Keys to Victory: Grinding it out on our travels

Roma Women wrapped up the first section of their season before the mid-September international break with a victory over Pomigliano to maintain their winning start to the campaign.

Summer signings Valeria Pirone and Benedetta Glionna each created a goal for one another to give Roma a two-goal lead, before the hosts pulled one back.

However, Roma successfully navigated the more taxing stage of the game late on to see out a 2-1 triumph.

Key Player

Roma dominated possession throughout the match, seeing nearly 73% of the ball and generally making good use of it.

Key to their approach was the midfield pairing of Manuela Giugliano and Vanessa Bernauer, the former of whom really stood out.

The two deeper midfielders took it upon themselves to create more space by one of them dropping between the centre-backs when Roma were in possession, thus opening up the pitch and making it harder for the opposition by giving them more ground to cover.

Knowing that Pomigliano would sit back, Roma made more space for themselves with their strategy, which in turn allowed them to be more effective when they did venture further forward.

Often, when a team has as much possession as Roma did on Saturday, they can become frustrated, merely moving the ball in non-vertical directions without being able to create. However, certainly in the first half, it was different for the Giallorosse, who played with intensity and direction.

Giugliano in particular was pivotal, picking out several through balls that split the Pomigliano back three. Although she didn’t get an assist of her own, she created four chances – a figure that only attacking midfielder Andressa Alves could match.

The toughest spell of the game for Roma was in the final 20 minutes or so, when the spaces were much tighter due to Pomigliano cutting the distances more. However, there was little to trouble goalkeeper Camelia Ceasar.

Instead, Roma had earned their advantage thanks to the clever movements and distribution of their midfielders, with Giugliano mainly to thank.

Key Decision

Before Roma broke the deadlock, it had been a somewhat frustrating 20 minutes for Glionna.

One of the best players on the pitch the week before against Napoli, she was not finding it as easy to exploit spaces – simply because there weren’t as many.

Thus, while Roma were earning a free kick in their own half midway through the first 45 minutes, she swapped wings with Annamaria Serturini in an effort to free herself up.

Serturini had been trialled briefly on the right wing, rather than the left, during the latter stages of the game against Napoli. While this switch didn’t last long either, such intricate nuances can make the difference – and in this case it worked instantly for her teammate.

As play progressed into the opposition half from that free kick, the ball came to Glionna after Pirone’s clever ball in from the right. Needing little invitation, she swivelled from her new space while getting it under control and instinctively took aim with a left-footed shot on the turn.

Her strike nestled in the bottom corner, providing instant relief and improving her confidence when she returned to the right when play resumed.

It was subsequently nominated for (and won) the Serie A Femminile goal of the week – and it wouldn’t have been possible without that proactive decision to temporarily swap positions.

Key Moment

Of course, Glionna was not the only player to get her first Roma goal – and it was from back on the right wing that she set up Pirone for hers.

Receiving Glionna’s low angled cross, Pirone connected with control from close range to direct the ball into the net.

Coming less than 10 minutes into the second half, it ensured Roma were even more comfortable and effectively proved to be the difference by the end of the game.

Pirone earned her goal, too, thanks to her hard-working movement on and off the ball up front throughout the match.

The experienced striker has scored goals practically wherever she has been in an admirable career, but finding the back of the net is not the only quality she brings to the team.

As a sole centre-forward up against three centre-backs, it could have been a frustrating game for her, but she made sure it wasn’t by making the extra effort to drift between her opponents and change her own side’s angles of attack.

But no doubt getting off the mark with her goal will have been the main thing she took away from her performance, instilling further confidence for the international break – she is one of nine Roma players in the Italy squad – and for when the club action resumes on the last Sunday of this month.

Key Fact

After the first three games of the Alessandro Spugna era, Roma still have a 100% record and are yet to even go behind in a match.

Although the clash with Pomigliano was not without its moments of adversity late on, the overall performance across the 90 minutes showed a confident Roma, ready to apply their approach in matches of differing magnitude.

It is true that Roma have been the favourites going into each of their opening three matches, and after the return against Inter on 26th September, the month of October should throw up more challenges (there will be games against Juventus, Milan and Sassuolo – three sides who finished above the Giallorosse last season – in a row).

Thus, it will be interesting to see how the strategy changes – if at all – in such games, and how Roma respond if things don’t go fully their way, but they have set themselves up for success with solid foundations in these opening weeks.

For comparison, after three games last season, Roma had one win, one draw and one defeat; the year before, they lost on the opening day and won their next two, and back in their debut season they were winless at this stage.

In addition, all of Roma’s goals so far have been scored by different players, including six of their own from an overall tally of nine. Never before have the club had so many different scorers – or as many goals – at this early stage.

For the first time, Roma have started a season strongly – so given that they still managed respectable finishes in each of the three previous campaigns, there will be plenty of intrigue and promise for where they can build from here.

Follow Samuel Bannister on Twitter: @SamBanno1