Roma-Viktoria Plzen 1-2. It's time to mature. To improve. Sassuolo.
Perhaps it was due to a too-soft attitude in a crucial match. Perhaps Gasperini made some poor decisions. Perhaps our players performed below their potential. Or perhaps we overestimated ourselves. The fact is, the defeat at the Olimpico is an unpleasant surprise for us fans. We all need to give more. Even in politics, from Europe and the Commission.
| 3rd Matchday UEL | First Half | Second Half | Final Score |
 | |||
 |
I don't want to be too critical. When you make so many mistakes, the players realize they played poorly and there's no need to rub salt in the wound. Gasp knows better than I do where we went wrong and how to improve. I just want to highlight two aspects of the match against Plzen that we need to improve quickly.
Roma failed to take the challenge seriously. They weren't mature enough. Likewise, the opposition must be mature and recognize right from wrong, abandoning the forced "opposition must be opposition."
In this regard, the Democratic Party must distance itself from the aggressive and often irrational tactics of the Five Star Movement, which complains about defense funding at a time when Russia is organizing nuclear weapons exercises. Europe must certainly think about defense. A common and autonomous army, financed by European debt, as the Five Star Movement also advocates. There must be only one advanced tank model (not 27), on which they are working in synergy. Leonardo e RheinmetallA single, advanced warplane, like the still-competitive Eurofighter. The European military strategy must start with a strong European military industry capable of maintaining autonomy even from the United States, which, as can be seen, is no longer the good father rushing to the defense of its daughter, Europe. Creating a single European model and not 27 means rationalizing and therefore saving on defense spending.
And Europe must also have a say in peace in the Middle East and future peace in Ukraine, because in the former it has an independent position from Israel, while the US is often subservient to Netanyahu, and in the latter because it is a party to the issue, given Putin and Lavrov's dreams of a USSR. Next week's meeting between Trump and Xi Jinping could be decisive. Kudos to them if they manage to make peace in Ukraine.
Von der Leyen must show courage and assert herself. We spoke about Draghi in a article some time ago, but given the inapplicability of this wish, it is imperative that Von der Leyen make Europe's weight felt: a giant pink hippopotamus capable only of advertising diapers. For now.
Europe is our goal again this year. Perhaps the Champions League, but to achieve that, we'll need to return victorious from the away match in Reggio Emilia.
Laurientè is excellent when he moves to the center to shoot with his right foot. Likewise, we shouldn't leave the center to Berardi (left footed), who could be replaced by Volpato, who is right footed. Our young, talented former Roma player Volpato
Walukiewicz is the right-back, a central defender, while Doig, the left-back, is a very attacking player. This means that Angelino (or Tsimikas) can be very offensive, while Wesley (or Rensch) must do a good job defensively, but also attack Doig.
During the build-up phase, their right midfielder Vranckx will go to our left back.
Even the simplest problem, if approached lightly, becomes insurmountable. This is true for Viktoria Plzen, who, as we've said, are a good team. It's true for Europe, which must mature, address the issue of the European army seriously, and make its voice heard at the negotiating table on the Middle East and Ukraine. Roma must also show maturity against Sassuolo, who will be playing at home and are a stronger opponent than Plzen, who beat us.
Daje Roma!
Giordano Sepi
