Serie A Preview: Roma

The death of Franco Sensi put a downer on Roma’s season but probably cemented the Sensi family’s place in the hearts of the fans. And, having been tempted by the dollars of George Soros, they have decided to stay on and it does seem as the best decision for the club.

They may not have the sort of money to throw about as they did when Franco first took charge but under the guidance of his daughter Rosella, they have still remained one of the main challengers for the title thanks to long-term planning and belief in what they are doing.

This includes going for players who others have discarded. John Arne Riise’s departure from Anfield was welcomed by many whilst it is doubtful whether anyone at Real Madrid will realize that Julio Baptista has gone. Both players, however, have the quality and experience to keep Roma at the top.

Otherwise the squad is strong enough to take off from last season and the departure of Matteo Ferrari has been more than made up for by the arrival of Simone Loria. The late transfer of Jeremy Menez will also add options in a midfield shorn of Ludovic Giuly who did reasonably well last year.

The doubt at the back of everyone’s mind,however, is whether that will be enough to keep Roma as Inter’s main rivals or whether they’ve been overtaken by Fiorentina and Juventus.

Key Man For all of the progress made by Danile De Rossi and Alberto Aquilani, Roma are still highly dependent of Francesco Totti. Last season they briefly managed to get by without him but, had he been available for the finish, they would probably have won the Serie A.

Best bit of Business: Whilst Milan went for Ronaldinho, Roma opted for another Brazilian discarded by a major Spanish side: Julio Baptista. The big striker’s reputation has been hit after average seasons at Real and Arsenal but for evidence of his talent one only has to look at how he played in last year’s Copa America.

Keep an eye out for…Stefano Okaka. The Italian U19 international striker may still go on loan but the feeling at Roma is that he should be retained because he is already good enough to play in the Serie A.

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