Often ridiculed for their lack of defensive competence, Roma, under Luciano Spalletti, appear to have found the right formula to keep goals out while continuing to score them.
Once upon time, in the not-so-distant past, Roma were considered one of the most exciting teams in European football, and could be relied upon to provide a sense of flair and attacking intent.
However, this adventurous style came at a price; with eight runners-up finishes in addition to last season’s third place since title success in 2001, the Giallorossi have often been the bridesmaid but never the bride.
This could be about to change though, as Roma ground out a third 1-0 Serie A victory in a row after coming out on top against Cagliari on Sunday evening. This narrow win followed wins by the same scoreline against Udinese and Genoa, in which the capital club rode the storm to snatch victory.
Whilst not matches for the purists, Roma have sought to keep up the pace with leaders Juventus by doing the one thing their league rivals have mastered. Roma have discovered how to win ugly.
Indeed, the series of narrow victories have reduced the gap on perennial champions Juve to just a single point, albeit with their rivals holding a game in hand. With the Bianconeri far from their imperious best at the moment, it offers a resolute Roma, and Napoli as well, with their best chance to challenge for the title.
Perhaps for the first time in recent history, a talented Roma side have put defence before attack. Coach Luciano Spalletti’s determination to shore up his backline has understandably led to the goals drying up a little for his own side, but has restricted opponents from scoring what were once easy strikes.
Roma have only scored more than a single goal in a Serie A match twice since November, with a 2-0 derby victory over Lazio and a 3-1 win over Chievo to close 2016. Yet they have carried on winning, with a stalemate at Empoli and defeats at Atalanta and Juventus the only blots on their record since late September.
Spalletti’s decision to focus on building from the back has paid off, with only two goals conceded in eight games. At the heart of this has been summer signing and revelation Federico Fazio, who flopped so badly at Tottenham Hotspur. This season, Fazio leads the tackle success charts in Serie A, along with teammate Radja Nainggolan, having succeeded in 93 per cent of his attempted challenges.
Alongside him has been the ever-reliable Kostas Manolas and Antonio Rudiger, as well as Brazilian duo Bruno Peres and Emerson Palmieri. The latter, in particular, has answered his early season critics with some fine recent displays.
With such solidity at the back, midfield lynchpin Nainggolan has flourished and the Giallorossi have been able to ground out chances, knowing that it only takes one goal to win games at this moment in time.
It remains to be seen how long Roma can maintain this defensive solidity and continue to rely on limited attacking threat to seal all three points. With Mohamad Salah set to return from African Cup of Nations duty with Egypt next month though, fans may be treated to more of an attacking spectacle.
If Spalletti can find the right blend of defensive solidity that can built into creating space for the explosive Egyptian, and his partner in crime Edin Dzeko, Roma will be a force to be reckoned with in the latter half of the season.
Up next for the Lupi is Sampdoria, whom they swatted aside with ease in the Coppa Italia last week, before a tough run in that includes Fiorentina, Torino, Inter and Napoli in their following five games. Should Roma make it through that series of fixtures unscathed, Juventus may need to continue looking over their shoulders.