Four Things We Learned: Flashes of quality in derby display

Aleksandar Kolarov opened the scoring for the Giallorossi in a pulsating game at the Stadio Olimpico, but Paulo Fonseca's side were eventually pegged back after Luis Alberto squeezed home his shot.

The Giallorossi go into the international break with two draws from their opening two league games.

Positives signs from Fonseca's men despite the draw

In what was a breathless, pulsating Derby della Capitale, where the woodwork was struck six times before the match eventually ended in a 1-1 draw, there were positives to note about Roma's tenacious performance.

Although they were far from perfect, the Giallorossi still produced moments of quality in the hotly contested clash with their fierce rivals.

In a match full of intensity, a reasonably content Paulo Fonseca thoroughly enjoyed his first Rome derby - even though his team couldn't take home all three points.

“It’s not the result we wanted, but we were facing a very good side,” Fonseca said.

"It was an extraordinary game for football lovers – it was a real privilege to be a part of it. The fans were treated to a great game between two teams who showed respect for each other and created lots of chances. It was a great spectacle.”

Promising build up mechanics

With Fonseca wanting his side to build out from the back when in possession, there were many instances where he would've been happy with what he saw. By varying their mechanics to break the Lazio press, they managed to bypass Simone Inzaghi's men frequently.

Due to Lazio often pressing high with both forwards, two of their central midfielders and their wingbacks harrying Roma's fullbacks, Roma's inverted wingers, central midfielders or No. 10 would smartly move to be an outlet.

Another method that bore fruit was when one or both of Roma's central midfielders pushed back to form a 3v2 or 4v2 numerical superiority vs Lazio's front two. From here, the Lazio eights would press towards Roma's midfielders, which would subsequently leave big spaces on the far side to be exploited.

Moreover, with Lazio's narrow midfield three then out of shape and struggling to shift over effectively, Roma's attackers could take advantage of the space between the lines.

Meanwhile, if they couldn't overcome the pressure, they would smartly bypass the press and go long towards Edin Dzeko or Nicolo Zaniolo. The surrounding attackers would recognise this and be positioned in close proximity to the intended recipient so they could be well placed to win flick-ons or knock-downs.

Pau Lopez shows promise

Even though an early error threatened to rattle the Spanish keeper, the way he responded to put in a solid showing on the big stage in just his second Serie A match was impressive.

While his brilliant reflex save to deny Joaquin Correa drew the headlines, some other aspects of his work also deserve mention.

Positionally sound and doing a top job of closing off angles, this, in combination with his strong command of his area and reading of the play, formed a good foundation for him to undertake his work.

Coming off his line when need be and handling set piece scenarios without too much fuss, he executed his actions with conviction.

Also neat and tidy with his distribution in build-up or when launching long balls, the composed shot-stopper demonstrated why Roma were so keen to sign him this summer for Fonseca's system.

Exploit channels

Exploiting the channels behind the Lazio wingbacks was a strategy that served the Giallorossi well. Seeing as Senad Lulic or Manuel Lazzari or, at times, a Lazio central defender would look to step out and press the Roma winger or advancing full-back, Roma capitalised on the spaces that opened up.

Whether it was Dzeko, Zaniolo, Cengiz Under or Justin Kluivert, the Giallorossi frontline were awake to this, regularly directing their runs into these areas. In doing so, this importantly forced another defender to be dragged out from his post, which created a disconnect in their backline.

Not only did they stretch and manipulate their adversaries' shape, but Roma also generated openings centrally for their attackers to benefit from crosses or cutbacks against an unhinged defence.