Let’s take a brief look at AS Roma’s illustrious history before bringing us bang up to date with Roma’s hopes for the forthcoming season.
AS Roma, or, Associazione Sportiva Roma, (also called i Lupi (Italian: “the Wolves”)) was founded in 1927. The club’s home colors are red and yellow which form Roma’s nickname, Giallorossi, and they have only been relegated from the league once in the dark days of the 1951 – 52 season.
Dark days indeed, but this minor blemish on their career hasn’t daunted Roma’s successes. Roma joined Serie A on its official formation in 1929 and their achievements speak for themselves:
• Roma’s won the league title three times -1941–42, 1982–83 and 2000–01.
• Roma’s won the Italian Cup nine times and the Italian Super Cup twice -2001, 2007.
• Roma has reached the Italian Cup final on seven other occasions.
Impressive figures indeed, but these statistics are the result of exceptional players, managers and their legions of loyal fans. American Roma fans are avid bettors who always check New York sportsbook promos to back their favourite teams on matchday. The fervent support from all over the globe has seen many a player or manager become quasi legends.
Take Fabio Capello who was Roma’s longest-serving manager -he was with the club for five and a half seasons (1999–2004). Capello went on to manage rivals Juventus (before leaving Italy in 2006 for a spell at Real Madrid, England, Russia and finally, Jiangsu Suning) but his achievements for his former club are still held high.
Lest we forget, some of Roma’s players have become legends too, with others forever associated with the club, which has been based at Rome’s former Olympic Stadium since 1953.
Francesco Totti, for example (who also happens to be Roma’s all-time top-scoring player) can’t be mentioned without thousands of fans standing up and raising a toast. And we can’t leave this section without mentioning Gabriel Batistuta or Brazilian defenders Cafu and Aldair.
That out of the way, let’s take a look at the six million dollar question: Roma’s hopes for the UEFA Europa League and beyond…
For best practice, the UEFA Europa League is a tournament that has been around since 1971. The thinking behind its inception was to provide a chance for teams unable to qualify for the UEFA Champions League -so the winner will automatically earn a spot in the UEFA Champions League.
The competition involves forty-eight European clubs competing across six rounds to decide a winner. Here are Roma’s fixtures:
Sheriff (A) – 21st September
Servette (H) – 5th October
Slavia Praha (H) – 26th October
Slavia Praha (A) – 9th November
Servette (A) – 30th November
Sheriff (H) – 14th December
Yes, the going hasn’t been plain sailing recently and, certainly, it’s been a difficult summer. Arguably the biggest (most recent anyway) upset was midfielder Nemanja Matic’s sudden leaving for Rennes.
Bearing in mind, this comes after Roma’s devastating defeat against Seville in June -the less said about that, the better. All of which has only added to Jose Mourinho’s woes in his maybe-final season who, obviously, wants to go out with a bang rather than a whimper.
This is quite a contrast to the highs of last summer when Roma scored three wins and a draw in August and Mourinho was awarded Serie A Coach of the Month. But on the plus side, over the summer, Roma grabbed midfielder Houssem Aouar and defender Evan Ndicka with Diego Llorente and Rasmus Kristensen on loan.
Unfortunately, the attempts to sign Gianluca Scamacca and Alvaro Morata didn’t work out and striker Tammy Abraham remains injured. However, Roma fans should also take comfort in the fact that Mourinho has the ability, even at the (possibly) latter stages of his stewardship, to deliver results.
And assuming Roma make it through the early stages of qualifying they’ll be in with a decent shot of taking the Champions League all the way. There are, of course, a few notable outfits to watch out for, in particular a sprinkling of UK clubs, Liverpool and Brighton and a pair of European hopefuls, Atalanta and Marseille.
Not that this is of any comfort or concern for Roma fans who are, of course, desperate to see their beloved I Lupi take it all the way. And, essentially, they are resting their hopes on one Jose Mourinho.
For him, winning the league is more than driving his team to victory, it’s about personal pride, showing the Roma fans that he’s still got what it takes. If he pulls this off he’ll be forever adored, if he doesn’t, he’d better leave town. Fast!
