Roma vs Cremonese Talking Points #1537

A Work in Progress

A Work in Progress

Roma handles their business in their home opener on Monday night. Securing another narrow one with a 1–0 victory. Just one goal in it and another clean sheet. The performance once again was fairly solid and encouraging but still left something to be desired. There are those that were somewhat critical about the lack of goals that we have seen from this Roma team. So far, both of the goals in their opening two games have not come from their attack, with Byian Cristante and Chris Smalling being the ones ultimately to find the back of the net. Roma has done what they are supposed to do as they are carrying momentum into a big clash on Saturday night against Juventus. It will be their first test of the season. Roma has gone through a transition since they won the conference League back in May. They have had one of the best transfer windows in Italian football this summer while not spending a lot of money. With that has come pressure with expectations that Jose Mourinho will get the best out of this club, and they will return to the Champions League and perhaps challenge the top. Whether or not those expectations are fair, That is what happens with pressure Roma; making big moves puts the microscope on them as one of the teams that could challenge for the league by at least being involved in the title race. However, after the first two games, I think the thing that needs to be stressed is patience. This is a work in progress, and we’re going to see the best out of this team in due time. The positive we can take from this is Roma has found a way to be extremely elite defensively despite no upgrades. Also, This Roma side has the ability to sit on a lead and manage the game when they need to This is going to be a tough team to beat this season. However, there is plenty of room to grow, Even though the performance have been very encouraging. It hasn’t been exactly fireworks either. This will happen in time. Remember, they put this team together in the last couple of months with the acquisitions of Paulo Dybala, Nemanja Matic, Celk, the return of Leo spinazzola, and Gini. It is going to take some time for everything to click, but they are going in the right direction. Paulo Dybala had another terrific performance, although unable to find the back of a net last night. However, with more time together, Mourinho will figure out what his best team is and how to put them in a position to be successful this season. Judgments shouldn’t be made as of yet. The fact is Roma has six points already this season. They haven’t concede a goal even if they only scored two so far. In this campaign, the team is going to evolve and the attacking players. Once they get on the same page will make this Roma team much more dangerous.

A Playmaker in the Midfild is still needed

There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about Roma’s performances during the first two games of the season. They are a well-balanced team that, for the first time in many years, has the chance to do something special and maybe win another trophy this season. The attacking talent of his team is beyond ridiculous. With the likes of Lorenzo Pellegrini, Tammy Abraham, Paolo, Dybala, and Zaniolo, They are elite going forward. However, there are certain things that need to be worked on their clinical finishing in front of goal simply hasn’t been enough. Against more challenging opposition, Roma is going to find themselves in trouble if they can’t be sharper. Although the opposing goalkeeper played extremely well, Roma had several opportunities to put the game to bed way before they did. Considering the attacking talent that’s in this team, they should be scoring at least two goals a game. That might be a lot to ask for for a brand new team, but the chances are there. We see the progression of the playmaking ability in the midfield that feeds into the attack, but when Roma’s gets into those attacking positions and areas, they need to find a way to be putting them into the back of the net. This isn’t a major concern, but it’s something that needs to be in bigger games this could be their downfall, So sharpness in front of goal has become extremely important. If the attacking weapons that Roma has in their possession can start being more threatening in the clinical areas, this team will be extremely difficult to contend with. However, Roma has progressed and should be challenging for the Champions League. I don’t think they’re going to have a problem qualifying for next year’s competition. I also think Roma is capable of going on a deep run of the cup and potentially being one of the favorites for the Europa League. However, this team is not in a perfect situation either. Gini Wijnaldum is out for several months after a training incident, and Nicolo zaniolo has picked up a minor injury; he will be back soon but will miss the clash against Juventus. Roma needs to be as healthy as a possibly can throughout the season. Even though Roma does have the depth that they did not have last year and could be adding to it with the final couple of weeks of the transfer window, It’s still a concern if injuries are occurring. They have the players to deal with it now which wasn’t the case before, but it is a concerning sign, at least for the moment. I wouldn’t say they should be hugely concerned or panicked about it. But Roman needs their key components to stay healthy this season If they want to realistically achieve their ambitions. However, one thing is clear; the midfield isn’t quite good enough. There needs to be some more quality in those areas. Especially when it comes to a playmaker. Lorenzo Pellegrini is one of the 10 best midfielders in the world. It is an incredible thing to have along with him. Nemanja Matic, Bryan cristante are very good options. However, they are more defensive than attacking. Roma lost henrikh Mkhitaryan and Sergio Oliveira Roma has also sold some other midfielders that were part of the team last season. Don’t get me wrong Roma in its totality has much more depth than they did last season. They’re in a really good position but that is an area that need to strengthen. They have good midfielder but the problem is they don’t have a playmaker like Miki. Now that he’s not at the club anymore, Roma has not replaced someone that can do what he does in the midfield; getting a playmaker like that should be on the top of the priority list for January and next summer. This midfield isn’t going to get them in trouble. I still think it’s very compact and solid as a unit, but a playmaker seems to be needed.

Cremonese shown quality in defeat

Cremonese has returned to the Italian top flight for the first time since the ’90s. They have not gotten off to the best of starts, but the performances have been encouraging to say the least. They go blow for blow against Fiorentina at home and are only on the wrong end of the stick due to a late winner by Fiorentina that was a mistake by Radu. However, they played tough in Rome last night. Even though Roma had control of the game and dominated for big stretches, they did not fold and they kept going at it. They were very physical, and they gave Roma problems at times. They hit the post twice and nearly scored on a few other occasions. Even though they have started this season with no points, It’s a handle the next couple weeks with the same enthusiasm and strategy. In the first two games, they’re going to start picking up their momentum. This is still a team that is likely to fight with relegation, but there’s enough quality in that team to potentially survive this campaign. Radu, who made a huge blunder in the opening game, was terrific in Rome. The rest of the pieces, from the midfield to the attack, look very interesting. They brought in good selections. David Okeke and dressers are two players that have found the back of the net in big games. David spent last season in Serie A with relegated Venezia, while Dressers were one of the big threats in the conference League final against Roma. They both have enough goal-scoring capabilities in them, and I was really impressed with the defensive pressure that they provided. The tackle on Zaniolo in the first half was one of the cleanest tackles. We are going to see it this season. They could still get relegated, but I think there’s enough there within their team that if they get going and start picking up results, The tide could change after a rough start.