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AS Roma started their journey in the Europa League rather negatively, with 2 defeats in the first 3 games. However, their performance in the league is quite different.

The home defeat against Viktoria Plzen left a bitter taste, along with some perplexity. Gasperini’s team has struggled to get going in the Europa League and has lost both home games so far. There have been too many defensive mistakes, which once again have cost the Giallorossi dearly.

Against Lille, it was Tsimikas who made a naive error that led to the French goal, while in yesterday’s game, it was young Ziolkowski who made the mistake and was substituted by Gasperini after just half an hour. While the defense seems to be the strong point of this team in the league, they are making too many mistakes and lack precision in the Europa League.

Roma, a sterile attack

EVAN FERGUSON AND ARTEM DOVBYK (PHOTO BY SALVATORE FORNELLI)

Another rather evident problem, highlighted by the coach in the post-match interview, is the sterility of the attack. Apart from the Argentine Soulé, who has scored 3 goals in the league, the rest of the attack is struggling to perform.

Dovbyk and Ferguson seem out of place: two physically heavy players, rather clumsy with the ball at their feet, who are struggling to find the back of the net. The Ukrainian was booed off the Olimpico pitch yesterday, and every touch of the ball by the Irishman was met with loud grumbling from the entire stadium.

Dybala scored his first goal of the season from a penalty, but more is expected from him. Finally, Bailey is proving to be in form and able to make an impact, having come on in the last two games and igniting the Olimpico with his plays.

Gasperini must find a solution and hope to mentally recover his two strikers, who currently seem demoralized and disconnected from the team.

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Tonight, at the Olimpico, the third day of the Europa League was animated by the Roma-Viktoria Plzen match: here’s how it went.

Not even a minute in, Artem Dobvyk almost scores a goal against the away team, but the shot is too central.

The match starts with a few too many errors from Hermoso and Wesley, and a proactive attitude from Viktoria Plzen, who repeatedly tries to score in the first few minutes, forcing Mile Svilar to make a miraculous save.

The visitors press high, while Roma tries to regroup mainly relying on Soulé, who shoots centrally. Shortly after, with determination and speed, Viktoria Plzen takes the lead thanks to a goal from Adu, who also eludes Svilar’s defense. A negative trend for Roma as, just 3 minutes after the first goal, they concede again through Souaré.

25 minutes into the game, Roma is losing at home 2-0. Speed is needed, so Gasperini sends Rensch to warm up on the sidelines, while El Shaarawy prepares to come on. Meanwhile, Koné raises the technical level of the game with feints and ball possession that make us hope he won’t leave for Juventus in January in an exchange for Koopmeiners.

At the 30th minute, Ziolkowski is substituted by Il Faraone. One minute later, Wesley attempts a through ball but the opposing goal remains unbreached. The goal for the Magica must be to score at least one goal before the end of the first half. At the 40th minute, the situation is still complex: meanwhile, Koné is down and receiving treatment, and Dybala tries to change the tide with a very wide shot that is easily blocked. El Shaarawy also does his job with a shot too high over the crossbar, but the attempt is commendable.

The real opportunity comes at the 45th minute, with the corner taken by Dybala ending up directly in the hands of goalkeeper Jedlicka. The last act of the first half is a mistimed cross attempted at the last minute by Wesley. But the Brazilian still has a long way to go to find coordination.

The second half begins with a new substitution: Niccolò Pisilli comes on for Manu Koné. An audacious substitution that raises doubts about the condition of the French midfielder.

At the 53rd minute, the referee checks for a possible penalty and awards it to Roma, giving them a great opportunity to close the gap of two goals. The Joya doesn’t disappoint: he shoots to the right corner of the goal, cool as usual. With Roma 1-2, El Shaarawy also tries to shake things up, while on the sidelines Gasperini prepares two aces: Ndicka and Bailey.

In this second half, Wesley appears more focused on the goal, as if the coach had reprimanded him in the locker room. Roma, however, continues to lack precision, with Soulé missing a good shot from outside the box at the 65th minute.
In the end, only Bailey comes on, replacing Celik. While for the away team, number 24 Abel comes on. Gasperini goes all in, choosing to also replace Dovbyk with Ferguson. And the surplus of attackers also requires the change Soulé-Ndicka.

Despite the coach’s efforts, Ferguson fails to make an impact in this game, replicating the clumsy movements of Dovbyk seen at the end of the first half.

For Plzen, Spacil and Adu come off, while Bello and Zeljkovic come on. At the 86th minute, Bailey also tries his luck with a very long shot that misses.

The balance of this match is that Roma still has a long road ahead of them, requiring strict discipline to find the precision and composure in front of goal that they often tend to lose, both in the league and in Europe. Dybala confirms himself as the team’s savior, despite his structural weaknesses, and also the good Svilar, who is not to blame for those conceded goals.

Some days of hard work now await the Giallorossi.