Opinion: Kumbulla finds feet with ease

Despite fielding a heavily rotated squad for their Europa League opener against Young Boys, Roma achieved a vital win away from home.

Fighting back after going down early, goals from Bruno Peres and Marash Kumbulla propelled the Giallorossi to a 2-1 victory.

To focus on the latter, and Kumbulla, who was restored to the starting lineup for this one by Paulo Fonseca, completely justified his selection. From his post in the centre of Roma's back three, the Albanian international hardly put a foot wrong throughout alongside the experienced Federico Fazio and Juan Jesus.

Handling the threat of Young Boys' frontline that included the dynamism of Jean-Pierre and Moumi Ngamaleu, Kumbulla tracked runners coherently and remained awake to danger due to his concentration and checks of his blindside.

Being on the lookout constantly meant they struggled to laugh onto through balls over the top or get onto crosses or cutbacks into the areas. Moreover, by getting touchtight and using his arms and body, this allowed him to unbalance his markers and prevent them from gaining separation from him.

Being stronger and better in the air not only helped him to further physically impose himself but also to win the vast majority of his headers.

Timing his leaps, setting his feet and anticipating the ball's flight to perfection, his judgement to meet the ball was superb.

If a colleague went up for a header or stepped out from the backline, Kumbulla would crucially be awake to this, covering the vacated space or tracking any runners that would look to exploit these openings.

His solid decision-making shone when he shifted across, dropped back, pushed forward or held the line in unison with his defensive partners.

Full of authority, conviction and good timing when applying his interventions too, it was great to see him stop many attacks dead on his way to making six interceptions.

Some extra numbers of note included his four won aerial duels, three clearances and remarkable 19 ball recoveries.

Also contributing to Roma's attempts to pass out from the back, Kumbulla's composure and measured passing aided his team getting beyond the first line of Young Boys' pressure. Striking his passes with intent, he confidently broke the lines to find the feet of dropping attackers and hit ambitious through balls over the top while recycling possession if no viable forward options were present.

Scoring Roma's winner with a thumping header capped off his exceptional, memorable evening.

Comfortable and effective on both sides of the ball, Roma's new signing's performance was certainly one of the bright spots of the win. Speaking after his classy output, Kumbulla's delight was evident as he's clearly settling into life with Roma nicely.

"It was an incredible (Europa League) debut for me, I scored and thanks to my goal we ended up winning — but I’m happier for the team," he said.

“Adapting to Roma has gone smoothly thanks to the manager and the team, who immediately made me feel like a part of the group.”

Young, talented and eager to improve, Kumbulla's wonderful display is a huge boost for him and his team, as all the early signs suggest the former Hellas Verona star will be an excellent acquisition for Roma.