Yesterday’s 2-0 win over Bologna may ultimately prove too little, too late for Roma’s Champions League hopes. Nevertheless, it was an encouraging performance against a club that has given Roma fits over the past few seasons. With the city still buzzing from the Claudio Ranieri-Gian Piero Gasperini feud that led to Ranieri’s dismissal, Roma should consider themselves fortunate that yesterday’s match was played away from the Eternal City.
Still, with diversions abound, Roma was at risk of being distracted at the Renato Dall’Ara yesterday, where three valuable points were there for the taking. However, rather than letting the Gasperini-Ranieri rift distract them, Roma responded with an efficient and precise effort against Vincenzo Italiano’s side, securing three easy points thanks to an electric first half.
It should come as little surprise, then, that the three men who supplied that jolt lead the way in today’s Sinners & Saints.
The Saints
Donyell Malen
With 12 goals in 16 matches in giallo e rosso, we can pretty much pencil Malen into this space from here on out. Thanks to his 7th-minute goal—his fourth in the past three matches—the Dutch forward continued his incredible run of form with the Giallorossi. Malen added an assist to his tally, setting up Neil El Aynaoui in the 45th minute, while taking a game-high five touches in the opposition’s box and completing two of three dribble attempts.
He is inarguably the best winter transfer this club has made in decades and undeniably the guy around whom this project will be built.
Neil El Aynaoui
It takes a lot to be mentioned in the same breath as Malen, but NEA matched him beat-for-beat yesterday, trading a goal and an assist with Roma’s new star forward. In addition to his work on the scoreboard, El Aynaoui played three balls into the final third, created two scoring chances, recovered two balls, and covered a hell of a lot of ground:
Wesley França
Back after being sidelined with a hamstring injury over the past few weeks, Roma’s young Brazilian wing-back was at his unbridled best against Bologna on Saturday. The stats won’t paint an accurate picture of Wesley’s performance yesterday, though he did have “hockey assists” on both goals, but he was a thorn in Bologna’s side, pushing the issue in attack, winning 50/50s and was seemingly always in the right place at the right time.
It’s good to have him back…to say the least.
Evan Ndicka
As usual, Ndicka was steady as she goes at the back, leading Roma’s backline with his typical poise and grace. In 90 minutes, the Ivorian defender led all comers with 11 defensive actions, including five interceptions, and also played five balls into the final third. Whether pressing up the pitch in the first half or sitting back and absorbing everything Bologna had to offer in the second, Ndicka left Bologna with no answer.
As Roma’s likely FFP sacrificial lamb, we may not get to enjoy these performances for much longer, so soak them up while you can.
Since this match was largely decided in the first half, fueled primarily by these five names, we’ll keep today’s edition all halos.
Let’s hope for more of the same next week after Fiorentina!