How on earth would someone like Dybala not be a starter in De Rossi's plans? I mean, what exactly is De Rossi thinking? Is he so rigid with his 4-3-3 and his speedy wingers that he can't find a place for the best player on the team? Yes, I realize he will play in about 50-60% of the minutes, but he will still score and assist more goals than everyone else. The best coaches we have had, and the ones who have had longer stints at Roma, are those who are flexible and who try to build a system based on the strength of the players at their disposal. Not the other way around. Coaches who are fixated on their systems and don't have a plan B don't last more than a year and a half at Roma. There are plenty of examples for that.
It’s not that Dybala is not a projected starter , it’s because they are ready to sell him for a profit. If his transfer falls through, I’m sure he will be a starter again.
I fail to believe DDR cant see this. Originally I was annoyed why they couldnt just do this early in the window but having thought about it, my theory would be leaning towards this being a strategy the club planned. They want him gone for financial reasons but its delicate given the power of his name. Having DDR for this also helps keep the fanbase from losing their shit. They used the power of Dybalas name to lure in Soule first. Waiting to a few days before the start of the season to drop the news hes not considered a starter almost forcing Dybala into a corner to leave but still plenty of time to negotiate in the window. They knew he wasnt a starter as the club had already decided. Football is just a ruthless business now and nothing else.
Sad state of affairs if the club wants to push him out for financial reasons, given how much money the club has pissed away on completely useless players over the years, but I know, like you said, it's ruthless business.
To further add to the conspiracy, it's highly unlikely you sign a player like Dovbyk if you see Dybala starting as a false 9. It's been a clear objective of the club/Ghisolfi to cut all the dead weight and bloated salaries to free up the market. If five players arrive in Dybala's steed then I'd like to offer up one of Parades', Bryan's or Pellegrini's salary to bring in a physical midfielder that can break up the opposition.
Paulo Dybala has been playing in Italy, at a top level for over 12 years and he will be 31 in November. For as long as I remember and the type of player he is along with the amount of years he has been playing in the Serie A, 31 is no longer a young age. Very few forwards with maybe the exception of a true center forward like Toni , Inzaghi and Vieri continue on into their to their mid 30’s and only superstars can play at 35+. It’s pretty much downhill after that. I’m sure everyone is nostalgic etc but if Roma can get some good money for him now, they need to capitalize on it because next year he can leave free of charge and they won’t have anything to show for it. I also question though if Roma will use the money they get for him for reinforcements now in January , or just go with the same roster? Also, I don’t think Dybala alone will be the answer to solve Roma’s problems.
Don't think Dybala was ever really meant to play as a false 9. Only if we're forced to or as a nice option to have. He would either start on one wing with Soule on the other (whoever's playing out of position then) or rotate with Soule. And he probably wouldn't get fewer games than in the last two seasons. I'd also like to add that it's probably not just the club pushing him out. Rumour has it that he himself is seriously considering the Saudi offer for financial reasons.
Of course he wants the money now while he can make it because in 2,3 or4 years , it will no longer be avaialble and time goes by very fast. I don’t blame Dybala or the club for his sale.
Le Fee and Paredes can be an excellent duo. He compliemnts Paredes weakness at covering ground. Best potential on the pitch in cm since the CL run so hopefully we dont see that broken up as well.
The timing of DDR is significant. Didnt all this only get stirred up when DDR announced he wasn't considered a key starter now. Clubs play games behind the scenes for their own interests. Its only logical.
Paredes' contract is up at the end of the year and he was fundamental for us after DDR joined last season, there's no way he moves. The problem with Cristante or Pellegrini is you need buyers, which I don't think exist for them at their current salaries... Dybala is the only player with a big salary who has a club concretely interested in him It's starting to feel like the club is pushing Dybala out to be honest, they knew the Saudi's could offer him wages that would turn his head so they gave them permission to negotiate with him hoping he would quickly accept, which hasn't happened as of yet I think they expected to move Tammy, Karsdorp & Smalling this summer to free up space on the balance sheet but none of it has happened so now it's nearly the end of the window and they've been forced to make a sacrifice (getting rid of Dybala's salary) in order to complete the market with the profiles they want... Dybala's contract getting renewed at 9 million a year after 14 games is also a factor pushing them to move him on
I wonder if DDR knew all along that if they couldn't move certain players they would have to sacrifice Dybala to finish the market... hence his diplomatic comments about none of the players being untouchable, which seems to have preceded all of this
As mentioned above, do you go and seek out a high valued striker if you really are considering going ahead with the false 9 as your starting formation. You would surely bring in a decent but much cheaper back up number 9. The top goalscorer in Europe isnt moving to Roma to be a bench player so it leads me to believe that statement was possibly a smokescreen to their true intentions. Your idea could be also true that they wanted to keep him and there will be plenty of mins on the wing or even centre of a 4-2-3-1 and not moving other players on has triggered this but given the contact kicking in and DDR looking a fresh start, I think what Im saying could be on the money. That they made this decision early but only dropped it when the time was right as they knew the Saudi money was there and would be there even to the last hour of the window. Its just a shame for fans to not witness this lineup and even if they bring in the players they want I dont see it being a smooth transition anytime soon. The right players around Dybala does push you into CL places and without him this team looks very basic.
We were searching for a striker long before DDR gave the mentioned interview. As mentioned before, I don't think playing with Dybala as a false 9 was ever considered to be our starting XI. The most logical explanation if the club really changed its mind is that it's because they couldn't offload Smalling, Karsdorp and other dead weight like @decola suggested (I still think we'll find a buyer for Tammy). idk, he didn't get us a CL spot the last two years and if we really can't get other players if he doesn't leave I don't think he will this season. There's just so many holes in the squad. Celik as our starting RB, Smalling the only backup at CB, Cristante the only alternative to Paredes in DM, SES as the only proper LW... That's not a top 4 squad right now. I've said it before: if Dybala was the missing piece to get us a top 4 finish or even more his salary is worth it but right now he's just luxury. He'll give us magic moments and another 6th place finish because the rest of the squad is not good enough.
You might be right, I keep thinking they gave DDR a 3 year contract and I doubt he will get sacked unless it's a disaster (finishing outside of EL), so maybe this really is 'year 0' of a new project. I can understand DDR's desire for a fresh start, and relying on Dybala for 30-40 games a year is impossible, so in the long term it makes sense if, with the money saved, they are able to bring in players more of the profile DDR wants and in this early part of the season he can try and make them all gel -- he made a good point that Napoli sold Insigne, Merterns, Koulibaly & Ruiz only to go on and win the scudetto, but the difference is Napoli knew they were all leaving before the season ended This whole market now just strikes me as a market of opportunity; slashing the wage bill where you are able, bringing in younger players with upside to their value and quality if you have a strong hand to play (ie. Soule & Dovbyk)... with Roma's budget you can only do these things as and when the opportunities arise which is why this has all dragged into the start of the season I trust DDR as he is a true Romanisti and a true fan, he's always struck me as an intelligent guy who has his own idea of football and a plan It's tough though when you see Atalanta lose Scamacca, Scalvini, Koopmeiners and possibly Lookman, then they go and win their first game 4-0 with both their new signings scoring braces
One thing to consider with Dybala and his injuries is that since DDR joined he only missed 3 games out of 26, DDR was managing his playing time better than Mourinho who just ran him into the ground until he got injured again
Just looked at the numbers and he has missed a lot less games than I thought. The guy has played more than 30 games per season for the last 10 years with only one exception (20/21). More than 2500mins of playing time in each of the two seasons with us.
Im stating Dybala would be the difference from EL to CL with this squad assuming a quality LW is added and another centre back. But yes if funds are tied up and they cant be added then there lays the stumbling block as the club will repeat what I have called out for the last 3 seasons. Running out of steam due to lack of depth in the crunch part of the season. The first 15-16 are good enough to be around most squads but you cant keep that up for a season today when other teams at the top have those few extra players they can rotate. It seems like this could be ground hog day all over again.
I like the signings but given the finances I wish they took the approach the whole way. Slashing the wage bill and then bringing in twice the number of younger talented players of a cheaper profile. The signings made are nice but at their expense it leaves the club still very short on depth. There was a better way imo but lets see. As with every new season, you start with hope they might finally have enough pieces to click
Honestly I expected it would be difficult, near impossible, to move Tammy, Smalling & Karsdorp this summer, and I would be very suprised if the management was confident they would be able to sell them all -- that aspect really worries me as it seems naive given the past 5 seasons of this exact issue
With what we have right now I'd like to see the midfield as LeFée(Bove) - Parades - Pellegrini (Baldanzi). Parades has to play when available because of how vital he is to how DDR wants the ball played from the back. Unfortunately I don't see Pellegrini or Cristante ever getting benched or subbed due to their seniority. On Dybala, I rarely agree with anything Cassano ever had to say but he's right up until saying Berardi is better. If the club used him as leverage to bring in his successor, Soulé, knowing they were going to have Soulé replace Dybala right away, get their highest earner who is 31 off the books and bring in a European top 5 goal scorer. It's fairly shrewd and very unRoma like. The Romantic in me would love to see a season of Dybala linking up with the creativity of Soulé, Pellegrini, LeFée, Baldanzi, while Dovbyk knocks the easy ones in. The Saudi deal works well for all parties financially, and we all know romance is dead in modern football.
An absolute sausage that talks nonsense just to stay somewhat relevant. If he doesnt constantly say ludicrous statements he is getting fired because he cant offer anything intelligent to say. He brings views by being a moron. Dybala has given Roma just as many, if not more magic moments in just 2 seasons than he did while not being an idiot. Shame nobody in the media would remind him his only ever consistent period in his career post Roma was for about 2 seasons at little Sampdoria.
I don’t think it’s true about ddr Not seeing him as a starter. That seems like some narrative some journalist pushed.