Opinion: Four things we learned from season opener in Verona

Draw at the Bentegodi to kick off the season

Although Roma couldn't come away with all three points from the Bentegodi against Hellas Verona, there were still positives to take from the 0-0 draw.

Lining up in the 3-4-2-1 formation that he largely finished last season with, Paulo Fonseca started with Roger Ibanez, Bryan Cristante and Gianluca Mancini at the back with Antonio Mirante in goal.

Leonardo Spinazzola and Rick Karsdorp were the wingbacks, while Jordan Veretout and Amadou Diawara resumed their posts in midfield.

To round things out, Pedro was handed his debut alongside Lorenzo Pellegrini in attacking midfield and Henrikh Mkhitaryan operated as a false nine.

Producing an excellent first half full of neat play and cohesion between their frontline especially, they started off promisingly. While Verona got themselves back into the game in the second stanza, Roma held firm to gain a deserved clean sheet and a valuable point.

Fonseca afterwards appeared relatively content but rued the missed chances, saying: “I liked what the side did in the first half, it’s never easy to play against Verona but I thought the combinations between [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan, Pedro and [Lorenzo] Pellegrini and the crosses from [Leonardo] Spinazzola created openings that could have changed the course of the game.

“I didn’t like the fact we failed to convert good chances against a side that it is never easy to create chances against."

Karsdorp proves his worth

With Fonseca stating his belief in Karsdorp ahead of kick-off, the Dutchman repaid his faith by putting in a classy shift at right wing back. Featuring for the first time in nearly 18 months for Roma in league play, he didn't look out of place whatsoever.

Especially effective on the offensive end, every chance to surge upfield was duly taken. Adding width and depth to attacks with his movement, this was vital due to Roma's front three typically occupying central areas.

Receiving regularly in advanced locations, this meant he stretched his opposition, could receive switches in 1v1 situations or make slick back post blindside runs when the ball was on the far side. The way Mancini covered the space behind him was key, for it allowed him to maraud forward with immense freedom knowing the Italian had his back.

The way he rotated with Pedro by either performing neat opposite movements or venturing infield to underlap when the Spaniard pulled wide enhanced his effectiveness.

Once on the ball, he whipped in some nice crosses, cutbacks, through balls in behind and even embarked on some mazy dribbles before finding a teammate.

By the numbers, his two touches inside the penalty area, one shot assist, five interceptions, six won defensive duels and how he completed 27 of his 31 attempted passes illustrated his solid body of work.

Cristante fills in admirably in the heart of defence

Despite centre-back not being his preferred role, Cristante did his best in unfamiliar territory, with his defensive work largely sound and his passing an asset from deeper areas.

To start with the latter, and he was an integral figure in build-up. Able to break the lines to find his attackers, spread the play with measured switches, strike accurate through balls or recirculate possession coherently while waiting for an option, his distribution was a highlight.

In terms of his defensive duties, Cristante enjoyed a hard-fought duel with striker Samuel Di Carmine. Looking to keep touch-tight to his marker at all times, Cristante followed him closely when he dropped deep, with the aim of nipping in to recover possession or stopping him controlling cleanly so he couldn't turn him.

Despite getting caught out on the odd occasion, he tracked his marker's runs in behind well and positioned himself ideally to use his aerial prowess and reading of the play to clear deliveries into the area.

Filling in and doing his part for the team when needed as always, both he and his manager would've been pleased with his efforts.

Front three interplay encouragingly

Roma's gifted front three of Pellegrini, Pedro and Mkhitaryan caused dilemmas for Verona with their movement and interactions with one another. By rotating positions smartly, this ensured their adversaries struggled to settle into a rhythm of who to mark who in what area, as the heat maps of Mkhitaryan, Pedro and Pellegrini below show their interchanging aptly.

The fact they persistently operated within close proximity to one another only made life more difficult for Verona. Indeed, by being nearby to each other on the ball side flank or centrally, they were successfully able to draw out defenders and combine intricately to create and then exploit spaces in the Verona backline.

Impressively, if one dropped another would bomb on, in order to maintain depth or take advantage of the gaps generated by Verona's man-marking.

Their impact didn't stop there, however, for they also broke upfield with some wicked runs in behind and into the channels, plus some sharp runs into the box posed as viable outlets for crosses and cutbacks.

Blessed with so much quality on the ball too, as time goes by and they gel further, watching these men dovetail should only continue to create more chances in the final third.

Taking them will be the next step.