The league defeat at the hands of Napoli was very much on expected lines. Roma played well, but few would have expected them to win away against Luciano Spalletti’s in-form side. The home loss to Cremonese, that curtailed their Coppa Italia campaign, wasn’t a surprise either. Davide Ballardini’s side had, after all, accounted for the Partenopei in the previous round.
That being said, the latter result has put paid to any realistic aspirations Roma could have had of winning a trophy for this season. More importantly, it reiterated the fact that it is still some time before Rome’s most favorite club shows a certain consistency when it comes to results, both on and off the pitch.
When Jose Mourinho was announced as the new manager of Roma a couple of years back, it was construed as something of a surprise as well. Again, it wasn’t.
After back-to-back forgettable experiences in his preferred Premier League, first with Manchester United and then with Tottenham Hotspur, the Portuguese was destined to take up a position at a place where he felt loved (and appreciated). Roma, on the other hand, needed a manager who could help them win that elusive trophy. It was a perfect arrangement.
The best thing Roma can boast of is a passionate set of supporters. It is difficult to stand by a team that is anything but consistent, and comes up with disappointing results more often than not. But the Romanisti happen to be an emotional lot. They have the club in their hearts. They feel for it and also suffer because of it. Mourinho was not only welcomed with open arms but more than halfway through his second season, has also managed to remain a favourite among the fans, irrespective of the performances—something he cannot exactly boast off in the case of most of his earlier clubs.
That being said, in Mourinho, Roma’s passionate supporters have got a manager who is a perfect combination of emotion and reason. The Portuguese is an emotional human being alright, but at the same time is also someone who puts reason ahead of emotion when it concerns matters in the field. He has never shied away from accepting the fact that this Roma side lacks players of real quality, is not good enough to win on a consistent basis, and that fans should lower their expectations—and consequently suffer less disappointment.
Mourinho has always been a pragmatic manager. His analysis on games, players and scenarios is always spot on. However, he has also been someone who speaks straight from the heart, most of which happens to be the truth. But truth is a difficult pill to swallow, especially in a world where people in general want sugar-coated pills even if it increases the risk of diabetes. Premier League experts realized what Mourinho meant when he said finishing second with Manchester United was his best result long after he had left, and even then, refused to admit it. For the record, the Portuguese remains the last manager to have won a trophy for the red half of Manchester.
As such, while his matter-of-fact statements pertaining to Roma have made the headlines, his pragmatic approach has been conveniently dismissed. During his time as the Giallorossi manager, Mourinho has time and again reiterated the fact that he struggles to rotate the squad owing to a lack of quality alternatives. At the same time, the Portuguese, who recently turned 60, deserves compliments for prioritizing objectives.
In his debut reason, and despite of a good start, Mourinho was aware of the limitations of his squad. Roma had spent in excess of 100 million euros, but it was more out of desperation as opposed to proper planning. A long-term injury to Leonardo Spinazzola forced the club to acquire Matías Viña – now on loan at Bournemouth—from the Brazilian side Palmeiras.
The sudden departure of Edin Džeko ensured Roma had to fork out in excess of 40 million to acquire Tammy Abraham, a player who had failed to make a smooth transition at Chelsea. The desperate need for a goalkeeper made the club to push through with the best available option (in Rui Patrício). The real reason to spend €17.5 million (plus bonuses) on Eldor Shomurodov remains a mystery, even as the player has secured a move to Spezia (dry loan).
All the above, save for the Uzbek player (who seldom played), have been inconsistent in terms of their performances, a personification of the club in general—and that is putting it mildly. Even the twin loan moves made during the winter transfer market failed to ensure the desired results. Ainsley Maitland-Niles was disappointing altogether whereas Sergio Oliveira was anything but consistent—which perhaps explains why his parent club Porto was quick to sell him following his return.
Besides, the squad had a lot of dead-wood, most of them acquired during the previous ownership. These were players that were pocketing fat pay checks, contributing little and making things difficult for the management by refusing approaches from interested clubs.
(Tiago Pinto, the General Manager, has since done well to get rid of them, even if on a temporary basis in some cases)
With a haphazardly assembled squad at his disposal, the Portuguese tactician was smart enough to realize that Roma’s best possible shot at ending their trophy drought—the club’s last piece of silverware having come in 2008—was the inaugural UEFA Conference League. So, he gave the new competition, dismissed as by most pundits as tertiary and inconsequential, the required importance and ended up guiding Roma to their first European trophy—the Inter Cities’ Fairs Cup they won in the 1960s wasn’t universally recognized. Even if at a lesser level, and at the cost of a top four place in the league, Mourinho had delivered what had been expected of him.
The trophy could have served as a motivation to bolster the squad further, and challenge on all fronts. But the powers that be failed to adequately back their manager. As such, while many complimented Roma for their smart business in the transfer market last summer fact is, in their desperation to acquire free agents, the club lost the plot completely.
Andrea Belotti, Mile Svilar and Nemanja Matić et cetera may have cost zilch in terms of transfer fees, but their respective contributions so far has been negligible as well. Georginio Wijnaldum is yet to play. Zeki Çelik, the only player to have cost Roma a transfer fee in the summer, hasn’t impressed either—and this is without taking into account that own goal against Cremonese, that eventually cost Roma the match.
Paulo Dybala is, without an iota of a doubt, the best player in this Roma squad in terms of natural flair and real quality. The club in general, and Mourinho in particular, did a commendable job in convincing the Argentine to head to Rome. His impressive performances in the field notwithstanding, Dybala also has a fragile body and has already missed games in this season owing to injury. Besides, a player of his caliber also merits adequate support to perform to his absolute best, and justify his manager’s faith. Unfortunately, the club has failed both the player and the manager in this regard.
In fact, the lack of investments has dented the club’s already limited prospects considerably, especially considering the fact that there were three competitions to contend with. Now that the only realistic chance at winning a silverware has been lost, hopes of securing the Europa League title being anything but realistic—will be a surprise if they win it, Mourinho has no alternative but to channelize all the resources towards securing a top four finish in the table, and consequently a Champions League berth.
The problem again is regarding the quality of resources, rather the lack of it. In the January transfer window Roma have done disappointing business again. Acquisition of another free agent (Ola Solbakken) and a Spanish defender (Diego Llorente) on loan (with an option to buy) is definitely not enough to bolster a side that started the year on a good note. Even Pinto admitted to not being satisfied with the winter transfers.
Making matters worse is the never-ending saga involving Nicolò Zaniolo, a player who has done everything to remain in the headlines off the field, but little to realize his immense potential on it. The 23-year-old can help bolster the club’s bank balance, but is also capable of disrupting the decorum in the dressing room, unless of course a calculated decision is made about his future.
Davide Frattesi seems a potential solution, and a long-term one at that. He is only 23 years in age and is someone who is more than willing to return to Rome. More importantly, Sassuolo have always shown an intent to sell, if their asking price is met. Last summer, they sold many of their key players, even if it has exposed them to a battle for survival. However, Roma is yet to make an effort to meet their demands, instead asking the Neroverdi to lower their asking price.
It is high time the club’s think tank realizes that looking for free acquisitions will more often than not result in players of inferior quality, or those who are past their sell-by-dates. To strengthen the squad in terms of quality, and make them compete on multiple fronts, the need is to make investments, well thought out ones at that. Besides, the academy graduates need to be promoted to the main squad when they merit a place.
To his credit, Mourinho has made a commendable attempt to camouflage the lack of quality players in his squad by giving opportunities to players from Primavera (under-19). The likes of Benjamin Tahirović, Cristian Volpato, Edoardo Bove and Nicola Zalewski have impressed in spurts. However, it will take some time (and patience) before they can be fully integrated into the senior squad.
Till that happens, as also until the management finds a way to make some smart investments, Roma will struggle and continue to remain a mid-table club. Passionate fans, and a pragmatic manager, won’t be able to ensure a consistency in terms of results, let alone win silverware on a regular basis.
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