Roma’s position in the Serie A table is causing concern, with Saturday’s match against Lecce unexpectedly turning into a relegation battle. Manager Claudio Ranieri has failed to find consistency in results after the draw in London, but more importantly, he has yet to unlock the goal-scoring potential of his attackers.
Calciomercato report how against Tottenham, two defenders found the net, while in matches against Napoli and Atalanta, Roma failed to score at all. Artem Dovbyk’s missed opportunities are particularly costly, with the striker now having squandered six big chances. Meanwhile, Matias Soulé’s performances have been underwhelming. These two major signings, costing around €60 million, are currently disappointing, having scored only five goals between them in the league.
Dovbyk started his Roma career promisingly, but his form has dipped in the last month. His last goal came against Verona in early November. Since then, he has struggled with missed chances, some bad luck (hitting the crossbar against Napoli), and fitness issues. The former Girona striker has been dealing with a knee injury for several weeks. Before the Atalanta match, he even requested not to play, but Ranieri considers him too important to leave out.
Ranieri recently commented on Dovbyk’s style, saying, “He’s too gentlemanly and needs to adapt to Italian football.” The striker needs to step up, especially considering Roma’s concerning offensive statistics. The team ranks fourth from bottom in terms of the difference between actual goals scored and expected goals (xG) in the league, with a -5.01 difference.
As for Soulé, the Argentine player has the trust of Ranieri but has yet to find significant playing time under the new manager. He played one half against Tottenham and only a few minutes against Atalanta. The excitement surrounding his July arrival has faded, and the former Frosinone player has yet to win over Roma fans. With only one goal scored against Verona and no assists, Soulé risks starting on the bench again against Lecce.
A turnaround is needed from the €30 million signing, as his qualities have not been evident so far. The current 3-5-2 or 3-4-2-1 formations don’t seem to suit him, but Ranieri may consider reverting to a 4-3-3 system on occasion to accommodate his skills.
