Roma Threatened with Losing European Champions League Tickets

The draw with Juventus narrowed Roma's chances of finishing in the top five at the end of the season.

AFP/ANDREAS SOLARO

AS Roma player, Romelu Lukaku, celebrated his goal against Juventus in an Italian League match at the Olympico Stadium in Rome, Italy, on Monday (6/5/2024) early morning WIB. AS Roma played to a 1-1 draw.

ROME, MONDAY — AS Roma failed to take advantage of the opportunity to play at their own headquarters, the Stadio Olimpico, to steal full points from Juventus, Monday ( 6/5/2024) early morning WIB. Even though they had taken the lead, Roma had to be satisfied with a 1-1 draw. This failure to collect full points threatens Roma's position in fifth place Italian League. Tickets to the European Champions League next season could fly.

After losing 0-2 to Bayern Leverkusen in the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals, Roma's hopes of reaching the Champions League were dashed through the Italian League pathway. Currently occupying the fifth position, Roma has a great chance to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2019. Next season, Italy will be eligible to send five representatives to the Champions League.

Compared to winning the Europa League, ending the season by maintaining their position in fifth place in the Italian league feels much more realistic for Roma to clear their way to the Champions League. With only four weeks left in the Italian league, Roma must at least win all remaining matches until the end of the season.

Juventus is the toughest test for Roma in the remaining four matches. Throughout this season, Roma's track record is not convincing as they have never won against the top four teams in the Italian League. However, there was hope to end this minor trend when Romelu Lukaku opened Roma's advantage in the 15th minute.

AP PHOTO/ANDREW MEDICHINI

Roma player, Rasmus Kristensen (left) and Tommaso Baldanzi (center), compete for the ball with Juventus player, Adrien Rabiot, in an Italian League match at Olimpico Stadium, Rome, early morning on Monday (6/5/2024) West Indonesia Time. Roma played to a 1-1 draw.

Roma coach Daniele De Rossi modified the line-up and formation in this match. If against Leverkusen De Rossi used a 4-3-3 formation, this time he chose to use a 4-3-2-1 formation with Lukaku, Paulo Dybala and Tommaso Baldanzi filling the three attacking positions.

De Rossi acknowledges that Dybala and Baldanzi have advantages in terms of technique and movement in the midfield. They are responsible for supplying the ball to Lukaku, who plays the role of lone striker.

De Rossi's decision proved to be correct. Lukaku's goal was initiated from a combination pass between Dybala and Baldanzi. The chaos in front of Juventus' goal was maximized by Lukaku to bring Roma in the lead.

However, ”I Giallorossi” actually lost control of the game after the goal. The trio in Roma's midfield led by Leandro Paredes is often late in transitions and is also not good at out of possession (out of possession) phases. As a result, Juventus' attack line led by Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa freely pushed into the heart of Roma's defense.

Also read: Roma Guards the Path to the European Champions League

We are having a poor performance with this draw.

AFP/ANDREAS SOLARO

Juventus player Bremer (left) celebrates his goal against Roma in the Italian League match at the Olympico Stadium in Rome on Monday (6/5/2024) in the early morning. Roma played to a 1-1 draw.

Chiesa is the Juventus player who most often threatens the defense of Roma. Chiesa's agility and playing vision repeatedly pose significant threats to Roma. Chiesa also orchestrated the equalizing goal for Juventus, which was scored by the central defender, Gleison Bremer.

The goal, in addition to thwarting Roma's victory, also made Bremer one of the second most productive defenders in Italy this season with a collection of three goals, behind Juventus defender Federico Gatti who scored four goals.

"We are noting a less than desirable performance with this draw. However, I am proud of the way the players played, their commitment, and the way they helped each other," said De Rossi.

De Rossi has every right to be disappointed with this draw as it could potentially endanger Roma's chances of playing in the Champions League. After this draw, Roma only has three matches left, while the point difference with Atalanta in sixth place is only three points. Atalanta has a very high chance of overtaking Roma as they still have five matches to play.

Also read: Revenge Mission Burns AS Roma's Spirit

AFP/ANDREAS SOLARO

Roma player, Edoardo Bove (right), attempted to kick the ball near Juventus' goal in a match of the Italian League at the Olympic Stadium, Rome, Monday (6/5/2024) in the early hours of Western Indonesian time. Roma ended up drawing 1-1.

If Atalanta is able to consistently achieve victories, Roma can only try to work miracles in the Europa League for a chance to qualify for the Champions League. However, with Leverkusen's brilliant performance that remains undefeated in all competitions this season, Roma's chances of advancing to the Europa League final and becoming champions are relatively small.

"A draw is not an ideal outcome in the race to achieve our goals. However, the way the players play, their commitment, and the way they help each other make me proud," said De Rossi.

Meanwhile, the draw was also less than encouraging for Juventus even though they have confirmed that they will appear in the Champions League next season. Juventus is currently in third place with a collection of 66 points. However, Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri felt dissatisfied because he failed to bring his team to victory in five consecutive matches.

"The club will evaluate everything at the end of the season. We will assess the future of the squad. There is a solid foundation, also in terms of its characteristics," said Allegri.