Roma leading Serie A in high ball recoveries

Roma leading Serie A in high ball recoveries Gian Piero Gasperini can look at his Roma’s performances and see exactly what his playing style is. For long stretches of their first five league games, the Giallorossi prevented their opponents from keeping possession: constant pressing, suffocating man-to-man aggression, all at a very high level of intensity. The first two teams they faced, Fiorentina (4-0) and Lecce (0-4), were devastated by the match against the Roman side, while Atalanta (2-1) was able to withstand the blows better, despite also being hit more often by Roma, who were imprecise and unlucky. In Turin, Gasperini’s team was less impressive, but the result was the same: a fourth consecutive victory. In their direct clash against Inter, the Giallorossi produced their best performance in the first half: dominating the pitch, leaving the reigning Italian champions almost helpless. And even in this case, the score left no room for interpretation other than total control of the match: a double lead scored by Koné (2-0). In the second half, the game turned around and the Nerazzurri snatched the equalizer (2-2) thanks to a furious reaction. Roma’s first five league games, however, have been characterized by effective pressing that has allowed the team to score more than one goal. Roma has a clear identity. On the pitch, they try to win the ball high up the pitch, often finding it difficult for opponents to control it. Gasperini’s team, in fact, leads Serie A (tied with Juventus) in terms of the number of pressing sequences (67), which allow players to make a maximum of three passes in their own half per shift. An important statistic is the average distance from their goal at which ball recoveries occur. Roma also leads in this specific ranking: they win the ball 45.5 meters from Svilar, followed by Juventus (45.1 m) and Inter (43.3 m). The Giallorossi team, considering the high number of high recoveries, can improve their effectiveness, as they are fifth for actions that immediately convert into shots: 29.31%.