Chiesa Di Totti - Serie A, Week 4: Bologna vs. RomaCautiously Optimistic Since 2007https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48469/totti-fave.png2019-09-23T00:00:00+02:00http://www.chiesaditotti.com/rss/stream/206403812019-09-23T00:00:00+02:002019-09-23T00:00:00+02:00Highlights of Roma's Last Second Win Over Bologna
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<img alt="Bologna FC v AS Roma - Serie A" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7ivZgWFN4RDuAYZoH7iF9cdmJ3c=/0x0:6048x4032/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65297169/1176357745.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Mario Carlini / Iguana Press/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Because you can never see that final play too many times. </p> <p id="eZAZYh">When you boil them down, nearly all sports are games of inches and/or seconds. A perfect game in baseball can be undone by one simple swing of the bat, basketball games can be won with tenths of a second left on the clock, narrowly missed field goals can lose Superbowls and, as we just saw, football matches (the kind played with feet) can be decided in the dying moments of stoppage time. </p>
<p id="8ZCfTu">So, in case you missed it, feel free to relive all the pertinent parts of today's 2-1 victory over <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/bologna">Bologna</a>.</p>
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https://www.chiesaditotti.com/2019/9/23/20878423/highlights-of-romas-last-second-win-over-bolognabren2019-09-22T17:13:57+02:002019-09-22T17:13:57+02:00Dzeko Wins it for Roma with Last Second Header
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<img alt="Bologna FC v AS Roma - Serie A" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/61AMQU9ER9MBbjawaY2sT70-Qe4=/0x273:4032x2961/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65295500/1176342880.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Mario Carlini / Iguana Press/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Roma waited until literally the last millisecond to pull this one out, erasing a rather dull affair in the blink of an eye. </p> <p id="ku3Hki">The Serie A table is always full of surprises this time of the year. With only three matchdays under their collective belts, the pretenders haven't yet been separated from the contenders, while the Cinderellas have yet to lose their proverbial slippers. Roma could fall anywhere on that spectrum, while Bologna will likely fall somewhere in the middle of the pack, but after 270 minutes of league action, both sides have produced some free flowing football, amassing 14 goals between them.</p>
<p id="D9L9OZ">So, considering all that, this was an end-to-end track meet, right? </p>
<p id="b61DjA">If only. </p>
<p id="iJwX08">Thanks to a somewhat sodden pitch and <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/bologna">Bologna's</a> compact defense, this match was far from fast and loose. Bologna coach Sinisa Mihajlovic gave his side a pre-match talk from his hospital bed (where he's undergoing leukemia treatment), and given how they effectively throttled Roma's vaunted attack through much of this match, we can only presume his instructions were to lock down the center of the park. </p>
<p id="SzZDBp">With Bologna's defense essentially removing the middle channel, Roma were forced to work it out wide through Aleksandar Kolarov, who, to be fair, was serving up some delicious crosses across the face of goal today, but Bologna was there—ready, willing and able—to snuff them out.</p>
<p id="QuVXPS">And that was really the story of the first half. Roma had a few nice interchanges, including an end-to-end one from Pau Lopez, <span>Alessandro Florenzi</span> and Lorenzo Pellegrini, but by and large they simply couldn't break down the Bologna back line. Fortunately, Bologna were just as poor in attack: the first half produce maybe...<em>maybe</em>...one clear cut chance between the two sides.</p>
<p id="g7G485">It was an ugly and stilted first half of football, one that nearly muted the crowd in Bologna.</p>
<h2 id="NOa5SQ">Second Half</h2>
<p id="SXAx4v">Things picked up a bit in the second frame. Paulo Fonseca made one early change, swapping Justin Kluivert off for Nicolo Zaniolo, but the run of play was still severely restricted.</p>
<p id="bDQCX6">However, as he's done so often in his Roma tenure, Kolarov came through in the clutch.</p>
<h3 id="pNz0L3">Aleksandar Kolarov: 49th Minute (Bologna 0, Roma 1)</h3>
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<p lang="tr" dir="ltr">KOLAROV! GOOOOOOOOOL<br> <a href="https://t.co/S0eQx3yi1z">pic.twitter.com/S0eQx3yi1z</a></p>— RomaPress (@ASRomaPress) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASRomaPress/status/1175774854458613765?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2019</a>
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<p id="XtutCH">We've seen him do this for a couple years now, but it never gets old, does it? Just another beautifully struck ball from Kolarov to give Roma a lead early in the second half. You hate to rely on set-pieces, but Kolarov is just <em>so </em>good at them.</p>
<p id="hF0uYg">Unfortunately that lead would last all of 300 seconds as <span>Nicola Sansone</span> converted a penalty in the 54th minute to level the match.</p>
<p id="67sLlv">Fonseca would make his second change in the 70th minute, bringing on Leonardo Spinazzola for Florenzi; a pattern we'll likely see numerous times this season, though I hope Fonseca finds some chance to rest Kolarov this season.</p>
<p id="MeHyiL">Roma would have a couple mini-chances towards the 75th minute, but none better than a Dzeko-Spinazzola sequence at the edge of the 18, with Spinazzola finding the Bosnian Batistuta on the edge of the 18, but Dzeko's left-footed finesse attempt sailed wide of the mark. </p>
<p id="8naUPV">Things would take a turn for the worse in the 85th minute when Gianluca Mancini collided with Federico Santander, drawing a red card from the official. It didn't look completely deliberate, but Mancini's arm was extended and made contact with Santander's head. Not the rashest of challenges we've ever seen, but ill-timed nonetheless.</p>
<p id="hxppez">Fonseca would counter by bringing on <span>Juan Jesus</span> for Henrikh Mkhitaryan to shore up the defense. Fortunately, Santander's free kick was immediately blocked by Roma's wall, averting further danger. </p>
<p id="kvVxCU">Still, a man down with five plus minutes to play, Roma were up against it, and while they would earn a dangerous free kick of their own, the match ended just as it started: with a whimper*</p>
<p id="9iKeTc"><em>I'm going to leave that up—I wrote it at roughly the 92:59 mark—to show just how quickly a game can change.</em> </p>
<p id="1q3Mob">In the literal dying moments of the match—we're talking maybe one or two seconds left—Roma pulled off a miracle. </p>
<h3 id="33rKpw">Edin Dzeko: 94th minute (Bologna 1, Roma 2)</h3>
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<p lang="pl" dir="ltr">DZEKOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! THE WINNER! MADONNA MIA!<br> <a href="https://t.co/6w3Hj6Otuh">pic.twitter.com/6w3Hj6Otuh</a></p>— RomaPress (@ASRomaPress) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASRomaPress/status/1175786131897671681?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2019</a>
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<p id="CbetKf">Top marks to Jordan Veretout here; he drove this ball some 40 yards down the pitch, never relenting or assuming the whistle would blow, before finding Pellegrini on the right hand side of the pitch. And while it seemed like Pellegrini was oblivious to the time, his cross to Dzeko was delivered right at the death, leaving Dzeko with an easy header.</p>
<p id="I5cMjm">But, wow, what an incredible ending. I don't think we've ever seen anything <em>quite </em>like that before, have we? This match was dead...and I mean <em>dead</em>...but Veretout played to the final whistle, and without his effort Roma wouldn't have even had the chance to win this one. Remarkable.</p>
<h2 id="Yewd7P">What Went Right</h2>
<p id="IEBkX9">Well, their effort for starters. I can ramble on about any number of things, but those final few seconds tells you all you need to know about Roma: Year Zero—the belief is building. This was a dreadfully slow and boring match, but they kept at it, pressing and pressing through the final 10 minutes or so, and thanks to Veretout's never say day attitude, they ran away with three points. </p>
<p id="pNWFIV">We should also make special mention of Kolarov, who was Roma's only real mover through much of this match. Set piece specialists age well, and Kolarov is certainly making a case for Roma extending his deal. </p>
<h2 id="LfxQap">What Went Wrong</h2>
<p id="nivFov">Nothing, really. Roma were dreadfully boring to watch through much of this match, but we have to credit Bologna's defensive set up for that; there was nothing Roma did <em>wrong </em>in the strictest sense, Bologna just drew up the perfect game plan. </p>
<h2 id="GI8YmW">Up Next</h2>
<p id="7mtpuS">A home match against <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/atalanta">Atalanta</a> on September 25th. </p>
https://www.chiesaditotti.com/2019/9/22/20878142/dzeko-header-wins-it-for-roma-with-last-second-headerbren2019-09-22T14:01:56+02:002019-09-22T14:01:56+02:00Bologna v. Roma: Lineups & Match Discussion
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<img alt="AS Roma v Istanbul Basaksehir F.K.: Group J - UEFA Europa League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zJkvDhLzPpKkR4p1kloZvJq29qQ=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65294952/1169606422.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Serie A: Week 4</p> <div id="GF0NMp">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"> | TEAM NEWS | <br> <br>Here is our starting XI for today's match. DAJE! ⚡️<br> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ASRoma?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ASRoma</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BolognaRoma?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BolognaRoma</a> <a href="https://t.co/9MSfxDV3os">pic.twitter.com/9MSfxDV3os</a></p>— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASRomaEN/status/1175741700666527744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2019</a>
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https://www.chiesaditotti.com/2019/9/22/20878082/bologna-v-roma-lineups-match-discussionbren2019-09-21T14:53:24+02:002019-09-21T14:53:24+02:00Roma Travel to Bologna for First Road Test
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<img alt="AS Roma v Medipol Basaksehir - UEFA Europa League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rg6Pnu799w37HZNZD4QR4lfgauA=/0x0:4252x2835/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65291463/1169605067.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Claudio Pasquazi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Giallorossi will look to feast on the bolognese defense, but should be wary of Bologna’s attack. </p> <p class="p--has-dropcap" id="taWjUZ">Fonseca Football has begun to take the capital by storm over the past week. The Giallorossi have exploded for eight goals in their last two matches and have scored 11 times in four matches thus far. The defense may need work, but the offense is already in high gear. Now, the Giallorossi will take their talents outside of the Eternal City for their first true road match. First stop on the Fonseca Football Tour: <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/bologna">Bologna</a>. </p>
<p id="B6979i">Roma arrives in Emilia-Romagna to face a formidable opponent in the Rossoblu. Bologna has started the season off on the right foot, sitting joint second on the Serie A table on seven points. The Rossoblu are unbeaten in three matches, including a crazy come from behind victory over <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/brescia">Brescia</a> last weekend. Bologna was three nil down before scoring a quartet of goals up a man. </p>
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<p id="amBMxY"><strong>Bologna v Roma</strong>: September 22nd. 15:00 CET/9:00 EDT. Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, Bologna</p>
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<p id="n0AQAR">The Rossoblu are said to have been inspired by a half time speech from ailing manager Sinisa Mihajlovic. The Serbian is currently fighting leukemia and his fighting spirit has seemingly rubbed off on his side. However, the Rossoblu are more than just grinta and fighting spirit. </p>
<p id="Vysu5i">Bologna boasts a formidable attack of its own, led by Italy U21 international Riccardo Orsolini. Roma will have to be attentive on defense to avoid being hit on the break by Orsolini and company. The Giallorossi will also have to be wary of <span>Mattia </span>too, as he will certainly be motivated to beat his ex-team. </p>
<p id="yMJ6qe">In order to keep up their high scoring ways, the Giallorossi will have to beat another ex; Lukas Skorupski in goal. Skorupski tends to raise his game when he faces Roma. However, the defense in front of him is far from watertight. Roma’s hot attack should be encouraged after seeing Brescia score three before half on Bologna. </p>
<aside id="rCdZ46"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Bologna v Roma: Probable Formations ","url":"https://www.chiesaditotti.com/2019/9/20/20875395/bologna-v-roma-probable-formations"}]}'></div></aside><p id="JczokO">Roma’s unbeaten start to the season looks a lot more positive after picking up the three points against <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/sassuolo">Sassuolo</a> on Sunday. Thus far, Roma has been able to cope with injuries in attack to Cengiz Ünder and Diego Perotti, thanks to others stepping up. Henrikh Mkhitaryan had a fine debut performance last week, while Justin Kluivert has begun to find his scoring touch. However, the real stars this past week were Lorenzo Pellegrini on Sunday and Nicolò Zaniolo on Thursday. The rotation of that quartet behind Edin Dzeko has allowed the attack not to skip a beat. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="LNJe2c">Meanwhile, Roma looked stouter in defense thanks to Jordan Veretout in midfield. The Frenchman showed just why he was pursued by Gianluca Petrachi this summer. He has a motor and could be key in protecting a vulnerable defense this season. If Gianluca Mancini continues to adapt to the four man defense than the defense should become a bit tougher to crack. If that happens then Fonseca Football could continue to roll into its next stop. </p>
https://www.chiesaditotti.com/2019/9/21/20876503/roma-travel-to-bologna-for-first-road-testssciavillo2019-09-20T15:00:00+02:002019-09-20T15:00:00+02:00Bologna v Roma: Probable Formations
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<img alt="AS Roma v Istanbul Basaksehir F.K.: Group J - UEFA Europa League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/o_xbaVR3q7dBeP8LVcDK_l9yHc8=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65285287/1169602936.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Fonseca has a good problem in attack. </p> <p id="CKkCZP">Roma continues its busy schedule on Sunday, when it makes its first road trip of the season to <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/bologna">Bologna</a>. It’s a quick turnaround from Thursday’s Europa League victory over İstanbul Başakşehir at the Olimpico. Luckily for the Giallorossi, they seem to have escaped unscathed on the injury front. </p>
<p id="i2n9iX">With that in mind, Fonseca will again be without Cengiz Ünder, Diego Perotti, and Davide Zappacosta. That would make the injured list one player shorter with Chris Smalling expected to be available. He will likely start the match from the bench though. </p>
<p id="hTC1qu">The line-up in this one will look very similar to Sunday’s XI that beat <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/sassuolo">Sassuolo</a>. Pau Lopez will start in goal and in front of him is expected to be the same back line. That defense will feature Federico Fazio and Gianluca Mancini in the center. Flanking them will be <span>Alessandro Florenzi</span> and Aleksandar Kolarov at full back. </p>
<p id="yPZoWE">After being rested in favor of Amadou Diawara in the Europa League, Jordan Veretout is expected to return to the double pivot on Sunday. Veretout was pivotal in breaking up play in front of the defense and will be expected to do the same against a dangerous Bologna side. He will be partnered with Bryan Cristante, who has started all of Roma’s matches so far. </p>
<p id="Lzxfk4">After a man of the match performance on Sunday, Lorenzo Pellegrini will return to the trequartista position. To his left will be Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who will look to follow up his debut goal with another strong performance. Leading the line will be Edin Dzeko, who has opened the season with his goal scoring boots. </p>
<p id="AwSVnr">That leaves one position in question. Fonseca will have a big decision to make on the right side of attack. Justin Kluivert has scored in consecutive matches, while Nicoló Zaniolo had a man of the match performance against İstanbul Başakşehir with a goal and two assists. Fonseca will have to decide which youngster gets the nod against Bologna. Currently, Gazetta dello Sport and Corriere dello Sport have the Italian favored at 60/40. Either way, we should see both at some point in the match. </p>
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<cite>Gazzetta dello Sport</cite>
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https://www.chiesaditotti.com/2019/9/20/20875395/bologna-v-roma-probable-formationsssciavillo