After four consecutive draws, Roma’s Scudetto bid is fizzling out and their lack of an out-and-out goal-getter is proving costly.
When Roma chalked up their 10th consecutive victory in a record-breaking start to the season, pundits hailed the Giallorossi’s range of attacking options.
After all, the scorer’s chart was littered with Roma players – Alessandro Florenzi, Adem Ljacic, Miralem Pjanic, Daniele De Rossi, Marco Borriello, Kevin Strootman and of course Francesco Totti had found the net. Even the defenders were getting in on the act.
Now it seems that Rudi Garcia’s honeymoon period is over. Torino ended the winning run by grabbing a 1-1 draw and three more draws have followed against sides the Lupi would expect to beat.
The absence of Totti to injury has been clearly felt, but Roma’s greatest strength has also been shown to be a weakness.
While the Eternal City side terrified Serie A sides with their range of scoring threats when they were on a winning streak, now they are in dire need of one proven goal-scorer to drag them out of their slump.
For all their attacking prowess, Roma don’t have a Giuseppe Rossi, an Antonio Casano or a Carlos Tevez – there’s nobody to pop up after 80 minutes of silence and find the net.
Juventus’ evening against Udinese emphasised exactly what Roma are missing. Shut down by Udinese for 90 minutes, Fernando Llorente struck at the death and the three points were the Bianconeri’s.
In the Roma side that visited Atalanta there was an obvious lack of a poacher, or in fact of any striker. Further weakened by the loss of Borriello, Garcia picked an 11 without a striker.
The French boss was forced to throw Gervinho up front in the second half and only a Strootman goal in the dying minutes saved them from defeat.
The return of Totti will be a massive lift for Roma, but can a Scudetto challenging side really expect a 37-year-old trequartista however legendary to shoulder their goal-scoring burden?
image: © Damien Cansse
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