罗马又将失去一个争夺冠军头衔的机会
Roma: Another Title Slipping Away
Martin Ahlin takes a look at Roma as the capital club begin to let another Scudetto challenge slip through their fingers.
As another title slips through the fingers of manager Luciano Spalletti, one can only wonder as to what is happening at the capital’s now-strongest side, AS Roma.
This weekend they barely withstood the pressure of Torino, who have not won since the end of October. The result (0-0) left them seven points adrift of scudetto favourites Inter - enough to make Spalletti lose his hair, if he actually had some.
The 49-year-old seems to have lost the touch that propelled him in short order to the very apex of the world game. The ideas that earlier made the opponent coaches scratch their foreheads in despair, are now tattered and antiquated.
The most obvious reason for the decline in form, however, must derive from the loss of captain and icon Francesco Totti. While “Er Pupone” has been lifting weights in the gym, his team-mates have produced six goals in five Serie A games. Compare that to the 13 shots which went in during the five games before his ill-fated injury plague.
Mirko Vucinic is a decent footballer, but in his role as target player it is impossible to conceal that he lacks the vision of Totti. But then again, Roma have done a remarkable season so far with all their recent troubles in mind.
The death of a Lazio fan, the stabbings after the Champions League tie against Manchester United, and the departure of Swedish legend Nils Liedholm – the former manager who led Roma to the scudetto 1982/83 – have all traumatized the club. As well as the injuries, of course.
If it was possible to turn back time, “I Giallorossi” would probably have thought twice about the summer purchases of flopping players like Mauro Esposito, Ludovic Guily, Matteo Brighi and Cicinho. All of them have struggled to reach their real potential, unlike Stadio Olimpico’s new golden boym Juan: he's both in the centre of the defence and the middle of everybody’s attention.
Juan's not the only bright spot. After all, seven points is not an unfeasible challenge to regain top spot, and Rome wasn't built in a day. With Champions League going into winter hibernation, Roma can focus on what is really important: the scudetto.
The schedule - Sampdoria, Atalanta, Catania, Palermo and Siena in the upcoming five - is surmountable. Francesco Totti is on the verge of playing again. And the points will eventually gather, even if Inter will probably reign again.
And I don’t think – dissimilar to the criticism in Italy – that the team lost its passion when lunatics in the form of Antonio Cassano and Christian Chivu left Rome. On the contrary, this is the most powerful Roma side most of us have witnessed in several years.
Now it's time for them to show it. (Goal.com)
