Some time has passed into this summer’s mercato, and Italy’s top five clubs are preparing for a season were anything less than qualification for the Champions League would be considered a failure. Milan, Inter, Napoli, Roma and Juventus have clear goals ahead of them, all making their own movements to ensure that they are well prepared come the start of the Serie A season.
Each day we will look at each club and assess their mercato thus far. On Tuesday we began with the current Scudetto holders, Milan, Wednesday was the turn of their rivals Inter, on Thursday we had Napoli in the spotlight and now it is Roma’s turn.
Roma
The Giallorossi finished sixth last season, and suffered a humiliating exit from the Champions League at the hands of Ukrainian side Shakhtar, but that no longer matters, as a revolution is taking place at Roma. The Sensi era has come to an end, and American investors are now at the helm.
The new Roma is just starting to be built. Just as the saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”, and it seems this is the approach that the new owners are taking. Hiring former Barcelona B coach Luis Enrique with his authority penetrating all levels of the club, from the first team to the primavera, which shows exactly where Roma’s new plans are being laid. They are clearly looking to adopt the theories which succeeded in moulding the best team in the world right now – Barcelona.
Current team and addressing problems: After a last gasp loss of the Scudetto to Inter in 2009-2010, Roma were far less impressive last season. Coach Claudio Ranieri was sacked after a long series of disappointing results, Vincenzo Montella stepped in till the end of the season, but he had no magic stick capable of solving Roma’s problems instantly.
With one of the oldest squads in Serie A, a lot of players are well past their best, and a number of departments in the team are in serious need of enforcing.
Goalkeeping: Julio Sergio, Doni, Bogdan Lobont… you wouldn’t want any of them in your team and this, might easily be considered Roma’s weakest department.
Defence: When it comes to individual quality of centre-backs, Roma had there very good ones in Phillipe Mexes, Nicolas Burdisso, and Juan, but the way this defence operated, was the opposite of very good. The full-backs might be for blame for this defensive chaos as well, as an out of form John-Arne Riise and a defensively limited Marco Cassetti are not part of any dream full-back combination.
Midfield: Daniele De Rossi, David Pizarro, Simone Perotta… the quality is there, but De Rossi of the last two years has not been the real De Rossi Roma fans know, while likes of Pizarro and Perotta are well into their 30s, and both clearly past their best. This midfield has shown Serie A fans some excellent football in recent years, it just seems that they’re not capable of doing it anymore.
Attack: Francesco Totti, the king of Rome, is still doing it, winning Roma matches, and earning more and more plaudits from the Giallorossi faithful. But asking too much from a 35 years old, is not what an ambitious team should be doing. Mirko Vucinic and Jeremy Menez offered most of the pace and trickery for the side, and both were behind most of Roma’s best moments last season. Meanwhile, Marco Borriello enjoyed an impressive first half of last season, but failed to maintain that same kind of form for the whole season, and was constantly on the bench under Montella.
Conclusion:
Problem 1: Acquire a top quality goalkeeper.
Problem 2: Mexes made his way to Milan permanently, and the sub-par performances last season of Burdisso and Juan make enforcing the centre-back department an absolute necessity for the club.
Problem 3: Riise was sold to Fulham, and the aging Cassetti doens’t offer any assurances. Two quality full backs for each flank are needed.
Problem 4: Midfield needs to be enforced with younger legs.
Problem 5: Menez made his way to PSG while Vucinic went to Juventus, with Borriello and Totti the only figures expected to stay, Roma will need at least a couple of forwards who are capable of playing on the wings of 4-3-3 and which would suit Luis Enrique’s tactical approach.
Mercato solutions acquired by the club and writer’s assessment:
Solution for problem 1: Stekelenburg was purchased from Ajax. Roma just couldn’t have done better; the Dutch International is potentially world class.
Solution for problem 2: Gabriel Heinze was signed from Marseille, but currently Roma are not being seriously linked to any quality centre-back. Heinze should not be considered in anyway an upgrade over what Roma had in Mexes, Roma’s defence needs further reinforcing.
Solution for problem 3: Right-back Jose Angel made his way to Roma from Spanish side Sporting Gijon, while Heinze can play left back as well. The 21 year old is very promising, but yet very raw. Roma are taking a risk which just might be worth taking. While 33 year old Heinze is not an upgrade on Riise at all.
Solution for problem 4: Roma haven’t made any signings yet, neither are they seriously being linked to any quality midfielders. This area needs an overhaul sooner or later, but it would better if it were now.
Solution for problem 5: Erik Lamela was signed from ailing Argentine giants River Plate, Bojan joined from European champions Barcelona. Further enforcement is possible.
Assessment: Lamela has the talent, and maybe the potential to become just what Roma want him to be, but the very raw 19 year old is not expected to be a world beater immediately in one of the toughest leagues in the world. Bojan arrived on a very strange deal, which might very much see him back to Barcelona in two years time. He is certainly the perfect choice to suit coach Luis Enrique’s methods, too much may be expected from the Spanish U-21 International, whether he will meet these expectations is something that remains to be seen. Roma need further enforcement here.
Overall Assessment: Much of what this Roma side need for next season isn’t yet in place, and the fierce competition for the top places next season could prove to be a step too far with such holes in the squad. But Roma up till now are far from being the finished article, first due to the fact that further moves in this mercato are still expected, and in terms of the long term project as well, which will certainly pay dividends over time. While up till now, with less than a month left in the mercato, Roma could be considered the least prepared of the top five clubs.
Coach Luis Enrique’s philosophy will need more time to be fully implemented and he must be given that time by the Roma owners, but whether it will succeed or not in a country with a very different footballing tradition and mentality, is a question which only time will answer.
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