Five Things We Learned: Tactical tweaks pay off in style

Goals from Kevin Strootman and Radja Nainggolan were the difference for the Giallorossi, in what was a typically competitive and hard-fought Rome derby.

But perhaps it was the team's setup that proved crucial in sealing victory...

Spalletti's tactical switch pays off

With Mohamed Salah missing through injury, Luciano Spalletti's decision to organise his side into a 5-3-2 formation when attacking ultimately paid dividends. Although it wasn't necessarily Roma's finest showing, this tactic gave Roma a solid defensive foundation and a strong presence through the middle.

A 2-0 win in a fiercely contested derby duly vindicated Spalletti's bold yet entirely understandable selection.

"We trained all week on two tactical options,” full-back Emerson Palmieri revealed after the game. “Then we decided on that one - and we did very well.”

Formation different when attacking

While Roma attacked in a 5-3-2 shape, when they were without possession they smartly morphed into more of an asymmetric 4-2-3-1 shape to repel the Lazio attack.

As soon as Roma lost possession, Bruno Peres would stay high as a winger to cover Lazio's left-back, Senad Lulic, and Antonio Rudiger would push over to right-back, in order to mark Keita Balde's movements down the the flank. Moreover, Radja Nainggolan would push into a central attacking position to help press Lazio's centre-backs and Diego Perotti would push wide to cover the left.

Kevin Strootman and Daniele De Rossi subsequently formed the central defensive midfield duo and Emerson dropped back into a traditional left back spot occupy Felipe Anderson.

Spalletti certainly deserves credit for his tactical acuity here, as his thorough work on the training ground saw his side coordinate their movements very well indeed.

"We played with five when we had the ball but always defended with four when we weren't in possession," Spalletti said of the system. "The players decided amongst themselves who would close down the full-back. For example [Bruno] Peres would always go on the left and Rudiger went out to meet Keita [Balde], becoming the fourth defender.”

Overload left eventually gets breakthrough

The way Roma successfully overloaded their left hand side was another interesting take away from the Giallorossi's victory. From the outset, Roma's players had clear instructions to target this flank. Seeing as defending isn't exactly Anderson's (Lazio's right winger) strong point, the tactic made perfect sense.

With Anderson at times tardy with his tracking of Emerson, in combination with Perotti and Nainggolan's propensity to push to left and left of centre areas, this meant Dusan Basta was persistently isolated with a power of work to do from his right back spot.

Unsurprisingly, Roma's overloading of the flank worked wonders, with them continually exploiting their numerical superiority to create a series of openings for themselves – with Dzeko very nearly breaking the deadlock from just such an opportunity prior to Strootman’s goal.

The fact Roma funnelled a hefty 60% of their attacks down the left aptly depicted their intentions.

Manolas returns with customary conviction

On his return to the starting lineup, Kostas Manolas put in a flawless showing against Roma's crosstown rivals. On top of making two fantastic goal-saving interventions, from Ciro Immobile and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, the Greek stopper oozed class, authority and intelligence in everything he did.

Manolas's imperious work ensured the Biancocelesti's centre forward, Immobile, had a rough time making headway whenever he ventured into Manolas' designated area of operation.

Emerson excellent in perhaps biggest game to date

This was quite possibly Emerson's finest outing in a Roma shirt. From his left wing back/full back role, the Brazilian added so much attacking energy and gave his side vital width, while also doing a sterling defensive job limiting the impact of Lazio danger man, Felipe Anderson. By the numbers, his two key passes, four successful dribbles and five defensive actions underlined the versatile nature of his display.

Spalletti was justifiably full of praise for his young charge, describing him as "playing unbelievably well".

When asked about his obvious improvement under Spalletti's expert tutelage and his derby debut, the 22-year-old's explanation made for great listening.

"You're right, my mentality has changed and a while back I realised what playing for Roma is all about,” he said. “I must stay grounded to keep progressing.

"It's fantastic [to win]. It was my first derby and I'm pleased but we have to keep working hard to improve."