A Roma running toward Europe and two protagonists ready to leave the scene. Ranieri’s revolution also passes through painful choices: who stops, who starts again
Roma, da titolarissimi a sbolognati: due protagonisti salutano a fine stagione (Foto: LaPresse) – serieanews.com
There is something romantic and cruel together in this story. Rome, which had lost its soul, is now finding it again. But not everyone will be there when the finish line is crossed. Or rather, they will be there, but they may already be with their heads elsewhere.
This team, until a few months ago, looked like an abandoned construction site, with no workers, no plans. Today it is a machine that runs fast. Fast, concrete, even mean when needed.
Credit to Claudio Ranieri, the coach who always seems destined to fix other people’s woes. And who, once again, has taken on the impossible challenge: turn Roma into a running team, take it tired, scared, and get it back on its feet. Now the team is playing for fourth place. Not bad for a guy who will really quit in June.
And now, who will pick up the legacy?
There is a future all to be written, and it will not be easy. Ranieri will leave with a smile on his face, perhaps with another European qualification that would be sensational, given where they started. The team will change its face. Ghisolfi made it clear: “There will be a turnover, we have to build a new project.”
But who will be the next coach? Who will be the new leaders? Hard to say right now. Certainly, there will be no more room for those lost along the way. After all, in soccer as in life, every goodbye is a crossroads. And choosing the right direction is never easy.
Lorenzo Pellegrini a un passo dall’addio alla Roma: la situazione
Those who follow Roma passionately know: great feats always have a price. And this time the price is called Lorenzo Pellegrini. His farewell is not yet official, but that’s all they talk about in Trigoria.
Lorenzo Pellegrini a un passo dall’addio alla Roma: la situazione (AnsaFoto) – serieanews.com
Captain, Roman, Romanist. All very nice, as long as it works. Instead, this time it did not work. Pellegrini experienced a complicated season, between physical problems and technical choices that progressively pushed him away from the field. The signs were clear: Ranieri has set his sights on others, and even the ds Florent Ghisolfi was stark when he did not mention him when making the list of indispensables. Words that hurt, more than a change in the 60th.
We have already told you: Pellegrini did not take it well. And it’s not hard to imagine. The benches, the marginal role, then those words. Needless to turn around: at the end of the season, the roads will part. And yes, there will be fans’ affection to manage, but the captain’s cycle seems to be at an end.
Roma, la sorpresa (amara) si chiama Manu Koné
Then there is Manu Koné, and here the matter is different. Because at the beginning of the season he looked like a bargain to be applauded. Young, strong, a smart shot. And indeed, in the first part of the season, he was one of the few lights. He played well with De Rossi, he convinced with Juric, he seemed the right man to build the future of the Roma midfield.
Roma, la sorpresa (amara) si chiama Manu Koné (AnsaFoto) – serieanews.com
Instead, something broke down. The performance became dull, less incisive. We had already told you this, too: in Trigoria they say he is no longer the same in training. Distracted, not very present. The reason? The rumors. Concrete soundings have come from abroad, making him a prized piece. He has thought about it, perhaps too much. And Roma, now, is ready to sacrifice him to cash in.
An almost obligatory choice: Koné would guarantee a major capital gain, fresh money to reinvest in the market to come. A market that, without Ranieri, will mark the beginning of a new era.
This article Roma, from starters to sbolognati: two key players say goodbye at end of season appeared in its original version first on SerieANews.
