Rudi Garcia has done something none of Roma’s last two coaches could do, and that is to make the team a contender for the Scudetto.
Following largely successful spells by Luciano Spalletti and Claudio Ranieri, Luis Enrique and Zdenek Zeman were tasked with getting the Giallorossi over the final hurdle. Yet, two plus years since Ranieri was dismissed, Roma were no better off coming into this season.
Roma tifosi had been spoiled during the first decade of the new millennium, however, since 2010 and the sale of the club by the Sensi family, things haven’t gone to plan.
Enter Garcia and the French tactician has eclipsed all expectations for the club. With maximum points from eight matches, Roma are perfectly set to make the push for the title that has eluded them since 2001.
With the sales of Marqinhos, Pablo Osvaldo and Erik Lamela casting a shadow over the club in late August, the supporter and media’s expectations were vastly lowered. Add in Franco Baldini’s move to Tottenham Hotspur in England’s Premier League, and Roma looked set for disaster in 2013/14.
However, it appears the club have removed players (Osvaldo and Lamela) that were damaging the rest of the squad and a technical director that wasn’t on par with current man Aurelio Andreazzoli – last season’s interim coach following Zeman’s dismissal.
Though Osvaldo chipped in with a fair amount of goals a year ago, 16, his volatility was always a factor in keeping him off the pitch and out of the supporters good graces. Lamela is a fantastic talent, but his ability to go missing for large parts of games and his sales tag, made his move more understandable after it happened.
Garcia is already odds on favourite to win the Serie A Coach of the Year Awards.
Garcia’s Roma are not only tactically different than Enrique or Zeman’s squads, but he also has a smaller squad that he is relying on game in and game out.
Currently, Garcia has 23 outfield players to pick from; while only 17 of those players have actually featured this term. The Frenchman has created a solid core of players led by the evergreen Francesco Totti and the re-born Daniele De Rossi.
De Rossi has come back from the brink as he was marginalised and made the scapegoat by Zeman a year ago. The Italian has been nothing but brilliant under Garcia, starting all eight matches and returning to the forefront of calcio.
Meanwhile, Totti has also played in all eight matches tallying three goals. However, it is Totti’s six assists in eight games that truly stands out and shows that Roma’s talisman should be given a call-up to the Azzurri ahead of next summer’s World Cup.
Just as Roma’s tight-knit, small squad is part of their resurgence, it may also be what leads to the team’s undoing. Already with decisive wins over Lazio, Inter and Napoli, Roma are showing this squad can play with the best of Serie A.
However, with seven of the team’s 17 outfield players already featuring in the team’s eight fixtures, it won’t be long until the Giallorossi suffer from fatigue, if the players aren’t already. With Fiorentina, AC Milan and Juventus on either side of the Christmas break, it will be those matches that decide if Roma can continue on their current path. With one goal conceded thus far, it’s easy to believe Roma have what it takes from back to front to lift the league trophy in May.
Roma’s American owners have already stated their could be upwards of €50 million made available for reinforcements in the January mercato, if the club still have a legitimate chance of winning the title.
Ahead of next summer’s World Cup, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find a player or two needing to re-establish themselves before FIFA’s showcase tournament in Brazil. Which could play into Roma’s favour.
The club could use another striker, though Alessandro Florenzi has emerged as one of the breakout players in Serie A this season. Meanwhile, Marco Borriello can contribute when needed, but could still find himself as a makeweight in a deal to bring someone else to the Stadio Olimpico.
Finding the right pieces to augment Garcia’s team will be the hard part. Luckily for the owners, Roma have finally found the right coach regardless if the team win their first Scudetto in 13 years.
Follow Drew Farmer on Twitter: @CalcioFarmer. Drew is a Forza Italian Football Features Editor and Genoa Correspondent. He also hosts the Forza Italian Football Club Focus Podcast.
