Opinion: Analysing Zaniolo's display against Basaksehir

Roma's sensational 4-0 victory over Istanbul Basaksehir was another promising step forward in the development of Paulo Fonseca's side, who are progressing at a steady pace while remaining unbeaten so far this term.

Aside from the result and the good collective performance, Nicolo Zaniolo's brilliant display was a key takeaway. Having a hand in three of the Giallorossi's four goals by bagging a goal and two assists, the Italian international was a force to be reckoned with throughout.

Operating on the right wing but given licence to drift infield, he thrived from this station. Using his intelligent movement and promising relationships with his colleagues, Zaniolo was a key component in finding space for himself or freeing up teammates.

Taking up excellent position between the lines of the opposition's defensive and midfield lines, his teammates regularly found him in these zones.

Moreover, the way he'd smartly situate himself in this area to be able to receive lay offs from Edin Dzeko and Javier Pastore in ideal forward facing postures was also beneficial in terms of adding momentum to attacks.

His positioning centrally and in the half spaces also generated huge spaces out wide for full-back Leonardo Spinnazzola to exploit. Seeing as Zaniolo would tuck in and draw the attention of his direct opponent, the flank was therefore left open for Spinnazzola to bomb down.

Zaniolo's smooth partnerships with his teammates didn't stop there, for he dovetailed well with Dzeko and Pastore to help unbalance the away team, as can be seen in the graphics below.

His wonderfully timed and directed runs into the box and in behind were another highlight, with him using these to offer depth to attacks and give Fonseca's men another dimension.

Indeed, his involvement in Roma's second and third goals offered a testament to his effectiveness here.

For the Giallorossi's second, his blistering run into the vacant channel behind the fullback formed the foundation for him latch onto Bryan Cristante's through ball before having the presence of mind to calmly pinpoint Dzeko to score after breezing past an opponent with a super skill.

Then, for the third, after shrewdly recognising the defence get drawn towards Dzeko and Justin Kluivert, he peeled into open space to gain freedom to shoot before applying a clinical, one touch finish.

Once he had the ball at his feet, the 20-year-old was just as impressive, for he combined power, finesse and strength to devastating effect. Carrying the ball forward at every available opportunity, his driving dribbles constantly put Basaksehir on the back foot.

Be it with wicked changes of pace and direction, slick feints or cunning fake shots or passes (like he did prior to Dzeko's goal), he persistently outfoxed hIs markers.

The way he used his hulking strength and impressive speed only compounded problems for his foes, in a match where he illustrated what a nightmare for defenders he can be.

Playing some precise crosses, cutbacks and through balls, Zaniolo's distribution caught the eye too, as he set up his colleagues smartly with some measured deliveries. Although his cutback for Dzeko's strike was neat, his most notable contribution in this regard undoubtedly came when he assisted Kluivert's goal with a masterful defence splitting through ball.

A year on from his Roma debut against Real Madrid, Zaniolo marked the occasion in fitting fashion, as his outstanding outing depicted how far he's come since that special night.

By the numbers, his eight successful dribbles, five progressive runs, four shots, four touches inside the box and the fact he completely 27 of his 31 attempted passes duly punctuated his quality body of work.

Speaking after the match, Zaniolo insisted how content he is with his progress and gave an insight into how he's enjoying working under Fonseca.

"I’m very happy with what I’m doing and producing out on the pitch. I need to keep going. I’m especially pleased tonight because the team got the win. Now we need to go to Bologna and win there as well," he explained.

“We try to play in an attacking fashion, but it’s defensive at the same time – because you need to mark and press high up the pitch. The coach wants that, we are doing it, and we have to keep it up.”

Reminding everyone what a talent he is, Zaniolo will be looking to build on this dismantling of a strong Basaksehir side in his quest to nail down a starting berth in Fonseca's side.