Roma 1 – FC Basel 3: Post match comments and some observations (Part 1)
Last night, Italian sides had a time to forget in the UEFA Champions League. Real Madrid thumped a woeful AC Milan 2 – 0 while AS Roma lost 3 – 1 at home to an inferior Basel outfit. While Rossoneri were always expected to struggle against a sublime Madrid
outfit that is slowly coming into its own under Jose Mourinho, AS Roma’s defeat was a real shocker. The most recent result is likely to put Claudio Ranieri’s future under jeopardy yet again. In the wake of yesterday’s match, some observations were made that
have to be penned down and shared with football fans.
The biggest difference between the Roma side that took to the field against Genoa on Saturday and the one that was humiliated last night, was the midfield. Against Genoa, the midfield showed its strength with an energetic and dominant display, the same
midfield turned out to be the Achilles’ heel last night. The likes of Simone Perrotta, Rodrigo Taddei and David Pizarro put in tremendous amounts of energy against Genoa. Sadly, none of these players are fit enough to be featuring regularly. All three are
either struggling with injuries or have just returned from one. Three days of rest was clearly not good enough to recharge their drenched batteries. Granted the midfield wasn’t fit enough but the horrid torrid passing on display last night would be flaring
the engine lights red.
The compact nature of Ranieri’s 4-4-2 was the staple of renaissance last time around. Even the best of oppositions found it hard dominating possession against the Gilarossi. The ease with which Basel broke through Roman ranks was alarming. Roma’s downfall
was due to its woeful passing accuracy. Though one can look up the exact percentage on the net, we’ll given Roma a generous 12% and leave it at that.
Burdisso was arguably the best player in a Gilarossi jersey last time around. The Argentine was on-loan from Inter and the centre back formed an air tight defence with Juan. Everything has completely changed this season. Roma gave it their all and arranged
for a permanent transfer at the start of the season but Burdisso has failed to repay the faith. Apart from breaking Daniele Conti’s leg with a horrific tackle, the player has contributed very little in the matches that he has played. With Philipe Mexes slowly
rediscovering his best form, Burdisso is bound to go down in the pecking order.
Forget Totti, forget Pizarro and De Rossi, Juan is the most important player for AS Roma. The player controlled a bulky Luca Toni with consummate ease against Genoa. Juan reads the game exceptionally well thus making him a natural leader of the game. Last
night, the player wasn’t in the line up and Roma severely missed his authority at the back. Ranieri must do everything to keep the Brazilian happy and healthy.
Ranieri was spot on with his tactics; it’s just that his troops failed him. The 4-4-2 was the right option keeping in mind the likes of Menez and Vucinic are out injured. Tinker man has been criticised heavily for his substitutions but Ranieri can’t be
blamed for that. The players he had on the bench were of inferior quality and thus did not merit a place on the pitch.
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