New signings could not hide underlying problems, as Rudi Garcia’s obstinance meant Roma began their season by salvaging a point away to Verona.
It is perhaps harsh to criticise Rudi Garcia for his overindulgence in playing 4-3-3. After all, it is a system devised to produce quick and entertaining play, but in the Giallorossi’s case it stifles their creativity and makes them easier to nullify.
Roma entered this season on a wave of optimism and it is hard to dispute the rationale behind such unbridled expectation. The total overhaul of Juventus coupled with some shrewd acquisitions by the Lupi, rightly fostered hope among supporters that the Giallorossi were in with a realistic chance of winning only their fourth Scudetto.
However, Garcia’s persistence with a formation that struggles to break down organised defences is unforgivable in Serie A.
The Frenchman has not been helped by the fact that over the years sporting director Walter Sabatini has added a plethora of wingers to the Giallorossi squad: Juan Iturbe, Gervinho, Mohamed Salah, Iago Falque all make a compelling case for the former Lille coach to incorporate a system which can accommodate them.
Furthermore, Roma are a side who are particularly top-heavy with central midfielders, and to also accommodate them into the side makes it tempting to play a system where you can utilise three central midfielders instead of just two.
But simply adopting a strategy where you look to cram in as many talented players as possible does not necessarily mean you are playing to the side’s overall strengths.
Garcia seems to be trying to recreate the great balance his side had during his first season in charge, where Roma amassed a phenomenal points total and players such as Gervinho really came to the fore.
But there is an imbalance in the team that needs to be urgently rectified if they are to avoid returning to a side that continually draws matches. Players such as Gervinho and Salah need space to get in behind their opponents in order to be dangerous, but if the opposition merely counter that by sitting deeper, Roma’s players find themselves too far apart to engineer a patient form of build-up play that will unlock a defence.
The Verona draw was not all doom and gloom for however and it is indeed a tad unfair on the home side merely to harp on about the Giallorossi’s shortcomings, as Verona competed extremely well in a testing opening game.
Moreover, positives for Roma saw Alessandro Florenzi cap a decent performance with a wonderful goal and new signings such as Edin Dzeko and Wojciech Szczesny seem definite improvements on the squad of last season.
The Giallorossi entertain Juventus next week and after the Bianconeri’s opening defeat at home to Udinese, Rudi Garcia’s side have a real chance to compound their misery and blow the title race open.
The Old Lady will be hurting and will be out with a point to prove so it is therefore imperative that the Lupi raise their game if they are to get any sort of result next Sunday.
