After Coppa Italia and Serie A, last night Roma compromised the passage in Europa League, too. A terrible week!
“Last night Roma played an impressive first half, 1-2 up and many chances to wrap up the tie completely wasted! Second half with the handbrake on, almost static. Run out of steam? Mental state? Or both? Lyon takes advantage and turns the tie inside out. Why did Spalletti wait until minute 83 to make the first change? Some players were just exhausted.
Attack: Too many chances thrown away. As always Spalletti complains, the team is not cynical, creates so much but does not convert. The usual refrain, in fact. Are we missing a real centre forward? Dzeko is not that player, even if he has scored many goals this year, he’s not good with his head shots, last night stuck and static. Salah begin his play far away and almost always arrives in front of the keeper in progression but then it seems that almost always miss the last winning touch. It’s hard to win games like this.
Midfield: Yesterday with many spaces in the Lyon half, we would have seen well Francesco Totti on the field to put Dzeko and co. in front. But in the first half, not in the second, when the team was struggling and did not run anymore. Nainggolan has done so much yesterday again, so instrumental tackling and restart play. So was Strootman, but he kind of walked in the second half. Paredes now we can say, it is not a player who takes the team under his wing, and he does not make the difference. De Rossi is a different in this sense, even if no more young and responsive as it once was. Emerson made his impact, as opposed to Peres, an honest-back on the wing, but not up to jump the man to cross. Mario Rui, where are you? Florenzi, when you come back?
@OfficialASRoma
Defense: Careful and attentive, in the first half seemed so, then slow and clumsy. Fazio, who also scored, Manolas got past so many times in the second half, thanks to open grasslands left from the midfield not working. In the second half the open spaces have left the field to Lyon to come back and win.
Not everything is lost. Almost compromised yes, but still you can do it. Take example from Barcelona. Beat Lazio and Lyon 2-0, extra-time and qualification. This is the objective. But something has to change. Meanwhile, let’s rest some key players with Palermo. Let’s play El Sha, Perotti, Paredes, Grenier and also Gerson if possible. But a win at Palermo is a must. We also need to pick ourselves up for the morale, now under the heels. How far is now Villarreal, or San Siro against Inter? It was only 10 days ago. It seems a life ago”!
Stefano Sale @ASROMA.IE