Rome with sore goals. And Belotti must be unlocked

Time is a variable that changes hearts, just as goals lead to Europe. On this front, Roma have a rhythm that is not worthy of the Champions League, given that the attack is only the seventh in the championship. For this there would be a need for the center forward to awaken, starting with Andrea Belotti, a candidate to be a starter against “his” Turin. Just 145 days ago he was experiencing his darkest moment in Rome. A moment that projected him into a sort of no man’s land, a limbo in which even his body seemed to have betrayed him. It was November 13 when the Giallorossi striker entered the field against Turin, his past, the club to which he owes almost everything. The grenade team was leading 0-1 at the Olimpico, but in the final minutes a penalty kick could have changed everything. Who is running to beat him? Yes, just him, the Rooster, until then still scoreless in the league and with a rain of criticisms on his shoulders. But since fate has an excellent sense of black humour, Belotti kicked and missed the penalty, even ending up getting injured in the segment of the match granted to him. Roma would then draw that game thanks to Matic in full recovery and at that point, the exultation of the former Torino player ended up costing him a shower of social criticism from the Granata fans, who joined those of the Giallorossi supporters due to the failed penalty . It is not enough. The muscle problem also affected the attacker’s training call, which at the beginning of 2023 struggled.

The run-up

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Since that day in November, however, life for Belotti has straightened out. A couple of weeks ago he became a father for the second time (welcome Benedetta), but above all he has become an idol of the Roma fans, who have welcomed the fact that José Mourinho has often used him as a starter instead of Tammy Abraham, now slipped back in the hierarchies. So tomorrow, when Andrea takes the field in the stadium that made him the idol of the people of Granata, it is probable that he will be the owner. Pay attention to the details, though. One thing has remained perfectly identical to that melancholy November 13: the box of goals scored in the league. In fact, Belotti is still at zero. Moral: for now the figures that should trigger the new contract with the Giallorossi club have not yet been achieved. And the feeling is that Gallo should accelerate, because the self-sacrifice he shows in every game alone cannot be enough to ensure him a place in the future of a team that so far has its weakest link in attack.

Abraham & Co

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In fact, if we exclude Dybala’s performance – which has already reached double figures – Roma’s attack is struggling in the league. No surprise. The numbers of strikers and attacking midfielders, in fact, are scarce. Abraham is still at 6, El Shaarawy has risen to 4, Pellegrini is at 2, Wijnaldum has reached 2, while Solbakken and Volpato are immobile at one, as are Matic and Cristante. In short, two defenders like Smalling and Ibanez did much better, both of whom scored 3 goals. And then it is necessary above all that the strikers wake up, starting with Belotti, who has not yet managed to make a hole in the opponent’s goal in 634 minutes of the championship. Of course, the next opponent is Turin in which he left a piece of his heart, but on the other hand already five months ago he showed that he doesn’t want to look back. And who knows if the grenade fans will have forgiven him.