It has been a mixed start for Luis Enrique at Roma, with five wins, five defeats and two draws in the league and that famous defeat to Slovan Bratislava in the Europa League qualifying.
He has failed to win over the full support of the Giallorossi faithful, but he is not a million miles away from achieving a successful season in Rome.
However there remains key reasons why Roma seem unable to maintain any kind of good form and these are some suggestion that could see Roma finish in one the three available Champions League places.
Correct Positions
Play Players in their right position. Enrique has frequently pick players to play in seemingly their wrong position. This has been particularly noticeable in the full back position. Early on in the season Enrique seem content to play both Simone Perrotta and Rodrigo Taddei as wing backs. This came as a shock too many as these two players had built up their reputation as attacking midfielders. Although Perrotta has not been used as a full back for months, Enrique still seems willing to expose Taddei out on the left hand side of defence. This is made all the more remarkable by the fact that Jose Angel who has impressed since his summer move from Spanish Side Sporting, has been available for selection.
Fix the Defence
Roma are currently conceding on average more than a goal which although is not a terrible record it is not helped by the fact that they have the worst goal scoring record in the top six. On paper Roma should be ok, especially considering the talent they have in the centre back position. The likes of Juan, Gabriel Heinze and Simon Kjaer are among some of the best defender in the league however there is one underlying problem, a lack of pace. Juan and Heinze at the tail end of their careers and so have lost of the pace they had five years ago, however Kjaer is only 22 years old and worryingly he is unable to keep up with some of the flyers in Serie A. This problem is worsening when Enrique play the likes of Taddei and Perrotta at full back as they too do not have any great pace. The solution may be for Roma to play five yards deeper, particularly when playing at the Stadio Olimpico
Concentrate Against the Smaller Sides
Roma have just started a run against some of the heavy weights of Italian football after being beaten by Udinese on Friday night. They will face Fiorentina, Juventus and Napoli all in the next three weeks. This will prove a massive test for Enrique’s men but it will show how key early season results have been. Dropping points Cagliari and Siena at home adds to the pressure on the next run of games, which if do not go to plan will heap serious pressure on the manager. However the four games in January could have an even bigger effect on Roma’s season. Games at home against Chievo, Cesena and Bologna with a trip to Catania should see I Lupi pick up a good sum of points but it will test the player’s character against the so called lesser sides which has been called into question by results this season.
Keep Daniele De Rossi
The Roman has been in good form this season, enjoying his new, more defensive role in the Roma midfield however the question surrounding his contract remains. The sounds out of the club in the past few weeks have been more positive and it seems more likely that the 28-year-old will stay at his boyhood club. Serious questions about the reign of Thomas Di Benedetto would be raised if the talented Italian international was allowed to leave on a free in the summer.
No More In-House Fighting
It seems a long time ago but it was this season that Francesco Totti and Walter Sabatini were publicly arguing, causing a divide in the Roma camp. That was resolved but there has been another incident this week. It has emerged that Pablo Osvaldo punched Erik Lamela after the defeat to Udinese on Friday night. Since then Osvaldo has been banned for the match on Sunday against La Viola and has been fined £43,000. With there being still many on the field problems for Enrique to sort out the last thing he needs now is another saga surrounding the club.
Despite these problems Roma do find themselves in a solid league position, sixth and with still a realistic chance of finishing in a Champions League berth, but there remains many problems for The Romans to solve before their European Dream can become a reality.
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Roma’s problems well summarised here. I know they are still a work in progress, but they certainly aren’t what I would call a joy to watch and aren’t quite on each other’s wavelengths yet. However, with De Rossi, Lamela and other great players, things should improve slightly. They aren’t doing too badly now, but I can’t see them breaking top 4.