The forgotten goal

More than scoring, there is a lack of courage to look for it. And if you don't score, you don't win games, all too trivial to point out. And this Roma is having a damn hard time throwing the ball in. Glaring errors in front of the goal, goalposts and crossbars hit, and feats of the opposing goalkeepers may be an extenuating factor, but they do not fully explain the fact that in 11 league games, the Giallorossi have scored just thirteen goals, just over one goal every ninety minutes. So you can win once, twice, three times, but sooner or later you pay the price.

If then, as was the case against Naples from forty-two goals (before last night's match at the Olimpico) in fourteen official matches at an average of three goals per match, there is not even a single shot taken in the goal mirror. Therefore, the problem becomes all too easy to explain. It’s true, last night Dybala was in the stands taking back the Curva Sud (we understand that). It’s true, Abraham continues in this unexpected involution that is taking him away from the opponent's goal, and even against Naples, he did not shoot once on goal (in the first half that right-footed shot in the middle of the box was a pass to Zaniolo). It’s true, Nicolò continues to read zero in the box of goals scored. It’s true, Belotti does more sporting than looking for the opponent's goal. It’s true, El Shaarawy plays more as a full-back than a striker. It’s true, Shomurodov is Shomurodov. It's true all you want, but beyond any legitimate consideration, we believe that in order to score a goal, you have to have the courage to look for it. Perhaps by risking a difficult play, by trying to leapfrog the opponent rather than marking him, by avoiding playing backward too often even in situations where one might dare to verticalize, by relying on cheekiness rather than timidity. 

Here, all this was missing against Naples and, more than once, even in some matches in the recent past. One example: if Pellegrini, the player who can provide quality (pending Dybala and Wijnaldum) in the offensive phase, has as his first task to keep Lobotka from playing rather than forcing the Slovakian to engage in the defensive phase, something is clearly wrong. A second example: if Rui Patricio in ninety minutes touches more balls with his feet than Pellegrini himself, what is wrong becomes clear even to those who do not want to see. A third example: if the offensive maneuver in ninety percent of the cases is left to the long throw of the defenders, thinking of going for the goal is entrusted to the possibility of winning the second ball (which against Naples never happened) or, alternatively, to the mistake of an opposing defender. A fourth example: if Camara's effort to score is more prominent than Abraham's the problem is not seen by those who do not want to see it.

That's why we talk about courage. To say: why did Spinazzola try to press high when Di Lorenzo always did it, leaving him ten meters of the field which became fifty since the Naples captain always had at least a couple of options because not all the other Giallorossi went to press? Why, even risking it, was there never or almost never an attempt to play the ball on the ground and, above all, with a higher speed in order to gain playing time? Why is the teammate always given the ball at the back rather than on the run which could be preparatory to the possibility of going away toward the goal or toward the back of the field to cross?

The answer is only one: there is a lack of courage. Yet the challenge against a Naples side that remained itself and won the game could have been the ideal opportunity to find that courage somewhere. First place is four points away, the chance to move significantly closer to the top of the standings, the opportunity to maintain the lead over Lazio, Juve and Inter who are coming back, the chance to make up points to Udinese and Atalanta both beaten at home. It was Naples that had to feel the pressure of first place and the obligation to stretch again over Milan, which had caught up with them by winning the advance against their friends Monza. It was Naples that had to confirm the special effects it had shown in all the previous matches. It was Naples that had to win. In short, there were all the conditions to be able to go on the field with the serenity to pull out that courage that is needed to win games.

Instead, nothing. Of course, it was not the best version of Roma, the absences were not few, from Dybala to Wijnaldum, from Celik to the last-minute injured Zalewski, and the alternatives on the bench were not guaranteed, but this does not take away from the fact that we would still have liked to see a more brazen Roma with the goal of winning the game rather than not losing it. All this was soon understood by the Olimpico as well, with Roma unable to turn on its wonderful fans. Manzoni, describing Don Abbondio, let us know that one can’t give courage if one doesn’t have it. Here, we hope that Roma from Helsinki will be able to deny Manzoni. Otherwise, it's going to be tough for the Champions League's qualification.