Roma lifted their first major European trophy in 2022 and the next year will be a crucial one for the Giallorossi and their coach José Mourinho.
The other side of Rome called the Conference League the ‘trophy for losers’, but the Giallorossi’s accomplishment in May was nothing short of a historical one. Roma’s only trophy in Europe before the Mourinho era had been the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1960-61 and the triumph of Mourinho’s boys in Tirana in May was welcomed by days of celebrations in the Capital.
The same wild crowd reunited a few months later when Roma announced the signing of Paulo Dybala on a free transfer.
Enthusiasm is an understatement when it comes to describing the attitude of Roma supporters since Mourinho was appointed in 2021. The Stadio Olimpico has been sold out in the last 18 Serie A matches, so the Giallorossi have always played in front of almost 70,000 fans in every league game in 2022.
It was not enough to earn a top-four finish in 2021-22, a season that saw Tammy Abraham become the most prolific debutant in the history of the club with 27 goals in 53 appearances across all competition. However, the early signs in 2022 were not promising. Roma lost to their direct rivals Juventus on January 9 after going 3-1 up and missing a penalty in the final stages of the match. Juventus scored three goals in seven minutes, securing a crucial win for a Champions League spot.
Mourinho returned to San Siro to face his ex-club Inter for the first time in his career in February, but his Roma side lost 2-0 and were eliminated from the Coppa Italia quarter-finals. A few months later, The Special One would return to Milan getting his revenge with a 2-1 win in Serie A, courtesy of Dybala of Chris Smalling.
One of the joys of the year for Roma in 2022 was a 3-0 win against Lazio in the Derby della Capitale in March, thanks to a brace from Tammy Abraham and a perfectly-executed free-kick from Lorenzo Pellegrini.
The summer brought many reinforcements, although the Friedkin family barely invested less than €10m to strengthen the team. Gini Wijnaldum joined on loan from PSG but sustained an injury right after his debut. Andrea Belotti, Dybala, Mile Svilar and Nemanja Matic completed free transfers. Mady Camara joined on loan, and Zeki Celik on a permanent transfer from Lille.
Mourinho is still not convinced that this season’s team is stronger than last term and wants guarantees about the club’s ambition and investments in the long-term to see out the rest of his contract at the Stadio Olimpico expiring in June 2024.
Transfer can’t do it all and if Mourinho wants to get a top-four finish in 2023, he will need help from Roma’s most talented players. Everyone’s talking about Abraham, who will be looking for more goals also to get back into the England squad after being snubbed at the World Cup in Qatar. However, Zaniolo’s support will also be vital for the Giallorossi.
The Italy international has only scored five goals across all competitions in 2022. One was the winner in the Conference League Final against Feyenoord, but his tally can’t justify the status as one of the most talented players in Italy.
Zaniolo’s contract expires in 2024 and its extension is one of the predictable talking points of 2023. His agent Claudio Vigorelli is ready to sit down with Roma but won’t consider his client’s poor goal-scoring record. Instead, he will highlight that Roma put an expensive price tag on Zaniolo over the summer, demanding a salary that matches the club’s evaluation. Indeed, a top four-finish or qualification to the Champions League through Europa League would make it easier for Roma to meet his demands.
As for transfers, January will be a crucial month for the future of Rick Karsdorp. Roma’s 2022 ended with Mourinho accusing the Dutch defender – although never mentioning him directly – of being a traitor and urging him to find a new club in the winter transfer window.
Whether this will happen or not is anther story. Roma don’t want to loan the ex-Feyenoord man, but which club would help Roma by signing the Netherlands international on a permanent transfer knowing that Mourinho no longer wants him at the club? Time will tell if the Special One’s strategy was the right one.