Francesco Totti could be as important as ever for Roma this season

Date: 9th February 2016 at 12:18pm
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With the Giallorossi and their summer signing Edin Dzeko struggling for goals of late, the club’s captain could yet have a decisive role to play in their season.

francesco totti as roma

Since 1992, Francesco Totti has remained a constant figure for Roma and even at 39-years of age has no immediate plans of stopping anytime soon.

Though with age comes the inevitable injuries and fatigue, which has seen Totti take more of a backseat to the Giallorossi’s starting XI as the club continues to prepare for life without their hero. As such, Edin Dzeko was signed from Manchester City last August tasked with the simple objective of scoring goals for the Lupi, a task the club has relied on Totti for so many years.

The Bosnian was signed due to his record as a proven finisher, however, has struggled to live up to this title having scored just 3 goals in 18 appearances for the club.

With the 29-year-old struggling to adapt into the Roma team, there is seemingly a solid argument that Totti still has an important role to play yet. The born and bred Roman’s strength was always in his attacking versatility, in being able to consistently perform in front of goals across a number of different positions and formations.

Whether it was as an attacking midfielder under Zdenek Zeman’s 4-3-3, as a second striker in a Fabio Capello run 3-5-2 or arguably his most successful position as a false 9, first implemented by none other than Luciano Spalletti in his first stint in the capital.

Across each position, formation and under each tactician, Totti has always been able to not only score but create for those around him.

Francesco Totti

Looking at Dzeko’s struggles up front this season, Spalletti himself has defended the  No.9, putting his lack of goals down to poor service from those around him. And while the former Zenit Saint Petersburg coach isn’t necessarily wrong, it is not difficult to see what has been lacking in the side’s attacking play.

Roma amassed a substantial total of 24 goals in their first ten Serie A games this season and boasted one of the top attacks in the league. When we look a little closer, 15 of these goals were from Roma’s wide players, with both Gervinho and Mohamed Salah showing early season form while even the wide defenders contributed to the tally. Five goals were provided by an impressive Miralem Pjanic from central midfield while Dzeko, the man up front, contributed just one.

Thus, when injuries arose and the form out-wide deteriorated, the goals dried up and the team scored half the amount of goals in their following ten Serie A games with Dzeko’s contributions remaining ultimately the same.

This reliance on strong performances from their wingers was echoed once again through the acquisition of both Stephan El Shaarawy and Diego Perotti this winter.

In the absence of form out wide and an inability to involve the leading front-man, there is a clear gap which exists in the heart of the Giallorossi attack. And it is no coincidence that as Totti’s appearances have steadily decreased, so has that of Roma’s attack down the centre of the field, decreasing from 35% in 2012-2013 to 27% and 26% in the last two seasons.

Francesco Totti selfie

Dzeko is, by no fault of his own, a target man and has as of yet failed to find the type of service he can thrive off. Whereas his team-mate 10 years his elder has shown, over 20 years of football, his ability to not only receive the ball up front but importantly drop back to collect and play in the wingers and attacking midfielders around him. And the latter is exactly what their starting teams have lacked. His ability to involve himself in the play and provide for his teammates, an element simply not part of Dzeko’s game. This was illustrated in their recent win over Frosinone when the Italian replaced the Bosnian at the 60th-minute mark. Despite exactly half the time on the pitch, the star substitute was able to still attain 13 more touches, not to mention an assist for Pjanic’s goal.

While he lacks the speed and endurance of previous years, the potential for Totti to help play in those around him still provides substantial value to the Giallorossi. And this doesn’t necessarily mean he should exist in the Bosnian’s place given his previous success as a second striker with the likes of Antonio Cassano, Vincenzo Montella, Marco Borriello or tucking in behind Pablo Osvaldo.

The Azzurri legend has already stated he will continue as long as his body holds up, thus if physically up to the task, Totti should still be demanding a more important position than simply entertaining the bench.

 

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