack.

But – helped in part by Tottenham’s own open approach – this time Roma mixed up their angles of attack and it led to more chances being created and a better flow.

Goals (even when disallowed) giving glimpses into more positive approach

Ultimately, Roma had the ball in the net five times. Even though three of those goals were disallowed due to offsides, it must have served as a massive positive indicator of what they can create.

For a team who only had one shot on target the game before against Napoli, this was a transformative aspect of their performance. And among the disallowed goals were examples of Roma playing fluidly and in sync.

But the fact that three goals didn’t count shouldn’t undo how the team feel about what they were producing. Those habits of linking up well with one another and striking the ball with conviction now need to be committed to memory.

Dybala’s best spell so far

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Among the main instigators of Roma’s enhanced attacking fluidity was Paulo Dybala, who lit the first half up with his assist for Evan Ndicka’s goal via a free kick and the chipped set-up for Stephan El Shaarawy’s disallowed goal.

Dybala has struggled to perform at his highest gear this season and Ranieri knows he will have to maximise what he can get from him rather than expect regular 90-minute efforts, but with no new injury picked up prior to his withdrawal at half time, that can now be classed as something to build from.

Particularly when floating inside, Dybala connected well with his teammates and showed his superior technique. It was only one half, but that was the best that Roma’s best player has played this season. Now, the focus is on improving his output even more.

Sense of togetherness starts to rebuild – but it’s just beginning

There has been tension between those representing Roma on the pitch, in the dugout or in the boardroom this season, and those watching from the stands. It has been one of the first tasks Ranieri has fought to resolve.

And by the end of the game on Thursday, Roma’s players had put in a performance worthy of applause, not booing.

There are still scars that will take a while to heal, but by playing in that fashion, Roma’s players might just be able to earn the pride of their supporters once again. Ranieri has called for unity and that was the way to help ignite it.

There are still plenty of things to work on. Roma’s defensive awareness was lacking, certain crosses took too long to deliver, sometimes players made unwise passing choices – too often squaring the ball infield in dangerous positions – and some decision-making can still be sharpened up.

Atalanta on Monday might be a tougher opponent than Tottenham in terms of style and, in general, not many Serie A matches will be as open as that game was.

However, Ranieri is starting to discover a blueprint that could unlock Roma’s potential going forward. Atalanta will be a big test, but after that there are some winnable games. And if they can draw upon the factors that made them a threat to Tottenham, Roma should be able to go into this December stretch with more conviction about their chances of success, step by step.