Page 28 - Soccer360 Issue 105

ROMA SPOTLIGHT
RIGHT:
Stephan El Shaarawy of AS Roma
BOTTOM: LEFT
Tommaso Baldanzi of AS Roma looks on during the Serie A match between AS Roma and Cagliari Calcio
BOTTOM RIGHT:
Roma Celebrates
“SECURING
BALDANZI’S
SIGNATURE
WASACLEAR
SIGNAL OF INTENT”
loss at bottom feeders Cremonese. But the low point came in the aftermath of Roma’s second consecutive European final.
Sevilla prevailed on penalties in a bad- tempered clash to win the Europa League in Budapest as the outspoken one threw
a tantrum after the spot-kick defeat. He angrily aimed a profanity filled volley at English referee Anthony Taylor in the
car park of the Puskas Arena. The bitter outburst made world headlines and further tarnished his reputation. It was a public relations disaster and marked the beginning of the end before the 2023-24 campaign began.
Despite continued FFP limitations
the Giallorossi were able to pay a hefty
loan fee for Romelu Lukaku as Mourinho convinced the well-travelled forward to return to Italy and choose Roma over a permanent return to Inter. Although the Portuguese steered Roma through the group stages of the Europa League they again faltered in Serie A and almost dropped out of the top 10 after losing 3-1 at Milan
in January. A run of just one victory in six games and a Coppa Italia exit to perennial adversaries Lazio sealed Mourinho’s fate.
His off the field conduct veered from the bad - red cards against Monza and Lazio
- to the bizarre as he described himself as Harry Potter prior to his exit. The Friedkins
rarely give interviews, but they can’t have been thrilled with the club’s downward spiral as Mourinho attracted attention for all the wrong reasons before and after almost every match.
The American owners were no doubt puzzled by the toxic combination of poor results, an almost unwatchable playing style and an avalanche of unwanted publicity
off the field. After forking out hundreds of millions, and with a commitment to spend more on a new stadium, letting Mourinho
- and his reported $10m salary - go before his contract expired was perhaps an easy decision. The billionaire family knows they’ll never recoup their substantial investment but want to stop haemorrhaging money at the same time.
Meanwhile, Roma legend De Rossi won’t be fazed by the highly pressurised environment or lofty expectations of leading his hometown club. The only guarantee is that his time in charge won’t be submerged in as much controversy as his predecessor.
While large sections of the Roma fanbase were sad to see Mourinho leave, the majority of tifosi were quick to welcome back their former captain. The young coach has already received backing from the Friedkin family too, with the capture of promising Italy U21 international Tommaso Baldanzi from Empoli in the January transfer window. Securing
Baldanzi’s signature was a clear signal of intent, with the 20-year-old playmaker considered one of the finest young talents of his generation.
Only Champions League qualification will be acceptable in the modern-day money game. It seems like a tall order, but the gap to the top four in Serie A is not insurmountable with lots of teams involved in the race. The Mourinho era will be all but forgotten if De Rossi can lead his beloved club back to the promised land in the next few months.
28 SOCCER360