With the Gian Piero Gasperini-Claudio Ranieri feud dominating this week’s headlines, Roma would have been forgiven for being a bit distracted ahead of today’s Round 34 fixture against Bologna. Normally, a manager and a senior advisor airing their differences publicly wouldn’t have a dramatic effect on the squad, but with so many of Roma’s current players having played under Ranieri last spring, there were bound to be conflicting feelings.
While that may indeed be the case, by showing Ranieri the door,
the Friedkins left no room for equivocation: this is Gasperini’s team, and his vision will guide all future football decisions. With all doubt removed from the equation, Gasperini’s group responded with an efficient, focused, and entertaining display against 8th-place Bologna, a club that has had their number over the past few seasons.
After being bounced out of the Europa League thanks to a gut-wrenching 4-3 AET defeat in March, Roma had revenge (and the table) on their minds as they faced Vincenzo Italiano’s side on the sun-swept pitch at the Renato Dall’Ara. Buoyed by the returns of Paulo Dybala and Wesley, the Giallorossi looked invigorated as they took the field, seeking to close the gap behind 5th-place Juventus to a manageable two points—assuming Juve falls to AC Milan on Sunday.
Rather than slowly plotting a path to victory, Roma went straight for the jugular, using their speed and finishing to seize the lead in only the seventh minute.
At first glance, this looks like an attacking sequence ripped from page one of the Gasperini playbook, but Roma caught a couple of lucky breaks. First, this entire play started with a misplaced pass from Neil El Aynaoi, who was presumably trying to catch Wesley streaking down the flank with a diagonal pass. Unfortunately, NEA didn’t put enough mustard on the ball, and it was immediately (if incompletely) intercepted by Joao Mario.
However, since Wesley was already in the area, he was in a prime position to dislodge the ball immediately, only to lose possession moments later. But here comes the beautiful part: El Aynaoui never let up and, thanks to his hustle, was able to fend off Lewis Ferguson before threading the ball through to Malen, who scored his 12th goal in just 16 matches.
While the remainder of the first half couldn’t quite match this frenetic pace, Roma still kept the heat on the Bologna back line but had to wait until the dying moments to pad their lead.
Just as they did on the first goal, Wesley, Malen, and El Aynaoui combined for a moment of brilliance, thanks to individual technique, hustle, and a touch of luck. First came the brilliance, with Malen somehow setting the ball while holding off a defender and flicking it onto Wesley, all while his body was spinning in the opposite direction. Next came the luck. After dashing up the pitch, Wesley tried to square the ball to Malen with his outstep, narrowly escaping Federico Ravaglia’s gloves, only to see his pass curve wide of Malen’s run. Then came the hustle. Malen, determined to keep the play going with only seconds left before the final whistle, recovered the ball and quickly flung it into the middle of the box, catching El Aynaoui in stride for the goal.
With a two-goal lead in their pockets, Roma played more conservatively in the second half, ceding possession and initiative to their hosts. Despite holding nearly two-thirds of the ball and generating six shots, Bologna couldn’t solve the Roma riddle, racking up only 0.36 xG in the second half. However, Riccardo Orsolini came excruciatingly close to pulling one back in the 60th minute, curling a shot off the corner of the goal.
Despite not registering a single attempt in the second half, there was one noteworthy moment for the capital club: the return of Paulo Dybala. Sidelined with a new injury since early March, Dybala made his return this afternoon, replacing Malen in the 77th minute. While he didn’t do much in his 13-minute cameo, it was a welcomed sight and should give Gasperini another card to play over the final four matches.
Final Thoughts
Roma tuned out the noise and got the job done today against an opponent they’ve struggled against in recent seasons. What more could we ask for? While the first half portended a three or four-nil win, Roma showed exceptional resolve in the second half, absorbing everything Bologna had to offer while limiting them to a flurry of half-chances en route to their second win in their last three matches.
We’ve seen these momentary pockets of brilliance from Roma throughout the season, but they’ve never managed to string together enough of his performances to truly bolster their spot in the league. Time may be running out, but today was certainly a good sign and sets up an exciting finish to the seasons, especially if Juventus and Como trip up this weekend.
Up Next
Roma hosts Fiorentina on Monday. May the 4th be with us all.
