New signings bring excitement

Having made 12 new signings this transfer window, Monchi and his recruitment team have done a extensive job of reinforcing the squad after some key departures. While selling Alisson and Radja Nainggolan to Liverpool and Inter Milan respectively were headline-grabbing moves at the time, Roma have done an encouraging job of offsetting that by bringing in a quality blend of players all over the pitch.

Adding plenty of players with extensive high level experience - in the form of Javier Pastore, Ivan Marcano, World Cup winner Steven Nzonzi, plus goalkeepers Robin Olsen and Antonio Mirante - should be vital in terms of adding leadership, trophy-winning know-how and setting examples for the young talents that also arrived.

That raft of youngsters that have been acquired - including Justin Kluivert, Bryan Cristante, Ante Coric, William Bianda and Nicolo Zaniolo - will bring tremendous energy and exuberance to the squad, along with vast potential for development and excitement, just as fans saw with Cengiz Under last term.

Serie A improvement a key target

After finishing third in Serie A and reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League last season, head coach Eusebio Di Francesco will be looking to consolidate in his second term at the helm. Although bettering the highs of their European adventure will be tough, domestic improvement is definitely a target, for the Giallorossi endured some unsatisfactory drops in form in Serie A – most notably during the winter period.

Considering how many positives could be drawn from his first year, even as the players took time to adhere to his philosophy and demands, another year under his watchful eye should see some tangible progression again. Di Francesco will just be hoping the new additions can adapt quickly and begin to truly stamp their mark as soon as possible.

Is Schick set to fire?

Bagging five goals in preseason, it's been promising to see how well Patrik Schick has already performed as the new campaign nears. For the man who was heavily derided during his first, injury-interrupted season at the club, he would've gained vital confidence from his exploits. Capable of operating out wide or upfront, the versatile Czech serves as a very handy asset to Di Francesco, giving him much a variety of options for use depending on the opponent and the game state.

Moreover, the fact he also enjoyed three assists, averaged three successful dribbles per game and notched up two interceptions per game during the friendlies further underlines his overall form and fitness, and his growing understanding of the tactical demands made of him. It'll be terrific to finally see a fully fit and firing Schick, as he'll be hoping to prove his doubters wrong and alleviate some of the goalscoring burden on the tireless Edin Dzeko.

Midfield options galore

Roma lost Nainggolan to Inter in the summer yet Di Francesco goes into the new campaign more spoilt for choice in midfield than ever, as he has a fantastic array of options with different skill sets to choose from. Expected to play in his favoured 4-3-3, Daniele De Rossi and Nzonzi are wonderful options for the holding role, with Maxime Gonalons also a serviceable understudy. Then for the two, more advanced mezz’ala slots ahead, there's a lovely blend of creativity, power, pace, intelligence and technique to choose from.

Needing to select two from Pastore, Coric, Cristante, Kevin Strootman, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Zaniolo will not be an easy task for the manager, but with a long and arduous schedule ahead, this strength in depth should prove invaluable to the Giallorossi – and the different skill sets each player offers could allow Di Francesco to wrong-foot opponents with unpredictable line-ups.

Defence solidified

With the Kostas Manolas and Federico Fazio central defensive axis set to link up for a third year running, this sort of continuity should form a solid defensive foundation for the Giallorossi, who held the second best defensive record in Serie A last term (only conceded 28).

In addition, signing Marcano from Porto was an astute piece of business, with his passing, experience and defensive polish making him an ideal challenger for the aforementioned duo. Extra support will then come from the underrated Juan Jesus and gifted new signing William Bianda.

The fullback positions look far stronger this season too, with a recovered Rick Karsdorp, who's impressed in preseason after an injury ravaged debut crusade in Rome, expected to challenge Alessandro Florenzi for the starting right-back berth.

While the consistent, durable Aleksandar Kolarov will pick up at left-back, he'll be deputised by the tremendously talented academy product Luca Pellegrini. Returning from a devastating ACL tear, the 19-year-old prodigy will be raring to go and prove he is worth the long-term contract he was handed last season.

To round things out, the versatile Davide Santon, fresh from moving to the capital as part of the Nainggolan deal, will also serve as a solid reserve here to both full-back slots, adding experience to the mix.