After beating Sassuolo in a difficult 1-0 match on Sunday, Gian Piero Gasperini and the Giallorossi immediately turned the page to their next opponent, Parma. With only two days of rest between games and tough
fixtures against AC Milan and Rangers looming next week, Roma might have been forgiven if they played a bit flat against the Crusaders. And honestly, they did, managing just two shots on goal in the first half hour.
Some of that may have been attributed to losing Evan Ferguson in the seventh minute, but with the club presumably used to playing without a striker, that excuse didn’t really hold water. However, once the club found its groove, things fell in place naturally, and Roma played with better tempo and rhythm in the second half, firing 14 shots at Zion Suzuki and the Parma defense.
It wasn’t the pinnacle of Gasperini’s football, but the second half gave hope that better (and more exciting) days are coming for Roma. However, before we worry about this weekend’s trip to the San Siro, let’s hand out some halos!
The Saints
Mario Hermoso
Without digging through the S&S annals, we can reasonably assume Hermoso hasn’t appeared very often in these spaces. That doesn’t mean the Spanish defender has been ineffective; he’s simply been overshadowed by his linemates, Evan Ndicka and Gianluca Mancini. However, yesterday, the former Atletico Madrid man took all the plaudits. In addition to his 63rd-minute header, Hermoso won two tackles, intercepted two passes, cleared two balls, and recovered an additional five loose balls. On top of that, Hermoso sent four passes into the final third and completed five progressive passes, trailing only Manu Koné and Mancini.
Paulo Dybala
After willing Roma to victory over Sassuolo on Sunday, Dybala turned in another gem against Parma yesterday. Playing the full 90 minutes for only the second time this season, La Joya was instrumental in Roma’s victory, stuffing the stat sheet with nine shot-creating actions, six key passes, three shots on goal (two on target), and two successful dribbles while setting up Hermoso’s goal with a pinpoint corner kick.
Bryan Cristante
Returning to the deeper role that led to his breakthrough with Atalanta nearly a decade ago, Cristante delivered one of his best performances of the season. In 90 minutes, Roma’s captain did his best Dybala impression, following the Argentine with seven shot-creating actions, three key passes, eight balls played into the final third, and three into the penalty area (both match highs), while also clearing two balls, intercepting two passes, and recovering four loose balls.
He may never be a fan favorite, but Cristante is stitching together a pretty effective season thus far.
Gianluca Mancini & Evan Ndicka
We’ll group these two together because they were nearly identical last night, teaming up with Mario Hermoso and Mile Svilar to halt the Parma attack, aside from one ultimately meaningless goal in the 86th minute. With a combined total of 14 defensive actions (clearances, blocks, tackles, and interceptions and tackles won), four shot-creating actions, and nine balls played into the final third, Mancini and Ndicka gave their best Beckenbauer impersonation against Parma, earning praise from Gasperini after the match.
Artem Dovbyk
Coming on in the 73rd minute in place of Matías Soulé, Dovby wasn’t heavily involved (only five touches) but made the most of his limited action:
After an attempted give-and-go with Cristante was thwarted thanks to a deflection on the return pass, Dovbyk showed some impressive close control and quick thinking to recover the ball before flinging it past the keeper at the far post. With Ferguson likely sidelined with an ankle injury, Dovbyk should loom large in Gasperini’s plans over the next few matches.
Mile Svilar
An 86th-minute mini defensive breakdown denied Svilar his sixth clean sheet of the young season, but the 26-year-old keeper was as good as gold yesterday. Facing five shots on target, Svilar made four saves (two in the box), including a quick-thinking kick save in the first half and an exquisite fingertip save to deny Oliver Sorensen in the 79th minute.
Manu Koné, Wesley and Zeki Celik performed well yesterday, but we’ll keep today’s S&S somewhat brief and end it here. Let’s hope for more of the same this weekend against Milan!
