Premier Sports are currently showing replays of Serie A games from years gone by, and on Wednesday night, they served up a mini-classic – the 4-1 win over Lazio from 3rd April 2016.
This was a Derby with a difference. At the time, both sets of ultras were still protesting at the installation of barriers in either Curva, so the attendance was far smaller than what would normally be expected.
Players are professional, though, and have a job to do whether it is in front of 80,000 people, 800 or eight. And Roma certainly did their job that day.
Returning from an international break, Roma had to get back up to speed with the improved levels they had reached since Luciano Spalletti’s return as coach midway through the season.
Spalletti had only tasted defeat once in Serie A since being re-appointed by the club; thanks also to the shrewd January additions of Stephan El Shaarawy and Diego Perotti, the momentum had been restored.
Perotti is the only player from that starting lineup who remains at the club today – unless Alessandro Florenzi, who is now out on loan, counts as well.
This was a team with a lot of character and a perfect blend of youth and experience. Wojciech Szczesny was in his first season as goalkeeper, with Florenzi, Kostas Manolas, Antonio Rudiger and Lucas Digne completing the backline in front of him.
With Daniele De Rossi on the bench, Seydou Keita partnered Miralem Pjanic in midfield, with Radja Nainggolan the most advanced of the trio.
Up front, El Shaarawy and Mohamed Salah played either side of Perotti, who featured as a false nine while Edin Dzeko, still finding his feet in Rome at the time, was demoted to the bench.
Roma made a positive start when El Shaarawy continued his fine scoring run of the time by heading in a well-weighted cross from Digne, but things became a bit cagey thereafter.
Spalletti took his goalscorer off for Dzeko, who soon became the next man on the scoresheet. Lazio became the first team that Dzeko scored against in two separate fixtures in the same season.
The opponents put some pressure on Roma with the introduction of Keita Balde Diao, and Marco Parolo pulled one back for the designated home team on 75 minutes.
However, breathing space was restored in emphatic fashion when Florenzi volleyed the ball through a sea of bodies and into the bottom corner for his first goal in a Derby. Wearing the captain’s armband that day in the absence of Francesco Totti and De Rossi, it was a moment of ecstasy for the Roman.
Perotti finished the job with a well-taken left-footed strike shortly before stopping time, sending those fans that were in attendance wild.
Looking back, here are three takeaways from the game.
Double threat down left was something to build around
Roma’s first goal came from a combination down the left flank, between Digne and El Shaarawy. Both players could have become cornerstones for the club.
22 and 23 at the time, the duo both had a lot of potential – and the goal showed they could link up well with one another.
It remains a mystery why Roma did not sign Digne permanently after his loan from PSG, while El Shaarawy suffered from inconsistency for the next few years.
However, last season, El Shaarawy finally got back to delivering on a regular basis, showing how patience can benefit young prospects. His emergence back into prominence also coincided with Digne’s first season at Everton, where he has since matured into one of the Premier League’s best left-backs.
Had the pair stuck around, it could have saved Roma a lot of issues down the line. The present day pairing of Aleksandar Kolarov and Justin Kluivert is far from the worst, but the former has aged too much to be a long-term solution, and the latter is still in the early stages of his own development. It could take a few years for Roma to really get the balance right on the left flank.
Now, Digne and El Shaarawy are both in their primes, and the club could have made use of their talents. Hope remains that the latter at least may return.
Keita was under-appreciated
Embed from Getty ImagesAlways a player who stood out for his experience and leadership, there was never a huge sense of enthusiasm for Seydou Keita. He was reliable, but not exactly a game-changer among a star-studded team.
Looking back at his performance against Lazio, it becomes clear that the former Barcelona star deserved more credit at Roma. Alongside Miralem Pjanic, he dictated the tempo of the game with his rhythmic passing.
Some players stand out for their leadership qualities, and Roma knew they could rely on Keita’s experience. But sometimes veterans are not seen as the most effective – see the above assessment of Kolarov, another player whom Roma might not realise the value of until he leaves later down the line.
Keita, however, still had class, even at the age of 36. The Malian midfielder was exactly what Roma needed in De Rossi’s absence, inspiring the team with his example.
Roma had the killer instinct
Often in Italian football, teams are content to sit on one- or two-goal leads. A sign of respect towards the opponents, the leading side can often slow their tempo down.
Perhaps because of the extra motivation of it being a Derby, Spalletti’s Roma did not make that mistake. In the final 15 minutes, after conceding, they were ruthless.
Lazio’s goal had put pressure on Roma, but the Giallorossi responded perfectly with the quickfire double. There was to be no respect for the rivals – and rightly so. A big win in a Derby can mean more to the fans than a small win over a stronger team.
Unfortunately, under Spalletti, Roma did not show those ruthless qualities often enough. They only won by a margin greater than one goal on two occasions thereafter that season.
But the win over Lazio showed that Roma were capable of really putting teams to the sword and killing games off. Had they been able to show it more often, then who knows if the gap to Juventus could have been closed in the successful season that followed?
Retrospective Ratings
Wojciech Szczesny 7
Alessandro Florenzi 6
Kostas Manolas 8
Antonio Rudiger 8
Lucas Digne 7
Miralem Pjanic 8
Seydou Keita 7
Mohamed Salah 6
Radja Nainggolan 7
Stephan El Shaarawy 7
Diego Perotti 6
Subs: Edin Dzeko 6; Iago Falque 5; Ervin Zukanovic N/A
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