Midway through a season that had initially promised to be Roma’s great awakening, it appears that the Giallorossi have not only been caught napping but are experiencing something of a recurring nightmare.
After consecutively finishing as runners-up to Juventus in coach Rudi Garcia’s two previous seasons in charge at the Stadio Olimpico, the consensus was that this was the season for Roma to grasp the nettle and finally overcome the Bianconeri by winning the Scudetto.
The foundations were all laid out for the Lupi, in fact they could hardly have been more fortuitous; Roma spent considerable sums reinforcing their faltering attack with the additions of players such as Edin Dzeko from Manchester City and Mohamed Salah from Chelsea. Meanwhile, key rivals Juventus were undergoing a summer of transformation with many notable stars departing Turin.
The truth is that Roma’s constant ability to draw failure from the jaws of victory means questions must be asked about the mentality that besets the club. The Giallorossi are arguably among the greatest underachievers in world football which is best underlined by the fact that Juventus has won more league titles since their promotion to Serie A than Roma have in their history. Even in their glory period of the early 1980s the Lupi lost out on the European Cup on penalties to Liverpool in the Eternal City.
Indeed, 2015/16 again looks like being the season of the ‘nearly men’ as Rudi Garcia tries to lift his stuttering squad from fifth place in Serie A to league winners whilst also dealing with the unenviable task of taking on Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Best Player:
The Giallorossi can at least take comfort in the fact that local lad Alessandro Florenzi has really come to the fore this season.
The Italian began the campaign as he intended to go on by rescuing Roma away to Hellas Verona on the opening game of the season.
Florenzi’s versatility has been a key weapon for Rudi Garcia to utilise as the 24-year-old slots into positions around the park and provides his side with great commitment and hunger.
Indeed, Florenzi’s stunning goal in Roma’s 1-1 draw against Barcelona in the Champions League has seen him nominated for FIFA’s Puskas Award as the Italian unleashed a rocket of a shot from inside his own half that sailed over Blaugrana goalkeeper Marc Andre Ter Stegen as the Giallorossi sealed an impressive point against the reigning European champions.
Season Highlight:
For Roma it has been pretty much a half-season to forget. Whilst the aforementioned draw against Barcelona is arguably the real highlight, the Giallorossi’s greatest moment is likely their 2-1 triumph against rivals Juventus on matchday two of Serie A.
Courtesy of goals from Bosnian due Miralem Pjanic and Edin Dzeko, Roma condemned Juventus to their second defeat from just two league games, something the Bianconeri had never suffered before in their history.
Crucially though it gave Roma belief that they could indeed wrestle the Scudetto from Turin and perhaps summer signing Dzeko was the answer to their attacking prayers.
Biggest Disappointment:
The Coppa Italia arguably represented Roma’s biggest chance at picking up some silverware. Entertaining Serie B minnows Spezia at the Stadio Olimpico should have been a formality for the Lupi to book their place in the tournament’s quarter-finals. It ended in utter humiliation as the lower league side put their name in the draw instead after triumphing 4-2 on penalties after the sides played out a 0-0 stalemate for 120 minutes.
Angry supporters called for Garcia to be sacked immediately and even pelted Roma’s players with eggs. To add insult to injury, Spezia drew minnows Alessandria in the quarter-final themselves meaning the Giallorossi could have made the passage to the semi-final without even encountering top-flight opposition.
Transfer Hit:
Despite their average season so far the loan signing of Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is a considerable improvement on Morgan De Sanctis. The Polish stopper has saved Roma on numerous occasions this season and is certainly a player the club’s hierarchy will be trying to bring in permanently.
Transfer Flop:
One signing who hasn’t fared so well is Edin Dzeko, who was brought in from Manchester City this summer. Many expected the Bosnian to score a glut of goals in Serie A now that he was assured of regular playing time, but the 29-year-old has found the back of the net just three times in Serie A this season.
What Next?
Rudi Garcia still remains under intense pressure and it’s likely only a concerted run of victories will ease that pressure. The Lupi have the players at their disposal to win Serie A, but they are also prone to inconsistency which could even cost them their place in next season’s Champions League.
