We are missing a little to go from strong to winner. Roma-Real 3-4. Genoa.
If we look at it from an irrational perspective, the match against Real could be a reflection of the entire season: Roma gets within a hair’s breadth of a prestigious achievement, only to fall short (a theory further supported by the 2-2 draw against Inter).
On the other hand, your humble—or rather, terrible—blogger’s take is that we should leave Lady Luck, with her fickle nature, alone; she might just be the one to reach out to us eventually. Instead, we ought to focus on the rational, real, and therefore pragmatic aspects.
| 2nd UCL | First Half | Second Half | Final Score | Scorers |
 | 20′ De Roon, 51′, 57′ Malen | |||
 | 25′ Mbappé, 83′ Espi, 85′ Endrick, 90′ Rudiger |
The primary issue is a failure to manage the scoreline and the clock: this is already the second time we’ve taken a two-goal lead against a top team—it happened previously against Inter—only to fall short of securing the win. This problem is further compounded by the new officiating directive aimed at curbing time-wasting—a policy I actually prefer, given how frustrating and unsportsmanlike deliberate time-wasting tactics can be.
La peculiarità della partita contro il Real è aver subito 3 gol da corner (per di più in 5 minuti), il che suggerisce, a livello tecnico, allenamento sui corner ma, principalmente, a livello psicologico, allenare la mentalità di saper soffrire senza cedere quando la partita lo richiede.
Fortunately, another opponent is coming up right away: De Rossi’s Genoa. De Rossi is a *Romanista* whom we loved dearly—though perhaps not quite as much as he loved us. In any case, I hope he puts up a real fight; it will serve as good training, not just for the players' legs, but for their mentality too. And if we end up winning by a landslide, that’s fine by me.
Genoa plays with either a 3-5-2 or a 4-2-1-3 formation, often employing man-marking and relying on long balls during the build-up phase. Either Sow or Frendrup typically operates as the most advanced midfielder, playing a key role in the press. When defending, we will need to keep a close eye on their two strikers (Osmajic and Colombo), as well as Baldanzi—an old acquaintance of ours—who plays as a left-sided central midfielder; with his low center of gravity, he is skilled at dribbling and possesses a dangerous left-footed shot.
DDR’s brilliance is evident in his ability to field two different formations using the same core group of starters, leaving his opponents guessing right up until kickoff. The key player for these tactical shifts is Ellertsson—left-footed, much like Messias—who operates as a left wing-back in a 3-4-2-1 or 3-5-2 setup, but shifts to the right side of the attack in a 4-2-1-3 formation.
So, we arrive at the match at the Olimpico against Genoa battered from the Real game, but also fueled by a great deal of anger. It is now essential to get back on the right track.
Daje Roma!
Giordan Sepi