The lesson of Emma Bonino and the bumblebee: the impossible—if it is right—must be achieved. Inter. Torino vs. Roma 0-2.
The minimum objective for Roma is Europe, but we are not forbidden to dream. And our thoughts turn to Emma Bonino, a great woman who recently passed away, a great European federalist. Perhaps Roma doesn't yet have the forma mentis regarding the goals for which she already possessed the right qualities; likewise, Emma Bonino did not care if Italy or the world were not ready for her highly innovative ideas—instead, she placed them on the agenda of Italian and international politics, brought them into the public eye, and persuaded the people to stand on the right side of history. Sometimes, this led to surprising results, such as the referendums on divorce and abortion.
The further we go and the longer we stay at the top, the heavier the pressure will weigh on us. Yet, we must play with a sense of lightness—like the bumblebee, or like Emma, who lightly proposed laws that seemed anachronistic; a term rooted in the idea of being "out of time," but in this instance, meaning being too far ahead of one’s time. We must demonstrate this lightness—and this drive to achieve results (because we *do* have the quality, I repeat)—this Saturday at the Olimpico, spurred on by the great Romanista faithful.
For years, Inter has played the same way, relying on the same tactical mechanisms. The personnel, too, remains largely unchanged. The theory is simple, but the execution is incredibly difficult because these patterns—honed year after year—have become almost (and I emphasize *almost*) perfect. We will need to pay close attention to man-marking their center-forward Lautaro Martínez (a formidable player) and their left-sided player Dimarco (their most dangerous attacking outlet).
Very compact when defending deep; they can defend with as many as eight men inside the box.
We can put them in difficult if we press well during their build-up play.
... and on the right central back with Dimarco.
They defend in zones on corner.
They create chances—especially through crosses—by exploiting numerical superiority, with Bastoni supporting Dimarco on the left and Bisseck (or Akanji) supporting Diouf on the right.
We’re back at the Olimpico after a great away match at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino. The opposition was tough. Lulli did well to keep Fortini in check; he also performed admirably, providing two fine assists.
| 4a Serie A | First Half | Second Half | Final Score | Scorers |
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 | 40′ Malen, 90+3′ Pisilli |
In the second half, Toro tries to equalize. Bragança puts in an excellent performance for them. At one point, the Torino midfielder looks set to break through on goal, but is stopped only by an outstanding Balerdi (who performs brilliantly as a center-back and was Man of the Match on Monday).
Overall excellent defensively, and good in attack. In stoppage time, Pisilli strikes with his right foot towards the far post. An excellent midfielder—another great player of the kind this Roma side is full of.
According to the laws of physics, a bumblebee’s weight shouldn't allow it to fly, yet it doesn't know that and flies anyway. We are at that stage. We don't yet have the mindset to dominate Serie A. We are on par with Inter, who remain the heavy favorites for the Scudetto. But can we believe in it? Saturday’s match will answer the ultimate question: who are we?
Daje Roma!
Giordano Sepi