Roma: The Friedkin Era
On August 17, 2020, the official transfer of the club from James Pallotta to the Friedkin family—specifically, Dan and Ryan—began, marking the beginning of the recent era of AS Roma. In 2021, the new club’s first surprise move was the acquisition of Jose Mourinho following the end of his relationship with Paulo Fonseca.
At the helm of Roma, the Special One won the first European trophy in the Giallorossi’s history, under the guidance of the Friedkin family, but for two and a half seasons (he was sacked in January) he failed to achieve the club’s goal of qualifying for the Champions League, a goal the Roman club had missed for seven years.
Following the Mourinho stint, whom Roma fans loved from the start for his status, resume, and charisma, the Friedkins made the most comfortable but also riskiest choice: handing over the reins to former Giallorossi icon Daniele De Rossi, the only person who could calm a crowd in turmoil following the departure of a popular leader like the special one.
After three games last season, following a heated clash with then-CEO Lina Souloku, he was fired, and in his place began a very difficult period under Ivan Juric, who failed to deliver the desired results and led Roma to a very low position in the table.
The Friedkin family was forced to recall Claudio Ranieri, who had expressed his desire to retire. But as he always said, when Roma calls, he always answers. After Leicester, he was on the verge of achieving his greatest feat, leading Roma to the Champions League (which they missed out on by just one point to Juventus).
Questionable Corporate Decisions
One of the first executives the Friedkin family brought to Rome was then-Benfica sporting director Tiago Pinto. In the summer transfer window, to please new coach Jose Mourinho, he made a move that would lead the club to UEFA Financial Fair Play issues (which remain unresolved), bringing Tammy Abraham for €41 million, Eldor Shomurodov €18 million, Matias Vina €13 million, and Rui Patricio €12 million.
However, over time, he had made great intuitions and made great signings, such as Paulo Dybala, signed on a free transfer after his time at Juventus, and Mattia Svilar, one of the best goalkeepers in Serie A, who will likely leave Roma in the coming summers for a very significant fee.
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Pinto’s adventure in Rome relies heavily on free transfers, such as the aforementioned Dybala and Svilar, as well as Nemanja Matic, but also on players who won’t perform well at Roma due to more physical issues, such as Georginio Wijnaldum and Renato Sanches. Essentially, there was very little money, and when there was, it was mostly wasted on players who are now no longer part of the club.
On May 22, Roma announced Florian Ghisolfi as their new sporting director. He found himself embroiled in a heated debate with then-CEO Lina Souloku, who told the Friedkins some untrue things about coach Daniele De Rossi, which led to the latter’s departure and, a few days later, the departure of the former Giallorossi director. This situation clearly illustrates the confusion that reigned at Roma for a long time, and the Friedkins’ confusion in deciding who to entrust with the technical and sporting reins.
A CEO could have been fired after she had already demonstrated her limitations by giving her opinion on decisions that aren’t within her remit, decisions that usually fall to the sporting director and coach. And who knows if, with Daniele De Rossi on the bench, we’d now be talking about Roma in the Champions League, given AC Milan’s disastrous season, a poor season for lifelong rivals Lazio, and a Juventus that no longer has the glories of its past and that also changed coaches during the year.
The most sobering thing is that since they became owners of AS Roma, the Friedkin family has spent more than a billion on Roma (including the 500 million to buy it) with very expensive transfer campaigns, which leads all insiders in Italy to wonder whether the people to whom the Friedkins entrusted Roma, among CEOs and sporting directors, were the right people. And although both Ghisolfi and Pinto had great intuitions, it’s easy to think that more than one thing was wrong, since Roma undoubtedly deserves a more consistent presence in the Champions League than it currently has.
New Era: Massara and Gasperini
In June of this year, Ranieri (who joined the club as a consultant to the Friedkins) pushed to bring in Frederic Massara as the new sporting director following Ghisolfi’s departure, a less than fruitful stint at Rennes, and a very satisfying stint at AC Milan, where they won the Scudetto and reached the Champions League semi-final alongside a Rossoneri icon like Paolo Maldini.
The anomaly in the agreement with the new sporting director is that the coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, was chosen first, something usually assigned to the sporting director. In this transfer market, Frederic Massara brought in some interesting, young players, something Roma had failed to do for years, focusing on players with an advanced average age.
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This summer’s standout names were undoubtedly striker Evan Ferguson (born in 2004), an attacking winger in Leon Bailey (born in 1997), two wingers in a 3-4-2-1 formation in Wesley (born in 2003) and Kostas Tsimikas (born in 1996), and a new midfielder signed from Lens in Neil El Aynaoui (born in 2001).
Gian Piero Gasperini: a genius of our football
It would take days to discuss what Gian Piero Gasperini accomplished in Bergamo with Atalanta, but not only in Bergamo, but also in Genoa and Crotone, aside from his brief stint at Inter 15 years ago, which lasted only a few games.
In Bergamo, Gasperini’s most important skill was getting the best out of his Nerazzurri players, and once they left, only a few were able to maintain their high level like they did with Atalanta, a testament to how he brings out the best in every player.
Another great virtue is that he has always been competitive, selling at least a couple of key players every summer through player trading, something a coach never wants to do. He has led Atalanta to the Champions League five times in the last seven years, also making history with a 3-0 Europa League victory in Dublin against Bayern Leverkusen, who had been undefeated all year.
Personally, I consider Gasperini one of the best ever in the Italian league, as I doubt top Italian coaches like Antonio Conte, Max Allegri, Carki Ancelotti, or, going back, Fabio Capello, Marcello Lippi, and Giovanni Trapattoni, would have been capable of matching the work he did in Genoa and especially Bergamo.
How does Gasperini play?
Gasperini’s game is now recognized throughout Europe and studied by numerous European and world coaches. As important as formations are today, he lines up with a 3-4-2-1, using man-to-man pressing across the pitch, even finding defenders in the opposition’s midfield if the striker comes forward to link up with the team. Gasperini doesn’t seek extreme possession, but rather, if he can play vertically, he does so as quickly as possible, with enormous participation from the midfielders.
Just think of how many wingers he developed in Bergamo, including Robin Gosens, Hans Hateboer, Leonardo Spinazzola, Matteo Ruggeri, Davide Zappacosta, and many others. In Bergamo, he had two loyal midfielders for years in De Roon and Freuler, but in the last two years he has brought Ederson to prominence.
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At Roma, one of his trusted players will certainly be Manu Konè, who perfectly reflects his idea of a fast-paced, intense style of football. Defenders like Gianluca Mancini and especially Evan Ndicka could also benefit, as the new Giallorossi coach has nurtured the development of so many defenders, including Merih Demiral, Cristian Romero, Gianluigi Scalvini, Isak Hien, and many others.
Roma desperately needed a coach of this caliber and depth, given his strength and the conviction he has in his ideas. Gasperini is undoubtedly a direct and sincere person, and the Giallorossi fans rarely forgive such statements. But one thing is certain: if he has time to work, Gian Piero Gasperini will bring joy to the Giallorossi fans, and perhaps even a few trophies. Aside from the Conference, this has been a long-awaited victory for Roma, and the first two matches can only inspire optimism.
By: Matteo Zamprioli / @calcioconl57842
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Fabio Rossi / AS Roma