Four matches, four victories and already 12 points on the clock, AS Roma have made a particularly impressive start to the season in Serie A. The Giallorossi share the lead in the championship with Inter, but currently occupy first place thanks to a better goal difference. Above all, the content confirms the results. Roma hit very hard on the first day with a big 4-0 success against Fiorentina, before moving on against Lecce, Atalanta and Torino. Against the Bergamasques, Gian Piero Gasperini’s men even turned the match around in added time, proof of a team capable of winning in several ways.
This departure is all the more interesting as it comes after a period when many questions surrounded Gasperini’s project. Last season, despite a third place synonymous with qualification for the Champions League, Roma experienced significant internal tensions, notably between the technician and Claudio Ranieri, then advisor to the presidency. In April, their estrangement was publicly exposed. A few months later, the context seems radically different: Ranieri is no longer there, Gasperini has a squad more in line with his ideas and Roma displays a cohesion which is directly felt on the pitch. The change of environment seems to have allowed the technician to regain full control of his project.
A successful transfer window that changed the face of Roma
The first merit of this transfer window is perhaps to have succeeded in retaining several essential players. Starting with Manu Koné, insistently announced on the departure and notably coveted by Chelsea in the last hours of the transfer window. Gasperini has since clarified that he never vetoed his transfer and that no official offer from the Blues had arrived on his table. The Frenchman ultimately stayed and continues to establish himself as one of the centerpieces of the Roman milieu, regularly associated with Cristante. His activity, his power in duels and his ability to break the lines have already made him a central element of Gasperini’s system since last season.
Roma has above all managed to keep its two major offensive weapons: Donyell Malen and Paulo Dybala. The Dutchman has clearly become the “serial killer” of this team. Already the author of 15 goals and 2 assists in 20 matches in all competitions last season, he now has 6 goals and 1 assist in 5 matches this season. That’s already 21 goals in 25 matches with Roma. Statistics which give another dimension to his status as number one offensive weapon, especially since he does not have a direct competitor likely to really challenge his starting place, despite the arrival of Santiago Castro. Gasperini himself admits that the Dutchman’s numbers exceed his expectations: “It’s hard to think he would have made those numbers. Extraordinary figures, out of the ordinary. He did something special. »
Behind him, Dybala also seems to have found a new lease of life. Long troubled by injuries last season, the Argentinian finally chose to extend his Roman adventure this summer. He accepted a sharp reduction in his salary, with a bonus system that could allow him to regain a very important financial status in the event of regularity. Above all, he has once again become an indisputable starter: 5 starts in 5 possible matches and already four assists, while he only started 17 matches last season. Gasperini sums up its importance perfectly: “if Paulo is doing well, he is still playing, there is no doubt. »
Leonardo Balerdi, the unexpected beautiful pickaxe
And then there is Leonardo Balerdi. Arriving from OM this summer, the 27-year-old Argentinian did not need much time to convince. After a notable first appearance against Atalanta, he made a very solid first start against Torino during Roma’s 2-0 success. His personality, his speed in the returns, his aggressiveness and his quality in the first restart fit perfectly with Gasperini’s requirements. The Italian technician also went very far in his compliments after this performance, while taking care not to really compare his new defender to a huge Italian legend.
“Who does he remind me of?” He is a strong defender, very strong, modern, physically powerful and fast. Now, I can’t afford to mention certain names… The absolute reference for the central defender position was obviously Baresi. Without wanting to compare him to him, in his way of interpreting the position, his aggressiveness, his speed in defensive returns and his participation in the game, Baresi was the absolute number one and no one can touch him. But in terms of characteristics, Balerdi is a defender who has these types of qualities. » A statement which sums up the enthusiasm generated by the former Marseillais, already considered one of the symbols of Roma’s successful recruitment.
AS Roma already facing a first turning point
Balerdi is certainly not the only reinforcement to have changed the face of Roma. Rodrigo Mora, who arrived from FC Porto, has already shown some of his talent and his ability to integrate into Gasperini’s mechanisms, while Nahuel Molina and Santiago Castro offer two additional solutions in the rotation. The Roman transfer window was above all designed according to the needs of the technician, with a denser workforce and more profiles capable of meeting the requirements of the 3-4-3. The departure of Vaz also contributes to this rebalancing. Behind, Mile Svilar continues the momentum of his previous season and remains a sure bet. The strength of this Roma now lies as much in its individualities as in a new collective mentality, illustrated by the comeback against Atalanta. “When you win like that, in the last minutes, when you are trailing until added time before finally turning the match around, it means that the group believes in itself and that the team believes in it. There is also quality »underlined Gasperini.
The only real downside for the moment remains the draw conceded to Fenerbahçe (1-1), for Roma’s return to C1. Cristante had opened the scoring before Archie Brown’s equalizer, but Gasperini refused to dramatize this result, insisting on the difficulty of the trip and the atmosphere in Istanbul. “This draw can be important for the ranking: we also need draws to achieve the objectives”also explained the technician. A first European outing which therefore leaves some regrets, but which does not really affect the momentum of the Giallorossi, especially after such a convincing start to the season in Serie A.
What follows will now allow us to measure the true dimension of this Italian formation. The Giallorossi will host Inter on September 19, before a trip to Como on October 11 then the reception of Real Madrid on October 14 in the Champions League, after the international break. Three major posters which will allow us to see if La Louve can really establish themselves among the contenders for the title. With Malen unstoppable, Dybala found, Koné still present, Balerdi behind and a deeper squad, Gasperini seems in any case to have the ingredients to place this Roma in the long term among the top teams.
