Opinion: Micki makes the difference

Impressive unbeaten streak continues

Roma extended their impressive unbeaten streak to 10 matches (on the field) in all competitions with an accomplished 3-1 victory over Genoa.

While a scintillating hat-trick from Henrikh Mkhitaryan was the standout feature of the match, the Giallorossi were defiant at the back, solid in midfield and illustrated their threat going forward (even without star talisman Edin Dzeko).

Dominating and controlling the match, credit must once again go to Paulo Fonseca for all his brilliant work in terms of tactics, team selection, motivating his players and instilling them with plenty of spirit to keep fighting.

"It was a win full of character, the team showed a really great attitude," Fonseca said afterwards.

"We created a few different chances to score – and Genoa scored from the only mistake we made."

Mkhitaryan masterclass

Unquestionably the man of the match, Mkhitaryan's masterclass was a key deciding factor towards the result. Bagging a fantastic triple, his reading of the play, understanding of space, clinical finishing and all-round intelligence were vital.

Starting in a free-roaming attacking midfield position before operating as a false nine after an hour, the 31-year-old connected play brilliantly with his clever movement to find space between the lines throughout.

Upon receiving, he could then use his mazy dribbling to carry the ball upfield, slide neat through balls into colleagues or knit play together.

Another feature of his game came from his crafty movement inside the box, as he occupied vacant spaces so he could be a viable option and anticipated the ball's flight path coherently. Blending nous and poaching instincts, his goals were a testament to his effectiveness.

His first saw him remain concentrated on the ball's trajectory despite the sea of bodies around him to nod home a clinical header.

Then, his second, saw him get the jump on his marker to arrive in the box perfectly placed to apply his composed finish.

Finally, Mkhitaryan's third was pure genius, for he rapidly picked up Pedro's cross before striking a sublime volley past Mattia Perin to bring up his hat-trick in style.

Proving his worth to the Roma side and capable of playing in many different positions, Fonseca duly praised his experienced attacker in his post-match comments.

"Micki knows how to play in a number of different roles, he’s a really clever footballer. Today he scored three important goals for the team and he worked really hard too – but the important thing is that we won," he said.

Pellegrini's intelligent final third movement

Lorenzo Pellegrini continued his outstanding recent form with another classy showing in central midfield. Bursting with energy and enthusiasm, the Italian international's running power added another dimension to the Giallorossi's work in the final third.

Embarking on many penetrative runs from deep to get in behind or into the box, preoccupied defenders found him a massive challenge to monitor. By starting his runs on the blindside of opponents, in combination with how astutely he recognised openings in Genoa's defensive shape, he persistently arrived into the final third unmarked.

Moreover, if opponents did pick him up, his runs had the impact of drawing one or markers who were instantly attracted to his presence. A fine example of this arose in the lead up to Mkhitaryan's third, where Pellegrini's nifty run attracted two markers, which opened the space for the Armenian to volley home freely.

Pressing scheme nullifies Genoa build up

Mixing clever positioning, cohesive organisation and energy conservation, Roma's pressing structure worked a treat in stifling Rolando Maran's men's ability to build out from the back.

With Genoa usually enjoying a 4v3 numerical superiority against Roma's first line of pressure, Roma were sharply positioned to access multiple opponents depending on where the ball was played to overcome being overloaded. Moreover, how they'd curve their pressing to use their cover shadows to block options behind them was also crucial.

Performing their dual roles extremely well, how Roma's players responded to triggers like a back pass, a sideways pass, a pass towards the touchline, a pass towards a backwards facing opponent or an underhit delivery was impressive.

Picking their moments when to engage, shift across, step out with gusto or apply backwards pressure to support a colleague, Fonseca had clearly drilled his players to execute his demands.

And his troops didn't let him down, with their strategic harrying setting the tone for Genoa's struggles, who could only produce an Expected Goals reading of 0.60.