Despite their positive streak and convincing results under Daniele De Rossi, Roma are still dealing with issues related to their defense.
The capital club have conceded 10 goals in the last 8 games – allowing Torino to score two on Monday; Torino had only scored 9 goals in 12 games up until that point.
Thus, tightening up the defense will be De Rossi’s main priority for the remainder of the season.
De Rossi’s plan is to steadily increase Chris Smalling’s minutes and make him the central figure in Roma’s backline – the Englishman recently recovered from a lengthy injury and was involved from the start versus Torino.
According to Il Messaggero, De Rossi could opt for a ‘three-and-a-half’ backline consisting of Mancini, Smalling and Ndicka as well as Angelino playing a bit further up on the wing.
