Our next opponents: AS Roma and the high art of defending

Position

Like Bayer 04, AS Roma did not do well in their last match before the semi-final first leg. The Giallorossi lost 2-0 to Inter Milan at the weekend with goals scored by Federico Dimarco and Romelu Lukaku. It was a defeat that represents a severe setback in the race for a Champions League finish in Serie A for the team under coach José Mourinho. Nevertheless, the cult manager did not want to criticise his players. On the contrary, at the post-match press conference Mourinho said: “I’m incredibly proud of my lads. We played against the strongest team in Italy today, against a team who are in the semi-finals of the Champions League. It’s great to see that we weren’t inferior to Inter. The score was 2-0 because they didn’t miss anything in front of goal but we did. But we carry out on, it’s not over yet.”

Mourinho’s team have only picked up two points from the last four league matches – in two 1-1 draws with AC Milan and AC Monza – and they have slipped down from fourth to seventh place. With four games to play to the end of the season, the gap to the final Champions League position, currently occupied by Inter Milan, is five points. AS Roma may have to worry about qualifying for Europe. Their best chance could be by winning the Europa League. In terms of European titles, the team from Rome discovered the taste last season when they beat Feyenoord 1-0 in the final of the newly created Conference League. That was the first European triumph for the club in 61 years.

The Dutch team were also the opponents in the quarter-finals of the Europa League. And the Giallorossi also made it exciting in the second leg. When Feyenoord levelled the scores at 1-1 with ten minutes to play, it looked like AS Roma were on their way out after the 1-0 in the first leg. However, Paulo Dybala took the game to extra time with a goal on 89 minutes, and Stephan El Shaarawy and skipper Lorenzo Pellegrini scored the decisive goals to take the team to the semi-finals. “An epic comeback,” reported the Gazzetta dello Sport. Now there is huge excitement in the Eternal City ahead of the semi-final first leg against the Werkself. Over 60,000 tickets for the match at the Stadio Olimpico were sold out within four hours of going on open sale.

PersonNEl

In front of the 35-year-old Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio (107 caps), José Mourinho mostly opts for a back three with the English former Manchester United player Chris Smalling often filling the role of central defender. The first choice on the right is Gianluca Mancini with the Brazilian Roger Ibanez on the left, who made a blunder ahead of the second goal for Inter Milan at the weekend. Possible alternatives are Bryan Cristante, who recently replaced Smalling against Milan, but who normally plays in midfield, Diego Llorente or the Turk Mehmet Celik. Mourinho will have to manage without the defenders Rick Karsdorp (knee operation) and Marash Kumbulla (cruciate injury).

Established players on the flanks are Leonardo Spinazzola (left) and the Pole Nicola Zalewski (right). The 34-year-old Serbian Nemanja Matic is a regular starter in holding midfield. The 20-year-old Edoardo Bove recently earned great praise from Mourinho for his performance against Milan. Up front, captain Lorenzo Pellegrini plays a key role. The Italy international takes almost all of the set pieces. With eight goal involvements (four goals, four assists), Pellegrini is the most successful scorer and provider in the current Europa League campaign.

The season to date has been very unlucky for the Dutch international Georginio Wijnaldum. The 32--year-old forward suffered a broken leg at the start of the season, was sidelined for months and missed the chance to play in the World Cup for the Oranje. The former Liverpool player only joined AS Roma from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2022. He made his comeback in February of this year and has scored two goals in 16 games so far.

The top striker for the Giallorossi is the Argentina World Cup winner Paulo Dybala who also moved to Rome last summer from Juventus. The international teammate of Werkself player Exequiel Palacios has scored 16 goals for AS Roma (eight assists) in 35 games but has recently suffered a number of knocks and at the weekend only made a brief appearance against Inter Milan. Andrea Belotti and the Englishman Tammy Abraham take it in turns up front. While Abraham has already scored eight goals in Serie A (four assists), Belotti has yet to find the back of the net in 27 games. But the Italian has scored three times in the Europa League. Stephan El Shaarawy, who mostly features as a substitute, has scored seven times this season.

Performers

José Mourinho has always adopted a defensive approach. Safety first is the motto of the AS Roma manager, who is the only coach to have won three different international competitions to date (Champions League 2004 and 2010, Europa League 2003 and 2017, Europa Conference League 2022). AS Roma have only conceded 33 goals in 31 league matches in Serie A this term. That represents the fourth best defence in Italy. The team from Rome have only conceded ten goals in twelve games in the Europa League. “You could say that they have perfected the renowned Mourinho style,” said Giulio Donati, the former Werkself player currently at AC Monza, in an interview with bayer04.de.

Even at home, AS Roma often sit back against the opposition waiting to win the ball and play on the break as in the 2-0 win in the Round of 16 first leg against Real Sociedad. When it is required, as in the second leg, they are able to park the bus at the back and rely on counter-attacks from players like Dybala, Spinazzola, Wijnaldum, Belotti, El Shaarawy and Abraham.

AS Roma are almost always dangerous from set plays. Lorenzo Pellegrini is the tried and trusted set piece expert in the team. The Werkself will also have to be wary of aerial threats: Four goals scored from headers are the most in the current Europa League campaign.

Problems

Asked about the personnel situation following the 2-0 defeat against Inter Milan, José Mourinho said: “There were five or six players who were very tired because they always play: Mancini, Cristante, Pellegrini… These people are dead on their feet. Then there are also injured players like Paulo Dybala and Andrea Belotti.” The latter suffered injury in a collision in the game against AC Milan. Dybala has missed out recently due to groin and ankle problems. The prospect of a final two games away could see players go beyond their limits of pain to play.

As dangerous as the team from Rome are at set plays, they are equally susceptible at dead balls. Last week’s equaliser in the 1-1 draw against AC Monza came from another cross from a free kick.

Prediction

“It will be a cauldron and we’ll need to do the things we did well again in recent weeks,” said Bayer 04 sporting managing director Simon Rolfes ahead of the semi-final first leg in the Eternal City. AS Roma are likely to play from the back against the Werkself and not set out to be on the front foot.

Rudi Völler is convinced, “lots of patience will be necessary in both games.” The DFB sporting director knows the special atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico from his time as a player at AS Roma. “There will be an incredible atmosphere in the stadium in front of 70,000 spectators. It will be a wonderful experience for our players.”

And it will also be a special game for Xabi Alonso as he will face his former coach. The Bayer 04 head coach played for Real Madrid under José Mourinho between 2010 and 2013. The two of them celebrated winning titles together including La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Supercopa.