Well, now that we've all had time to digest everything that happened in this 2006-2007 season, I think it's a good time to look back on what we've done and give our thoughts on how Roma fared and what we should hope and expect in the future. The results were these: 2nd in Serie A (ahead of Lazio, Milan, Palermo, notably); winners of the Coppa Italia (over Inter!), and quarterfinalists in the Champions League. In everything we did -- with the exception of the horrific loss at Old Trafford -- we played respectably and at times with great style and inspiration. But our lack of depth undid us. While Inter could afford to let Crespo sit on the bench many games, injuries and lack of world-class players all around our roster were the difference between winning Serie A and coming in 2nd, and reaching the CL semis rather than stopping at a great win over Lyon. In the end, with a relatively thin squad, it was the skill of players like Totti, De Rossi, Mexes, Chivu, and Mancini, and the wisdom of Spalletti that helped us achieve so many good things. Where do we go from here? Since I think the great city of Rome deserves an absolutely top team, here is a list of elements I feel are key to building on this past season's successes: (1) A new 'keeper. Doni has proven to be decent at times, but someone like Frei would truly elevate Roma's game -- Doni's just not a player of real international caliber. (2) A new RB. Panucci is a fragile player, mentally, and his lapses in games of utmost importance can no longer be tolerated. We missed out on a good chance with Oddo, but I think we should look to what other options are out there. (3) a true #9. I wish we had a big, strudy forward like Bianchi to wreak havoc in the air and to complement Totti's more roaming, mobile style. I like Vucinic, but his characteristics are similar to Totti's in too many ways. (4) Adding depth all around the roster. We'll need good players to back up the starters -- we're thin at CB, holding mids, and full-backs, especially. Hopefully a few shrewd signings over the summer will beef up the squad. (5) We must hold onto the players who've been crucial to our success. To sell the likes of Chivu, De Rossi, and Aquilani would be folly. That's what I'm looking at, at the moment. What are your thoughts?
Do you really think Roma even had a chance with Oddo? There was probably (maybe even definitely) 0% chance that Oddo, the Lazio captain, would even have arrived at Trigoria to sign a contract. Plus, he was promised to Milan, they didn't get to sign him in the summer because of their CL status, but everyone knew he would make the move north in January.
(4) Adding depth all around the roster. We'll need good players to back up the starters -- we're thin at CB, holding mids, and full-backs, especially. Hopefully a few shrewd signings over the summer will beef up the squad. I think the whole soccer world is thin at CB. What has happened to Italy's capacity to produce top notch defenders ? I am quite worried for the azzurri, that after Nesta and Cannavaro are gone there will be no on to take their place. Look at the top teams in Serie A, most of their CB's are stranieri. I think the 2006/07 season woul be an unqualifed success if not for a certain night in Manchester.
I remember there were rumors that Oddo might go to Roma. While it would be really unusual, I think there's precedent for players having gone between the clubs.
although i am utterly satisfied with this season, i can't help but not be satisfied with the slip-ups we make every season in the league. The points that we drop against small teams that are having trouble in serie a astonishes me. Now, if we hadn't lost to these smaller teams throughout the season, the league may very well still have been inter's due to their phenomenal form, but it is kind of embarrassing to have finish 20 points behind them in the standings. I am happy with our champions league run this year, even managing to beat manchester once, which almost everyone overlooks. With new sigings this transfer window to beef up our squad, i can see us with a scudetto next season, and maybe a run even further into europe. My main objective for next season would to bring the scudetto back to the eternal city, i think that is the most important and feasible thing for our team to do. I would give our season a 8/10
Overall I'm very happy with this season's performance, although dropping so many points to smaller clubs, particularly during the second half of the season, really proved to be frustrating for me as a fan. Especially when you consider the fact that we dominated Inter this season, beat Milan once at the San Siro, and managed to pull off a huge upset against French giants Lyon IN LYON. Yet, to drop points against small time clubs like Reggina and Atalanta is truly discouraging and a perfect example of Roma's lack of consistency. What was definitely apparent from this season is our somewhat over dependence on Totti. We went the entire season without a true starting CF because Totti was scoring goals in bunches in the role. But hopefully both SPalletti and Sensi have come to realize that this is just a short term solution to a problem that needs to be addressed. Management has to go out and find a legitimate CF (names like Gilardino and Adriano immediately come to mind as possible candidates). Our defense was solid overall this season, but with Chivu on his way out, and both Panucci and Tonetto over the ages of 30 we could use some more depth on that back line. Our strongest area was definitely in the midfield. I would actually go as far as to say that we are the deepest team in the Italy in terms of talented midfielders, and that was reflected through the performances of Mancini, Perrotta, Taddei, De Rossi, and Pizarro this season. The fact that youngsters like Aquilani and Rosi are also ready to make their mark is even more reassuring for us.
This season was encouraging and makes me look forward to next season, but I think we could have done more. Inter winning the Scudetto was a reflection of their absurd depth, but we dropped a lot of points we should have gotten to clubs that have no business taking points away from games against Roma. The inconsistency I believe will go when we have a pure goal scorer. Calm down, I know Totti is in contention for the most goals in europe and does a whole lot of scoring, but I still consider him a playmaker more so than goal scorer. The Midfield play was encouraging, and I really started to grasp just how good De Rossi is going to be. However, I found Aquilani to be a disappointment. I was expecting him to explode this season but injury claimed him too often. I wouldn't go as far as to say our midfield is the deepest in the Serie A, but easily the top 2. I still think Milan is a little better with Pirlo, Seedorf, Ambrosini, Gattuso, Kaka, and Gourcuff. When Gourcuff is your bench warmer, you're in great shape.
