We all knew going into the season that this team had plenty of attacking talent and lots of question marks in defense. The first match of the season did nothing to disprove these suspicions, as Roma blew three leads in the run up to a 3-3 final at the Olimpico against Genoa. While Gianluca Petrachi and Paulo Fonseca will have to figure out the team’s defensive woes both in the transfer market and on the training pitch, the attack looked to be clicking on all cylinders. So without any further ado, let’s look at the candidates for Roma’s Man of the Match against Genoa.

The Candidates

Edin Dzeko

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The Big Bosnian picked up right where he left off in preseason, with another strong performance leading Fonseca’s attack. The highlight of Dzeko’s night was, of course, the lovely solo effort on Roma’s second goal. From the lovely first touch, to dribbling defenders, to the cool finish, he did it all on the goal.

However, as nice as that piece of magic was, Dzeko did plenty more for his side. He held up play well and was making runs to open up the Grifoni defense throughout the match. Dzeko nearly set up a stoppage time winner with a slick flick to Pellegrini, after assisting Ünder on the first goal. All in all, he finished with six shots, three of which were on target, made two keys passes, drew three fouls, completed three successful dribbles, and won three aerials. Dzeko stuffed the stat sheet and looks like the perfect #9 for Fonseca’s system.

Cengiz Ünder

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Ünder is another player, who looks like a great fit for Fonseca’s system. The young Turk opened the scoring with a lovely goal six minutes in and almost put his side up two just minutes later.

He looked to be a constant threat in attack with his movement and worked tirelessly on the right wing helping back in defense. Ünder completed 92.3% of his passes, including four key passes.

Aleksandar Kolarov

Photo credit should read ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images

Even though his partners in defense were the main culprits for the dropped points, Kolarov has to be applauded for his many contributions. The Serbian scored a lovely free kick from distance that struck the underside of the bar, barely crossing the line, to put Roma up 3-2.

Kolarov made six key passes and completed five accurate long balls to help his side spring the attack. While he may not contribute defensively like he once did, the veteran still offers enough going forward to make it difficult to take him out of the line-up.

Lorenzo Pellegrini

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The Roman was on the ball a lot in today’s match contributing on both ends of the pitch. He played through on a lovely pass that almost saw Roma up a pair early. Pellegrini led his side with 96 touches, completing 87.5% of his passes. The midfielder also did his part on the defensive end with three tackles, two interceptions, and three clearances.