Time for Roma to cut the Totti cord and grow up

Date: 11th April 2015 at 2:00pm
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When the final whistle went at the Stadio Olimpico last Saturday evening, the Giallorossi’s 1-0 victory over Napoli was more a feeling of relief, than celebration for the tifosi around the stadium.

AS Roma v SSC Napoli - Serie A

Amazingly, it was Roma’s first victory at home since November, an incredible statistic for a side that is still currently second in Serie A.

Roma lined up with a fluid forward trident of Juan Iturbe, Adem Ljajic and Alessandro Florenzi against one of their fierce rivals for the Champions League slots.

The notable omission? Francesco Totti was ruled out with a flexor tendon injury that had Roma fans fearing the worst, given how the Romanisti have always looked towards him to pull the team up by the collar and drag them out of any prolonged slump.

Totti - Roma

The Giallorossi rallied however. Roma showed an abundance of courage and mental fortitude that had been missing for many months now, to pick up a crucial victory over the Partonopei.

The win begged the question though: are Roma better off without their captain?

While they did miss Totti’s hold-up and link-up play immensely throughout the game, which meant they failed to hold on to possession during crucial moments, Roma did look marginally more threatening on the counter-attack.

Even Totti’s biggest admirers will admit that the Roma legend isn’t the type of player, especially at this age, to be chasing down lost causes, and it wouldn’t be crazy to say that Roma are pretty much defending with a man less when Totti is on the field.

The trident’s energetic and lively approach, in particular Florenzi, meant that Napoli’s defence were always on the alert and busy.

Alessandro Florenzi Roma 2 Verona 0

While this meant more intensity though, it was evident Roma missed their talisman’s calmness and quality on the ball to dictate the pace of the game when they were under attack. As technically gifted as Ljajic is, he still lacks the unique intelligence that Totti offers in the false-nine role.

One of the big reasons for Roma’s win was the performance of goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis.

The veteran was arguably the man of the match against his former club, and the main cause as to why the home side came away with three points instead of one.

He continually was on hand to thwart his former teammates, and the victory was more down to his heroics than Roma’s forwards.

De Sanctis - Roma

The jury is definitely still out on whether Totti’s presence stifles the Giallorossi’s play, and it’s important to remember that Napoli are in crisis-mode at the moment, having won only one of their past nine matches.

Napoli are a top side that were woefully out-of-form, and it is thus difficult to gauge whether Roma have gained their mojo back after their slender victory over such a troubled opponent.

One game won’t provide many answers, so the weekend’s fixture against a rejuvenated Torino should provide a good examination as to whether the Giallorossi are actually more functional without Totti.

While the captain may be deemed fit for the clash, coach Rudi Garcia would do well to keep faith with the same line-up that beat Napoli, and thus should gain a better insight at the conclusion of the weekends action if they are in fact a better side without Totti.

There will be a time soon enough where Roma will have to cope permanently without their captain, and the transition will be much smoother the sooner they begin.

Totti+Rudi Garcia Roma

 

One response to “Time for Roma to cut the Totti cord and grow up”

  1. Ljajic was horrific vs Napoli. It was all Iturbe and Florenzi in attack, and had Totti been playing, we might have scored more goals.