Roger Ibanez inadvertently decided the Derby again with a blunder, as Pedro stripped him in the box and fed Felipe Anderson, who easily slotted it home. It’s the second time it has happened. He had key gaffes also last January, directly leading to the Ciro Immobile and Luis Alberto’s goals, Il Messaggero relays.
The mistake proved enough to decide a tightly contested game where there weren’t many chances. The center-back has played a lot and has grown steadily since Roma plucked him from Atalanta. However, the occasional missteps has prevented him from making the final leap.
Partly in light of the inconsistencies of Ibanez, Roma have been looking for a defender in recent windows. They are one guy short, but their linchpins have mostly avoided injuries so far. They are reportedly in the running for Evan Ndicka, who will likely depart Eintracht Frankfurt on a free.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the Giallorossi would be very interested in José Maria Gimenez if Atletico Madrid decided to part ways with some cornerstones following the elimination from all European competitions. José Mourinho is a big fan of the player, but he has a €35/40M price tag. Juventus are keen on him as well.
Our Take on Roma, Ibanez, and Gimenez
The capital side should definitely add a center-back, as they have been playing with fire in the role given the shortage of options. The Brazilian is okay, but he’s just a disaster waiting to happen in some games, and that tends to be noticeable from the first few minutes. The Colchoneros ace would be a tremendous purchase, but the days of them spending that much for a player are long gone.
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