Roma v SPAL player ratings

Roma came from behind to win their final home game of 2019, as they saw off SPAL with a 3-1 victory.

After falling behind through an Andrea Petagna penalty, Roma recovered in the second half, starting when Lorenzo Pellegrini’s effort was deflected into the net by Nenad Tomovic.

Diego Perotti made no mistake with a penalty of his own, before the man who came on for him later on, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, completed the scoring with a simple tap in.

Here’s how Giallorossi Yorkshire rated the players.

Pau Lopez – 7

The Spanish shot-stopper turned in one of his best performances since joining Roma in the summer. Making a strong one-handed save to deny Petagna when the score was still goalless, Lopez looked assured and growing in confidence.

He perhaps could have done better with the penalty, being braver instead of trying to react to a powerful shot he would never have reached. In addition, he could have been more assertive with his passing, as he sold Aleksandar Kolarov a bit short in the run up to the penalty. But on the whole, Lopez is developing into a reliable figure in the Roma goal.

Alessandro Florenzi – 7

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Starting successive games for the first time since September, Roma’s captain was brought in from the cold, and made a case for further appearances. Surging up and down the right flank, the full-back created danger with a couple of crosses, and showed skillful footwork on occasion.

It wasn’t the greatest test of his defensive abilities, but Florenzi focused on what would help his team get the three points. He also showed improvements in his leadership. Whether he has done enough to warrant further starts, and a longer future at the club, remains to be seen.

Mert Cetin – 5

The suspension of Gianluca Mancini and an injury to Chris Smalling meant Roma had to do without their usual centre-back pairing. Federico Fazio was the clear candidate to lead the backline in their absence, leaving the other place up for question.

In the end, it was Cetin who earned the starting berth over the frozen-out Juan Jesus, and his performance raised some questions over the logic of that decision. Cetin showed his inexperience when he was outmuscled by Petagna on several occasions. This was an opportunity for him to show his potential, but he let himself down.

Federico Fazio – 6

Fortunately, alongside him, Fazio did step up and take responsibility. The 32-year-old led the line reasonably strongly, save for a couple of errors of judgement.

It feels as if his increasing years will never allow him to replicate the form he showed in his first season at the club, but Fazio played well enough to prove he still has a valuable role within the squad.

Aleksandar Kolarov – 5

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Things didn’t go as smoothly for another of the more experienced players, as Kolarov made a few uncharacteristic errors. Responsible for giving away the penalty that led to SPAL’s opener, Kolarov failed to control the ball well in such a critical position.

Going forward, he fared better, but lacked his usual incisive output. The Serbian has had a large workload in the first half of the season, and will be one of the main players to benefit from a bit of rest during the upcoming winter break.

Amadou Diawara – 8

Roma’s midfield duo of Diawara and Jordan Veretout seem undroppable at the minute. Both excelled again, with Diawara dominating with his range of passing. Most of his passes reached their intended targets with ease, creating countless chances against a side who should have been harder to unlock.

Another professor performance for #Diawara in #RomaSpal 

71 passes
7 long balls
91% passing accuracy
58% long balls accuracy
100% ground duels won
3 tackles
1 chance created
1 interception pic.twitter.com/cmsPuBmpzz
— AS Roma Data (@ASRomaData) December 16, 2019
  

The summer signing is also improving in using his physicality, proving he has all the attributes to become a top class deep-lying playmaker. As long as he continues to grow, Diawara can become a beating heartbeat of this midfield.

Jordan Veretout – 8

So too can Veretout, who recaptured his energy after a couple of less memorable performances. Ever-present since near the beginning of October, the Frenchman’s importance to Roma cannot be understated.

Against SPAL, he continued to dominate the territory and drive his side forward, exemplifying what it takes to be successful in the engine room of the pitch. His graft and grinta are helping Roma’s midfield emerge as one of the strongest in the league.

Nicolo Zaniolo – 6

It was one of Zaniolo’s quieter games on the right wing, from where he only had a couple of half chances. Perhaps frustrated by the tight nature of the game, his only shots were wasted, having an unrealistic chance of causing trouble for the keeper.

Dealing with a shortage of space has been one of the flaws in Zaniolo’s development thus far. The 20-year-old excels when he has room to run into, but when an opponent sets up compact, he finds it harder to have his usual impact. Strength isn’t the issue, as he can hold his own against the biggest players – but he must find a way of having a bigger influence on the attack in these kind of games.

Lorenzo Pellegrini – 7

Carrying on the tradition of Roman-born players excelling for their boyhood club, Pellegrini has been in exceptional form since returning from a two-month absence. Against SPAL, he didn’t quite reach the heights he is capable of, but he has set himself a very high ceiling, so it was still enough for him to impact the proceedings.

It was Pellegrini’s shot that led to Roma’s equaliser, while that was not the first time he had tested SPAL’s resilience. A powerful shot was thwarted by Etrit Berisha, as he desperately searched for his first goal of the season. It didn’t come, but he continued to thrive as a creator, helping to set up the move that led to Roma’s final goal.

Diego Perotti – 8

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The best player on the pitch. Perotti played with freedom, driving at the SPAL defence with his dribbling. His decision-making was outstanding, in contrast to what has often been seen from the player whose position he has taken, Justin Kluivert.

When the Dutchman returns, he will have a hard time to reclaim his shirt from Perotti, as long as the latter continues in this style. Stepping up when Roma need him, the Argentine gave a further example of his reliability from the penalty spot for his goal, but it was in open play where he really came to the fore.

Edin Dzeko – 7

Dzeko’s 200th appearance for Roma wasn’t fully the celebration he would have hoped for, as a goal eluded him, but the Bosnian covered a lot of territory and tried to get on the ball, particularly in the first half.

He showed once again why the target man tag has always been a misconception for him despite his tall frame, as he came to look for the ball and drifted between the lines. He faded slightly in the second half, but had fully earned the rest he was granted when he was taken off.

Subs:

Henrikh Mkhitaryan – N/A

Not for the first time this month, Mkhitaryan came off the bench to score an important goal for Roma. He had less than half the time to make an impact than he did against Verona at the start of December, but once again, scored the third goal that gave his loan side a comfortable cushion late on. He made hard work of it, but is turning up with important contributions.

Nikola Kalinic – N/A

Making his return from two months on the sidelines – not a return that can be particularly described as ‘long-awaited’, but important enough for squad depth and allowing Dzeko to get a breather – Kalinic only got a minute of normal time to step back onto the pitch. He was sent running soon after coming on, but couldn’t quite catch up with a long ball over the top. His future remains in doubt.

Coach:

Paulo Fonseca – 6

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Fonseca had predicted the opponents to be tough to break down, but Roma had more chances than he may have expected. Thanks to his decision to start Perotti, Roma could cut through the SPAL backline fairly frequently.

His treatment of Jesus, who has not been used since September, is a blip on his positive image as a motivator, with the Brazilian entitled to feel hard done by in a game in which Cetin didn’t really prove himself. But on the whole, Fonseca is getting the balance right in his selections, and is providing Roma with the mentality they need to break down difficult teams.