Wait, is this Roma team the real deal?
Another week, another 4-0 win. Yes, it was only Fiorentina last week, and it was only Lecce this week, but Roma are racing away as the highest-scoring team in Serie A and it feels fantastic.
Donyell Malen’s double – no hat-trick this time, tut tut – sent Roma on their way to all three points against Lecce, with Matías Soulé adding to the scoring and Rodrigo Mora later getting his first goal for the club.
It’s a nice view from the top of the table, but how long
will Roma be able to get used to it for?
Here are three things we learned from the thrashing of Lecce.
Soulé Still in Roma’s Plans
There was just one planned change to the starting lineup compared to the Fiorentina game, until Evan Ndicka had to withdraw in the warm-up to be replaced by Daniele Ghilardi.
The switch that Gasperini always intended to make was to bring in Soulé for Mora in the starting XI, despite all the transfer speculation around the Argentine this summer.
Before a ball had even been kicked, the fact that Soulé was listed on the team sheet was something we could learn from: this is a player who still has a place in Roma’s plans.
It was up to the man himself to then show why. And, in all honesty, it wasn’t a great display by Soulé to start with. He almost seemed to be trying too hard – something, incidentally, his compatriot Santiago Castro is looking guilty of too with his overcooked shots, but that’s something for another time – and lacked sharpness.
Once he settled into the rhythm of the game, he improved – so much so that he ended up on the scoresheet after a tidy finish.
Soulé will need to produce more moments like that to fully convince Gasperini of his worth. But if he can get past the transfer deadline still as a Roma player, he can put all those doubts to the back of his mind for the next few months and focus on building up his form.
Mora’s Right Place, Right Time Instincts
We’re still learning about Roma’s new little gem, Rodrigo Mora, as he finds his feet in Serie A.
Being dropped to the bench for the second game of the season is a sign that Gasperini will be patient with him, despite how strongly the club have invested in him.
And that’s fine. He’s 19, after all. Putting the pressure on him to become Roma’s next hero would be unfair, even if expectations are rightfully high for the Portuguese prodigy.
But getting up and running with his first goal for the club from just his second appearance – with less than 90 minutes played all in – is a positive sign and reduces the risk of there being a weight on those young shoulders.
What we are starting to see from our first glimpses of Mora is his ability to get in the right place at the right time. On his full debut against Fiorentina, he drifted between spaces and got a couple of shooting opportunities. And on appearance number two, he was able to find the net by latching onto a chance.
It won’t be on any goal of the season polls, but Mora’s first finish for Roma was a result of him getting into the box and being in the right place at the right time.
Those instincts can only serve him well, because he’s going to need to keep getting goals and assists to really give Roma a helping hand if he’s playing in attacking midfield.
Fast Play Breaks Down a Weaker Team
Sure, we haven’t seen a real test for Roma yet, so it’s far too soon to be getting too carried away.
But there are even positives to be found in how Roma could brush a lower-ranking team aside.
This was the first time Roma came up against a back five this season, albeit not a particularly water-tight one. We’ve seen Eusebio Di Francesco defences before (as much as he was dealt a bad hand in the end at Roma).
There was a time, around when Paulo Fonseca was in charge, when Roma were regarded as flat-track bullies, regularly obliterating relegation-threatened teams but coming up short against their more direct rivals.
In the years since, more laborious approaches have seen Roma struggle to break down teams sitting deeper. They would still frequently win those games, but it would be arduous.
The same went for last season. Roma did the double over all three relegated teams, but across the season, especially towards the start, there were wins by just a one-goal margin against Pisa (who finished 20th), Lecce (17th) and Fiorentina (15th) – not to mention a loss to Genoa (16th).
After their narrow escape from relegation last season, Lecce are likely to be in a battle for survival again this season. The way Roma took the game to them was encouraging, showing a rising confidence.
Roma played a fast game. They carved Lecce open, finding chasms of space to exploit. It might not have been possible if they didn’t take the game to their hosts as much as they did.
Keep up that kind of tempo, and all of Serie A will be on notice.
But it’s a step-by-step approach and Atalanta on Saturday should provide more of a test. With the wind in their sails, though, there’s no reason for Roma to take their foot off the gas.
