Why Roma must see draw with Inter as inspiration, not frustration

Roma extended their unbeaten run to four games by drawing 2-2 with Inter Milan on Sunday – but were disappointed not to get all three points.

Despite going behind to a Stefan De Vrij header early on, Roma battled their way back into the game. Leonardo Spinazzola scored just before the break to even things up, before a determined Henrikh Mkhitaryan put Roma ahead in the second half.

Roma looked to be on course for a fourth straight win, but an unfortunate error from Spinazzola gifted Inter a late penalty. Romelu Lukaku converted it to snatch a draw for the visitors.

Roma have every reason to feel aggrieved. While it was a clear penalty, on the balance of the game, they had deserved all three points.

It would have been a big statement. Instead, they come away from the game feeling frustrated.

But taken at face value, the statement that ‘Roma should have beaten Inter Milan’ can only be a positive.

One theme under Paulo Fonseca this season has been a struggle to get results against higher-ranked opponents. Perhaps the coach’s history makes this understandable.

He joined Roma last summer after three years relatively unchallenged in Ukraine with Shakhtar Donetsk. During that time, he had no opportunity to test himself against bigger opponents, domestically at least. His side were the ones everyone else was chasing.

Now at Roma, there are different expectations and challenges. It has taken time for Fonseca’s side to compete against the best, but of all the games against teams higher in the league this season, the draw with Inter was the most positive.

This wasn’t a must-win game. Yes, there is pressure behind Roma from AC Milan and Napoli, but few would have expected the Giallorossi to beat Inter. That they nearly did shows the progress they are making.

Indeed, many fans would have accepted a draw before kick-off. Roma need to keep hold of fifth place, but this may not have been the game they most expected to get points from.

The feeling of frustration that they only got a draw should be a positive, not a negative. This is a good marker for where Roma are at, for the end of this season and the next one.

Cutting the gap to the teams above them must be one of the main aims for Fonseca’s Roma next season. They need to go toe to toe with teams like Inter regularly. To put in a performance like Sunday’s is a sign that they may be able to.

And while one of the main reasons the draw is frustrating is because it came from an individual error, these things happen. Nobody can expect a perfect game.

Everyone will make mistakes on a football pitch. Sometimes their team is already winning comfortably, so it is significant only to a perfectionist; other times it changes the outcome of the game.

Spinazzola’s error may have fallen into the latter category against Inter. But overall, it’s arguably better to drop points because of an individual mistake than a collective problem. You cannot plan for these things; Roma just have to move on and focus on the positives.

Overall, Roma’s players won most of their individual battles. The fact that Antonio Conte changed both his wing-backs midway through the second half was perhaps proof that Roma were winning the battles in the channels.

Spinazzola and Bruno Peres were positive, even if not everything they tried came off. They had Inter’s wing-backs moving backwards rather than forwards. It was an area Roma dominated.

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More centrally, Roger Ibanez was strong at the back again, as he continues to settle in. Aleksandar Kolarov did well in his new role for this team as a centre-back alongside him. As a whole, Roma were defensively solid. Let’s not forget that Inter didn’t score in open play – their goals came from a corner and a penalty.

The defensive effort was seen all over the pitch. Edin Dzeko put in a huge shift, covering vast amounts of distance to work for the team. Like Peres and Spinazzola, sometimes his touches on the ball weren’t perfect. But more than anything, that suggested a tiredness in his legs from the sheer effort he was putting in.

Hence, seeing the bigger picture, Roma should be frustrated. But they should channel that into a positive. They know they are getting closer to where they need to be next season. And with a winnable game against SPAL coming up next, there’s every chance they can continue their strong end to this one.