Roma Club Focus: Twenty Minutes To Go

Daniele De RossiFrancesco TottiPablo OsvaldoRoma

Forza Roma!

If you could sum up everything that this Roma is about, the 90 minutes against Genoa would just about do it. On show at the Marassi on Sunday evening were some stunning attacking play, individual excellence, determination, mental resilience and – of course – some awful defending to cap it off.
As has happened a few times this season, Roma started off sluggishly. Even when not at their best early on, Roma have usually at least begun brightly and on the front foot, but against the Grifoni they were simply not at the races for the first 20 minutes. Juraj Kucka’s opening goal was a superb strike, but Panagiotis Tachtsidis gave possession away too easily and the lack of defenders attempting to close Kucka down was simply embarrassing.
By the time Bosko Jankovic made it 2-0 it looked like Genoa were cruising, but as the hosts allowed themselves to ease off the pressure, Roma woke up. Francesco Totti, as ever, was full of invention and craft, and it was the captain who pulled his team back into the game with an excellent turn and finish. The equaliser could not have been better timed, coming as it did just before half time from Pablo Osvaldo, and the second half was largely one-way traffic. Osvaldo’s second was a well taken header, and Erik Lamela’s calm finish was both deserved and gave the Giallorossi some well-earned breathing space in the game.

Roma celebrate after overturning a two goal deficit at Genoa.

There have been many changes from last year in personnel both on and off the pitch, but it is safe to say that last year’s Roma would not have come back to win that game – let alone in such convincing style. Luis Enrique’s side never came back from more than a goal down to win a game, and his team’s mental fragility was often spoken about as a major weakness. On Sunday though, even allowing for Genoa allowing Roma back into the game after the second goal, it was noticeable how much the midfield redoubled their efforts to turn the game around.
After netting in midweek for the Azzurri, Daniele De Rossi was at his combative best for Roma and frequently looked to drive his team forward; a stark contrast to the first 20 minutes of the game when passes were aimless and went from side to side rather than directly towards goal. Alessandro Florenzi continued to show why Roma were so keen to bring him back from Crotone in the summer with another impressive performance, while Tachtsidis recovered from his nervous start to give a steady display on the other side of the trio.
The passing statistics for the three make interesting reading for those who have been quick to criticise the Greek for his perceived lack of ability on the ball; of Tachtsidis’ 78 passes, 89.74% were successful (compared to De Rossi’s 86.67% of 90 passes and Florenzi’s 93.18% of just 44 passes). Now, he still has some way to go to convince Romanisti that he is worthy of a first team place (only Francesco Totti and Pablo Osvaldo have a worse passing percentage for the season overall than Tachtsidis), but it would be wrong to write him off at this stage.
But the player I really want to mark out for his performance is Ivan Piris. The Paraguayan full back, like Jose Angel throughout last season, has clearly struggled to adapt to the Italian league and particularly to the coach’s tactics, showcased by some very shaky performances in his opening games. Unlike Jose Angel though, Piris shows a willingness to get forward and often was almost operating as a makeshift winger against Genoa.  This was capped off by his assist for the equaliser; starting the move with a pass to Erik Lamela, Piris continued his run to play a one-two with Totti. Totti’s return pass was not easy to collect, but the full back did excellently to latch onto the ball and dig out a perfect cross for Osvaldo to turn home.
It may be that, against a better side than Genoa, Roma would not have come back to win so stylishly and instead been dispatched as they were by Juventus. But the fact that Zdenek Zeman’s side did turn the game around can only be a positive sign moving forward; mistakes have been and will continue to be made, but it is how Zeman’s young team reacts to them that is as crucial as preventing them in the first place. Next up are Udinese in a fixture that has seen the home team win 10 of the last 13 meetings, and should the momentum from last weekend continue against the Zebrette it could mark a real milestone in Roma’s season.