Mourinho can field a classic pair, a 9 with two playmaker and even two centre-forwards
All or nothing for Mou. Yesterday nothing and complaints, today everything and immediately: the Iranian Azmoun already here, the revenant Lukaku in the stretch. To enrich a department that until yesterday could only count on Belotti, who however remained dry for a year and apparently resurrected on his championship debut with a brace against Salernitana. The prospect now is exciting. There are many tactical solutions on the horizon for Roma: a 3-5-2, an attack with one or two attacking midfielders, even two center forwards together as Mou dared in the emergency finals. Everything revolves around Lukaku and Dybala, the couple who seemed to never cross paths (United-Juve) or ever play together (Inter). But this is a crazy market summer. And it’s not over.
THE SOLUTIONS
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Lukaku in Rome is not like Lukaku in Juve. Allegri wanted him because he would have speeded up the times of the “year zero”: perfect for a closed 3-5-2 and restarting. The problem is that, having Vlahovic, he would have exchanged the future for the present, a risk that Juve also seems to want to run with Iling for Berardi. And then the “first” in Udine showed the way to a maneuver less entrusted to throws and counter-attacks. Roma, on the other hand, have no alternatives, they need a 9 from goals conceded: because Abraham is injured, Belotti must confirm himself, we hope also for Spalletti, and Azmoun belongs more to Dzeko’s category than to Lukaku’s: movement striker rather than seven-time killer ‘area. Lukaku can solve many problems for Mou immediately.
3-5-2 dybala plus lukaku
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Mou seems determined to insist on the 3-5-2, the ideal formula to enhance the Dybala-Lukaku duo already at the center of the market in the summer of 2019. United and Juve had agreed to swap the two forwards, but the Argentine did skip the deal and Lukaku went to Inter. From alternative to couple, it almost happened: Juve had got rid of Dybala who ended up on the market, Inter was lurking, but Inzaghi preferred to keep Correa. Now Mou finds the Belgian with whom it had not been easy to get along at Chelsea and United, before finding chemistry. Dybala-Lukaku can remember Lautaro-Lukaku. It’s not the same thing because the Nerazzurri Argentine is more of a center forward and the Giallorossi more of an attacking midfielder, but the pairing seems complete and well matched, Charles and Sivori revived. Especially if supported by the incursions of a midfielder (Pellegrini or Sanches) and a winger. In this 3-5-2 Azmoun can replace the Belgian, offering a different interpretation of the attack patterns, more dribbling and technique, less striking force. But he could also support Lukaku: after all, Lukaku-Dzeko was Conte’s dream cherished by Inzaghi.
3-4-2-1 Two attacking midfielders for a center forward
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If the 3-5-2 is the Roma system today, at the beginning of last year Mou set up a 3-4-2-1 to take advantage of the two attacking midfielders, Dybala and Pellegrini, behind Abraham. Actually Dybala-employee team: if the Argentine plays from 1′, Roma’s average points (2.28) are double what they were when they weren’t there. However, it is not the best season for the English centre-forward, far from the performance of the first year, only 8 goals and many problems until the serious injury. With Lukaku and, alternatively, Azmoun, the story could change if Mou decides to advance Pellegrini on Dybala’s line: in the offensive phase it would in fact be a 3-2-4-1, with very high wingers and Lukaku terminal. Like the last City.
3-4-1-2 The 10 behind the two strikers
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The more vintage solution is fascinating, that is a 3-4-1-2 with the good old attacking midfielder behind two strikers. Platini, Zico and Maradona no longer play, Messi is in America, and the only team in Italy that plays with a classic 10 is Empoli with Baldanzi, the last of the Mohicans. But Dybala can occupy all the roles up front, even that of false 9. Him behind a choice between Lukaku, Azmoun, Belotti and El Shaarawy would be a very offensive solution, which requires a blocked median and does not appear in Mou’s projects. But even he doesn’t know the true potential of the “new” Rome. They are all curious, starting with the championship.
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