While last week’s narrow 1-0 victory over Lecce kept the wolves at bay for another week, it did little to erase the stench of February and March from our collective conscience. After drawing AC Milan 1-1 on January 25th, Roma climbed to third place in the standings, trailing the second-place Rossoneri by only four points. With the squad relatively healthy and boosted by January signee Donyell Malen, things were looking up for Gian Piero Gasperini and the Giallorossi, but the tailend of winter hasn’t
been kind to Roma.
Including that draw with Milan, Roma have a 3-5-4 (W-D-L) record over their past 12 matches, dropping points in five straight games before their win over Lecce last Sunday; during this streak, they fell to sixth place in the standings and were eliminated from the Europa League after losing to Bologna.
Despite this downturn, Roma remains in the thick of a hotly contested battle for Italy’s fourth and final Champions League place, trailing fourth-place Como by only three points. Still, for a season that began with such optimism, things have soured sooner than we expected.
To get a sense of whether this is just a run of bad luck or a symptom of a much larger issue, we assembled the CdT crew to discuss Roma’s recent struggles, possible paths out of the darkness and much more!
What are your thoughts on the rumors of discord among Gasperini, Massara, Ranieri, and the Friedkins? Are you surprised by these reports? What do you think might be causing this discontent?
Bren: Well, as we’re all too painfully aware, no Roma manager is immune to the madness that envelops the club once the honeymoon period has expired. In this case, the supposed beef centers on Gasperini not getting the specific signings he wanted; then again, nearly any manager has that gripe.
However, regarding the actual rumors of friction between these parties, I am quite surprised. Roma had been pursuing Gasperini for several years before finally acquiring him, and when they did, it was supposedly due to Ranieri’s persistence. So, seeing tension between these sides, even if it was largely a media fabrication, was a bit of an eyebrow raiser—normally, we wouldn’t see this kind of stuff until late next fall.
JonAS: For me, there are just rumors. The media loves a good old-fashioned fight, and since it’s international break, they have to come up with something, right? However, where there’s smoke, there’s fire, so there must be SOME truth in this. I think the suits expected a little more from Gasperini, especially since Roma was consistently in the top 4 until March, had an okay Europa League group phase, and a favorable Coppa draw.
But it all went downhill in just a few weeks: no Coppa, no EL, and suddenly we’re sixth with Atalanta breathing down our neck. That”s a tough pill to swallow, and we fear this will be another lost year without real progress. Especially because the management showed some effort during the winter mercato to keep Roma competitive: Vaz for 25m, Malen, Venturino, and Zaragoza.
Yet we’re still toothless vs big teams and Gasperini seems more grumpy than at the start. I’m sure we’ll see a lot more of these heated rumors in the next couple of weeks.
ssciavillo: I agree that the discord between the parties is a bit amped up in the media. However, like JonAS said, where there’s smoke there has to be at least a small fire. The way Roma has seemingly thrown away a Champions League spot, while also crashing out the EL to Bologna and Coppa to Torino probably has everyone on edge. After all, Gasperini was brought in to get Roma back into Europe’s elite competition and that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. So, I’m sure there have been some tough conversations between the parties involved that have led to some of these rumors.
Jimmy: The papers need something to talk about, and since they can’t talk about Roma having Champions League football assured, they’re going to talk about tension in management. That’s the circle of life with the Giallorossi’s media coverage, particularly in Rome itself; I don’t envy anyone working or playing in that environment, despite how much I love the club. I’m sure there is some tension about the results not being assured just yet, that’s natural. But I do think there’s a need for patience all around—and from what we’ve seen from the Friedkins, they’ve bought into having at least more patience than Jim Pallotta did.
With only 3 wins in their last 12 matches, Roma’s spring slump is in full swing. What lessons, if any, should the club learn from this drought? What weaknesses has it exposed?
Bren: I’d say patience when hiring a new manager, but they never seem to heed that lesson, no matter how many times they’ve been bludgeoned over the head with it. Sadly, the weaknesses it exposed aren’t really new either: insufficient depth in attack, a lack of dynamism in the midfield, and the omnipresent injuries
How they reverse these trends or at least mitigate those weaknesses will depend on Gasperini. I doubt he’ll completely change his tactical approach or formation, but at least he’s been willing to play some of the club’s youngest wingers/forwards.
JonAS: I agree injuries truly hurt Roma: Dybala, Soulé, Koné… Malen at least eased the impact of losing Dovbyk and Ferguson, but having at least one of Dybala or Soulé, both of whom are creative sparks, could have given Roma a few more points. The inexplicable situation with Angelino, and why Celik keeps playing RWB while Wesley is in his less-preferred LWB role, cost us dearly. Last summer, I was excited about the Wesley and Angelino combo in Gasperini’s high-octane football, but we rarely got to see it. Such a shame.
Also, Roma’s biggest strength this season, its iron defense, is suddenly leaking goals left and right over the last few weeks. Svilar has some ‘guys, I’m only human’ moments, too many fatal counterattacks, Mancini and others getting no help from midfield, etc.
ssciavillo: I agree that injuries are the main culprit, especially to Dybala and Soule. Roma sorely missed the creative influence of those two in attack. Imagine if Malen had been such an instant difference-maker. Where would Roma have been then?
I’d agree that a lack of depth is a problem to some extent, but also that a lot of that is down to injuries testing the depth though. You have to keep in mind that a large portion of this stretch without results has come during one match weeks, so there’s more to it than depth.
Perhaps there’s some mental side of this that needs to be addressed too since the results against other teams in the top 7 has been horrific. Just one win against Como was never going to be enough. I think that blown 3-1 lead against Juve really did some damage to the team’s psyche. If Roma wins that match, I think we’re talking about things very differently.
Jimmy: The biggest takeaway is that injuries suck. It’s incredibly frustrating that Roma figured out their striker position this winter through the Donyell Malen purchase (and I’m still quite optimistic about Robinho Vaz), only for the creative glue that turns strikers into goalscorers to have to hit the doctor’s office. There’s not much to do there other than say “this happens,” but I agree that beyond that it’s still the mental block separating Roma from a long term CL mainstay.
The defense has been worse, but again, that strikes me as an issue more to do with injuries and tired legs. Hopefully that can be fixed long-term through continued development of depth (though hey, thanks to Daniele Ghilardi for growing into a true keeper).
How much responsibility should fall on Gian Piero Gasperini for Roma’s recent dip in form? Are the team’s issues more reflective of tactical limitations, or is he being let down by squad construction and execution?
Bren: It’s hard to even suggest that a manager as experienced and successful as Gasperini has suddenly lost the plot, so I focus more on the composition of the squad. I think we tend to forget that he’s working with only one striker and that he wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about his original strikers (Dobyk and Ferguson) from the start.
And then look at the performances of some bench players, like Tsimikas, Zaragoza, Rensch, and even Venturino. In that light, it’s a miracle Roma has done as well as they have. The only tweak I might suggest for Gasp is to put Matías Soulé in the hole behind Donyell Malen and Robinio Vaz.
JonAS: Yeah, he’s too stubborn with this 3-4-2-1 formation. I’d like to see more of the 3-5-2 or 3-4-1-2, hell, even Cristante can play as an attacking midfielder behind two strikers and be effective. But please give Malen some help up front. You can”t expect him to save us with guys like Pellegrini, Tsimikas, Celik, or Zaragoza behind him.
Another tip: play the guys who deserve it. I see Ghilardi, Rensch, Pisili, or Ziolkowski being benched after good performances for the usual suspects. You risk losing the locker room in the long run. We need to keep everyone focused; no one is certain of their place in the XI. My hope is Vaz, who is developing well, so Gasp could use that speedy Malen-Vaz frontline a bit more.
ssciavillo: I think it comes down more to roster composition. Like Bren mentioned, Gasperini was forced to deploy two strikers who didn’t fit his tactics from the very start. Roma really lucked out that Malen suddenly became available in January to give him the profile he wanted there. But again, with both Dybala and Soulé injured simultaneously for so many matches, it’s hard to blame Gasperini. Vaz isn’t ready yet for a big role. He’s very raw and much more effective coming off the bench at this point. Pellegrini has had some good matches and others not so great, so it leaves the team lacking a playmaker or two it sorely needs to make this system work. Maybe with Angelino getting back into the fold, Roma can start making things more difficult for defenses by having pace on both wings to take a little pressure off the AM until Soule returns.
Jimmy: I agree with everyone above. It’s roster construction, and we’re nearly to where we want to be there, but especially with Dybala and Soulé unavailable, things got dicey fast, and that’s not the manager’s fault. I think questions need to start being asked about Dybala’s future in Rome (and it seems like those questions are being asked). Beyond that, I’d say get Soulé a creative partner who’s more available and things will look better next season.
To what extent has the absence or inconsistency of key players like Paulo Dybala, Matías Soulé, or Lorenzo Pellegrini disrupted Roma’s attacking identity? Has this period revealed an overreliance on individual brilliance rather than a sustainable system?
Bren: This follows from my previous response, but this winter has revealed how poorly constructed the squad was and how heavily they relied on players like Dybala, Soulé, and even Pellegrini. Gasperini’s system has proven successful in Italy and Europe, so I don’t necessarily think he needs star players at every position, but Roma’s roster is quite thin at the most important positions, which makes it hard for his system to work effectively.
That doesn’t excuse Gasperini’s performance, especially since Ranieri did so well with essentially the same squad last spring, but there are serious shortfalls in the attack and midfield.
JonAS: That last part right there. Ranieri brought Roma within one point of the CL with what was maybe a weaker team. So what’s the point of getting Gasperini and doing worse? Every team has injuries, but only Roma uses them as an excuse. Leao, Bremer, Vlahovic, Mkhitaryan, Marcus Thuram, De Bruyne, and Lukaku all missed matches for Roma’s rivals this season.
Inter is a machine after all these years, Napoli has Conte motivating them, Milan doesn’t have European competitions and a clever Allegri, Juve brought in Spalletti to turn their season around, while Como is the fairy tale of this season with lots of youth. Gasperini has plenty of Serie A experience and is paid to solve problems. Then it’s only natural that the fans are getting angry after another sixth-place finish and a dramatic exit from the Europa League / Coppa.
ssciavillo: I feel like I’ve spoken plenty on the attacking midfield situation already. To answer the second part, I don’t think Gasperini’s system is reliant on individual brilliance, but until he gets a roster of players that fully fit the system then the system won’t hum like it did in Bergamo. It may take another couple windows before that happens. We have to remember, Gasperini was in Bergamo for a decade and he was able to fly under the radar in a less demanding environment until he was able to fully see his vision come to life. Hopefully he’s afforded a bit of time to get things clicking fully with Roma.
Jimmy: I completely concur with Steve—GPG needs more time and he needs more players that fit his system. I’m not hitting the panic button until we’re in season two with Gasperini. For now, these are growing pains and injury concerns, and things aren’t completely toast yet for the Giallorossi this season either.
Looking at Roma’s recent performances, do you see signs of a team that can still recover and push for its season objectives, or does this stretch indicate deeper structural issues that will require significant changes in the summer?
Bren: Well, with matches against Inter Milan, Lazio, Bologna, and Atalanta on the docket, I’m not sure Roma will steal enough points to overcome Juventus and Como. There are some genuine building blocks here (Svilar, Koné, Malen, Vaz, Pisilli, to name a few), so I don’t think they need a Monchi-like summer with 12 signings, but upgrades in midfield and the wings will go a long way to improving the team next year.
JonAS: We have a tough schedule ahead. I don’t think we’ll fall out of the European spots; maybe finishing sixth still gets us the Europa League (depending on the Coppa Italia winners). Reaching the top 4 isn’t impossible, but a lot has to go our way: results from Como and Juve, the return of Soulé and Dybala, Malen staying healthy, penalties in our favor, and so on.
This season showed us we’re still far from being a true top 4 contender because Gasperini had us overperforming for months (when looking at the table), but hey, as long as it’s mathematically possible, we can keep dreaming. Like Bren said, some positions like wingback and DM really need serious reinforcements this summer.
ssciavillo: I’m not completely writing off the top 4 yet, but I don’t like Roma’s chances. Como only has Inter and Napoli left on the calendar with a 3 point cushion and better goal differential. If Roma had managed a draw in the recent H2H, I’d say it was wide open still, but that loss may have doomed them. I do think Juve is there for the taking to secure top 5 and an EL place without relying on the Coppa results going their way. But, just image having won the Juve match and drawn Como and Roma is right in it still and probably in control of their own destiny.
Jimmy: To quote Yogi Berra, it ain’t over til it’s over. I think Roma has the ability to pull off a top four finish still, but it hinges on injuries moving forward. There can be no more missteps and no more injuries. That’s a tall order but not an impossible one.
It’s never too early to speculate on transfers, so what positions or players should the club target this summer?
Bren: Above all else, I’d say they need help on both wings and a genuine attacking midfielder. Between Mancini, Ghilardi, and Ziolkowski, I’d be okay if they had to sell Ndicka to fund their summer mercato; not thrilled, but at least comfortable.
Regarding actual midfield targets, Julian Brandt is an interesting rumor. I might call Man City to find out their plans for Claudio Echeverri; he’s young but has a lot of potential. I’d also check if Juventus are done with Koopmeiners and open to loaning or selling him at a discount. I was really hopeful that Charles De Ketelaere would join Gasp in Rome last summer, so I’d look into that as well.
JonAS: I’m not a fan of Brandt just because he’s nearing 30. I want us to build a young core that can work together for at least 4-5 years, which also means keeping Koné and Ndicka. Preferably, guys with Serie A experience. Since Tottenham is on the brink of relegation, I’d try to steal Udogie from them.
That said, remember when Roma got the likes of Cassetti, Perrotta, Vucinic, Taddei, and Tonetto from Lecce, Chievo, Siena, and Sampdoria? We need to bring back those days and focus on getting good, affordable players from smaller Italian clubs who always give 100%.
For example, I would love to see Matteo Prati getting a shot in our midfield, alongside Pisili: a young, dynamic Italian duo. Bernasconi, Palestra, or Fortini are also intriguing young Italian wingbacks. If Fiorentina get relegated, why not get Kean and Ndour?
Also, I have no problem if Dybala leaves, we have Soulé, but we need another creative player up front. Paz is out of our league but could Baturina from Como be a realistic target?
Finally, as a Belgian I’d love ‘mini Hazard’ Godts to take over from SES. Seys and De Cuyper are interesting fullbacks and arguably better than the washed up Tsimikas.
ssciavillo: I’d be hesitant to sell Ndicka unless it was absolutely necessary. He’s arguably one of the best CB in Serie A. I hope they retain him, Kone, and Wesley who will all garner a lot of interest from bigger clubs. They need another striker to play behind Malen too. You can’t go into the season with just Malen and Vaz. I also like JonAS’ point of targeting younger Italian players that are already familiar with the league and have potential rather than investing in random youngsters from other leagues (unless they’re big talents like Wesley and Vaz) that have to adapt to the country, league and system rather than just a guy who only needs to learn Gasp’s tactics–if they’re comparable.
Jimmy: I want a left-back. A Wesley level left-back, so Wesley can play where he’s supposed to. The other main move for me will be keeping the following players: Mile Svilar, Matias Soulé, Niccolò Pisilli, Donyell Malen, and one of Manu Koné and Evan Ndicka. I’m sure there will be one sacrificial lamb, and my guess is it’s either Koné or Ndicka. But with a couple depth signings and only one major sale, I still believe the sky is the limit for this squad under GPG. Call me crazy!
Now that you’ve heard our say, let us know what you think: Are Roma’s problems temporary or a sign of something deeper? How can they dig themselves out of this funk?
