Article by Elliott Martin
If Luciano Spalletti’s first spell at Roma was to bring order to a frenzied chaos and transform a side in turmoil to one with tenacity and talent, his second was simply to bridge the gap. In his first two years as Roma coach in 2006 and 2007 the now 58-year-old was awarded the Serie A Coach of the Year award and, just over a year after his return, his impact has been felt again.
A lot of aspects about the Italian’s coaching style have carried over to his second spell. Ludovic Giuly, signed by Roma in 2007, stated clearly how Spalletti was a pull to any player looking to better themselves, explaining how he greatly improved most of those he worked with and how “He had a clear formation in his head and was very precise about it. We had to learn it by heart, with sequences of movements from the sides, with the midfield who joined attackers, with the attackers doing different runs to often change formation.” There were marked improvements in the performances of the 2007 squad including Totti’s European golden boot winning form whilst the current crop has seen numerous examples. The most notable of which would be the immediate impact of Stephan El Shaarawy who joined the Rome club just thirteen days after Spalletti made his return. Having scored no goals in 15 Ligue 1 appearances for Monaco he then managed, under the guidance of such a concentrated coach, to score 8 in 16 for Roma in the closing months of the season; Edin Dzeko and Federico Fazio are other big names on the improved list.
The 2006 ‘4-6-0’ formation with Totti almost defining the false nine role is the stuff of Calcio legend. Perotta, De Rossi, Pizarro and Taddei are just some of the names who created such an energetic and creative midfield whilst Mexes and Juan found the perfect balance of following instructions and acting on instinct at the back, defending as well as could in a system mostly used for its attacking capabilities. In 2016/17 the team, as Giuly spoke about previously, flits between formations at the drop of a signal from Spalletti. From the more commonly seen 4-2-31 to a more modern 3-4-2-1 with De Rossi, Strootman, Paredes or Nainggolan holding the midfield. Whereas Totti was the key player last time, this time his impact comes sporadically off the bench.
Totti’s floating position of the past is replaced by Perotti. The Argentine forward drifts from either wing to central positions, even starting as false nine on odd occasions. Dzeko is the main goalscoring threat whereas Nainggolan seems to be the key piece of the puzzle this time round having played as a holding midfielder, the number ten and frequently advanced on the wing in the 3-4-2-1.
Similarities are not always positive. Spalletti’s squad for the 2016/17 Champions League was his youngest since the 2006/07 Champions league squad. In 2006 they were unexpectedly thrashed 7-1 in the quarter finals and in 2016 they were beaten 4-1 on aggregate to FC Porto in the final qualifying stage. Spalletti at Roma has spent his time chasing a foe, first Inter now Juventus. In 5 years, between 2005 and 2010, they finished second on four occasions but finished 55 points behind Inter in total. In the six years of Juventus leading the way, between 2011 and 2017, Roma have finished second twice in the last three years but currently sit 107 points behind the Turin club in total.
Luciano Spalletti has undoubtedly been Roma’s most successful coach in recent history and his return was met with warm welcome but his possible departure will be stained by the fact he could not bridge the gap. He has certainly entertained the Colosseum but crowning the winning gladiator is another thing altogether.
