It was yet another disappointing display in Serie A for an AS Roma side that appears to need some serious rejuvenation when the season comes to an end.
The Giallorossi have been enduring a confusing and largely disappointing couple of months as their Serie A form has dropped off a cliff, whilst simultaneously making it to the Europa League final.
Their Matchday 36 2-2 draw with mid-table Salernitana only further showed that, despite a new 10-point penalty for Juventus, Roma will only make it into the Champions League if they beat Sevilla in Budapest.
Lack of depth characterises AS Roma’s end to Serie A
The final quarter of Roma’s mixed but overall promising Serie A campaign has been blighted by injuries and the problems that creates were shown again on Matchday 36 against Salernitana.
Paulo Dybala was watching from the stands with the Europa League final seemingly his aim, and Gianluca Mancini also missed out. Young midfielder Edoardo Bove formed a back three with Chris Smalling and Roger Ibanez, whilst the midfield two at the start was Mady Camara and Benjamin Tahirovic.
It was therefore no great surprise when Antonio Candreva’s innovative finish put Salernitana ahead, and they continued to create throughout the game.
The lack of depth coupled with some of the better players failing to show up means that Roma clearly need something of an overhaul in the summer.
AS Roma trying to move quickly
There are a number of players that the Giallorossi are trying to get onto the books before the season has even ended, showing they have understood the need for a deeper and more talented squad next season.
The chances of not making the Champions League are still very high given they must beat an in-form Sevilla team in the Europa League final, so they simply must enter 2023/24 with a better squad.
Money is not Roma’s strength, though, so they are trying to be swift and efficient with free transfers. Various reports in recent weeks have suggested that they are very close to signing Lyon’s Houssem Aouar and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Evan Ndicka this summer on free transfers.
The two players have been linked with wealthier clubs in the recent past and it would be very smart business on paper to get them both in. Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans is another player being linked with a move as he is set to leave the Premier League side for free, regardless of if they are relegated or not.
The Belgian would be a clear upgrade on the current midfield options and could also help soften the potential, if not likely, departure of Georginio Wijnaldum. Tielemans will be harder to acquire, though, with the likes of Juventus, Manchester United and Liverpool being linked.
