AS Roma suffered their first defeat of the season against Udinese on Sunday. However, the most shocking aspect of the defeat was the score, falling 4-0 to the club nicknamed Las Zebras.
Before the match, Roma were on an impressive run during the first weeks of the 2022/23 Serie A season. Before the match against Udinese, only Juventus had scored a goal against the team from the Italian capital in four rounds . This loss drops Roma in the standings to fifth place, moving away from first, currently tied between Napoli and Milan.
From the first moment, Udinese was up. Rick Karsdorp, the Dutch defender, and Portuguese goalkeeper Patrício did not help to raise the morale of their team. Both players were credited with responsibility for AS Roma’s first two goals conceded. From there, Roma was down for the rest of the game.
Udinese’s third win in a row puts the Bianconeri in a three-way tie for third place in Serie A. However, they currently sit fourth over Roma on aggregate.
Room for optimism for AS Roma fans
Despite the loss to Udinese, Roma have started the 2022/23 Serie A on a solid note. After winning the Europa League last year, José Mourinho’s Roma are looking to win Serie A this season. The last time Roma won the Scudetto was in 2000/01, during the epic reign of Francesco Totti, the club legend. One Scudetto championship for a club like Roma is equivalent to ten Scudetti for a powerhouse like Juventus. Therefore, Mourinho looks to bounce back next week when Roma play Empoli in week six on 12 September.
However, as an obstacle, the club has been plagued by injuries. Having returned from a grueling recovery from a knee injury, attacking midfielder Nicolò Zaniolo made headlines at the start of the 2022/23 season with Roma. Despite his injury, the Italian was reported to be a target for Antonio Conte’s Tottenham before the transfer deadline was up. The link between Zaniolo and Spurs came despite the midfielder’s recent injury. However, Zaniolo’s season with Roma is cut short for four weeks due to a dislocated shoulder against Cremonese, when an aggressive tackle by a defender brought Zaniolo to the ground.
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– CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 4, 2022
However, the injury is coupled with Georginio Wijnaldum’s broken leg, which caused the Dutch midfielder to go on the disabled list for a reduced period of time.
Photo Credit: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire
