Roma probably shows off the most convincing performance of their season, putting a mortgage on the next round.
– A match is staged at the Olimpico between two teams with opposite game philosophy. On the one hand, Real Sociedad tries to get to checkers through a dense network of passes and a decidedly more sophisticated maneuver. On the other hand, however, a Roma perfectly comfortable in leaving the ball of the game to the opponent, with the aim of recovering the ball and verticalizing in the shortest possible time, unleashing on the counterattack. Perfect photography is the goal of the Giallorossi’s advantage, who turn the front upside down in a lightning-fast manner in the first half and, with a textbook action, hit the target with El Shaarawy. The other specialty of the house, the goal from a dead ball, will take care of the rest. To close the accounts, in fact, the goal of Kumbulla, who signs a goal, that of 2-0, of capital importance in view of the second leg in Spain;
– Paradoxically, despite the caliber of the opponent, Real Sociedad’s way of playing represents the best to face for Mourinho’s Roma. In fact, the Giallorossi find ample space throughout the match, and already in the first half of the game, always on the restart, they worry the Spanish team on a couple of occasions. Great credit also goes to the preparation for the match studied by Mourinho, who thanks to the great work of Matic and Cristante manages to close every pass line to Sociedad, effectively isolating the more technical players such as David Silva and Kubo. Own the test of the Serbian number 8 is the perfect manifesto of the work that a midfielder in front of the defense should carry out: never a flaw, perfect coverage and always safe with the ball at his feet; this is how we can summarize the test of the one who was the tip of the balance of this first leg match;
– Real Sociedad is confirmed as a very interesting team, with some individuals capable of making the difference. Today, however, the excellent defensive performance of Roma reduced the danger of Alguacil’s team. In shadow the two columns of the team, David Silva e Illaramendi, never in the game. On the other hand, Kubo’s performance was good, the only one seriously worrying Rui Patricio and able to free himself from the suffocating marking of the Giallorossi defenders. The Spaniards confirm that they have clear ideas and don’t get distorted even in the face of pressure from Mourinho’s team, encountering dangerous situations more than once. The mistakes of goalkeeper Alex Remiro are emblematic, who in the first half, with a stubborn search for building from below, almost gave the opponents a double on two occasions. He will need a test of a completely different thickness to overturn the passive on his return;
– Rome which confirms itself as a very solid team, especially within the friendly walls. In fact, only Barcelona have conceded fewer goals than the Giallorossi in their home games this season. So Mourinho’s cure works, and in this sense he managed to consolidate a team that, from a defensive point of view, had revealed various defensive limitations in recent years. The continuous growth of the trio that makes up the rearguard is evident, in which tonight Llorente and then Kumbulla performed well, on the field in place of the suspended Ibanez. The continuous coverage offered by Matic and Cristante, then, makes this one Rome is difficult to punch, especially in an Olimpico who turns into a bedlam in this type of competition;
– Roma play one of their best games of the season. Mourinho’s men didn’t miss the approach to the match, a fundamental factor in a two-legged match with a home leg, and they didn’t give up on pushing forward steadily despite the great attention paid to the defensive phase. The result is a convincing 2-0 from all points of view, with no player below the sufficiency. The recovery of fundamental players such as Wijnaldum and Spinazzola, combined with the growth of important players such as Belotti, El Shaarawy and Karsdorp (now among the absolute best on the pitch) is allowing the team to express themselves to the fullest of their characteristics. Roma’s season is now in full swing, and unlike other years, the main goals are still within reach. Given, this, which certifies the good work, especially from a mental point of view, done so far by Mourinho.
