Roma are struggling.
Results show it, moreso the fact they have trailed in each of their last three games shows it. That in all three Roma have come back to secure a point tells another story. Garcia can obviously still influence a game from within. In all three, the Giallorossi’s first goal has come within 10 minutes of the restart, within five in two.
The problem, it seems, lies with his initial team selection. Roma, as Lille before them (and even Garcia’s Le Mans, if you care to blow the dust off that particular history book — Gervinho lies within its pages) play according to Garcia’s favoured 4-3-3 formation. It is unusual in that the width comes from the back rather than the front; with full-backs expected to perform almost as wing-backs.
Those playing at left-back and right-back are pivotal, and it is they who are given scope to impress. Last season, with Maicon bombing down the right and Balzaretti down the left, the Giallorossi got off to a flying start. When the Italian was injured, the team began to suffer (2.60 points per game with Balzaretti, 2.07 without) and the formation gradually lost balance.
Allied to this failing within his troops, it has become more prevalent in Serie A’s thinking that the best way to pin Roma back is to press the full-backs; Palermo’s goal came from a poor pass by Davide Astori made because he and Holebas were under pressure.
When their defence isn’t shoring up the numbers, the three-man midfield looks under-strength. As with his defenders, Garcia’s choice of midfielders is definite. He likes those who win the ball, control it, and move it on to a more forward-thinking player. Kevin Strootman’s ‘washing machine’ nickname came from this ability, but he is the perfect example of what his French coach requires.
The Frenchman continues to recruit central midfielders with little thought to any width from the middle of the park.
A year and a half in, Garcia has stuck to his principles and formation rigidly. It could be argued that after securing a record points tally and being second in Serie A, he has every right to do so. However, there are signs that his belief in a single formation is beginning to creak.
While the fact his team have been able to recover in each game to date is indicative of a man who hasn’t completely lost the plot, it is inevitable he has to adapt to survive. This season’s Scudetto may already be lost, but there are four games before Roma face Juventus.
So often, Roma have endured false dawns under new coaching regimes. Garcia offers a real dawn, but without further tactical development, he may never see daylight.
Follow Marco Jackson on Twitter at: @Marco4J