Is Roma The surprise package for next season?

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The Giallorossi had a fantastic season. Led by legendary captain Francesco Totti, a truly staunch defense that had one of the best defensive records in all of Europe, and the likes of De Rossi, Gervinho, and Kevin Strootman, they finished in 2nd place in Serie A. They have gained automatic qualification into next season’s Champions League, and are very ambitious. They aren’t bankrolled by any oil tycoon or billionaire, but have played an exquisite brand of football under Rudi Garcia. Garcia was the manager who was in charge of the Lille team that won Ligue 1 a few years ago, and he developed players like Eden Hazard. The best feature about their team is the midfield triumvirate which consists of Daniele De Rossi, Miralem Pjanic, and Kevin Strootman. All three are World Class players who can impact games with their mere presence. Roma don’t score much, but that was mainly due to the absence of their main striker Mattia Destro, who scored 13 goals in 20 games. While Totti was preferred over Destro, the talisman is about to turn 38 in September, and just doesn’t have the legs to keep running the full 90, or play many games.

Instead of regressing like teams such as Napoli, Schalke, and Montpellier, they are reinforcing their squad and keeping their key players. In the wake of Antonio Conte’s resignation as manager of Juventus, Roma was quick to snatch Juve’s main target, Juan Iturbe, and sign him for 22 million euros. They have also signed veteran Ashley Cole to plug their hole at Left Back, and they have kept defender Mehdi Benatia thus far, placing a whopping €30+ million fee on his head. Roma aren’t going to be toyed by Europe’s biggest. They are willing to spend in order to compete, and have players with valuable experience.

Their main adversary, Juventus has lost an integral part of their club in Antonio Conte, and the rumor mill continues to pour out rumors that Arturo Vidal and Paul Pogba may depart The Old Lady this window, despite Juventus confirming otherwise. This instability gives Roma an advantage heading into the season. Roma are also rumored to be in the process of signing Xherdan Shaqiri, the Bayern Munich winger who scored 3 goals in the World Cup. Shaqiri is valued at around £15 million.

Their main concern will be about how they will juggle three major competitions. They will be placed in either pot 3 or 4 of the Champions League Group Stages, which means they will be placed in a group with possibly the likes of Barcelona, Chelsea, Real Madrid, or Bayern Munich. They will have to rotate well and manage, and I think that they are up to the task. Only time will tell how they will do next season, but don’t be surprised if they snatch the Scudetto away from Juventus or make it far in the Champions League.