Roma

Friday 7th April. By Edward Stratmann.
Even though AS Roma prevailed 3-2 over Lazio in the second leg of their Coppa Italia semifinal, it still wasn't enough to overturn the two goal deficit they faced from the first leg, as they disappointingly succumbed 3-4 on aggregate.

On a night that marked the return of the Curva Sud, another positive could be drawn from the impressive performance of Stephan El Shaarawy. Starting his 22nd match of the season, the skillful attacker gave the fans plenty to get excited about from his left wing post.

As one of only two Italians to begin the match, the other being Lazio forward Ciro Immobile, El Shaarawy's pace, dribbling prowess and smart movement ensured his direct opponent, Dusan Basta, had a challenging time dealing with him.

Whenever the opportunity to come infield presented itself, El Shaarawy always took it up, allowing him to receive possession in more dangerous central areas, plus create room on the flank for Emerson

20th March 2017. By Edward Stratmann.
Obtaining playing time was never going to be a straightforward task for Clement Grenier when he arrived at AS Roma on loan in January from Lyon. With the likes of Daniele De Rossi, Kevin Strootman, Radja Nainggolan and Leandro Paredes ahead of him in the pecking order for a spot within the Giallorossi's ultra competitive midfield, Grenier knew he'd have to be patient and wait for his opportunity.

Having waited over two months, last Sunday night, the 26-year-old midfielder was finally handed his Serie A starting debut, and he unquestionably made the most of his chance. While the man whose only other minutes came in a two minute cameo vs Fiorentina showed signs of tiredness in the second half, which led to his early substitution on 64 minutes, during his time afield, he was quite possibly Roma's most influential player.

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1st March 2017. By Ryan Baldi.
"If you have ten Nainggolans you have a great team regardless of role Â… Radja is one of those players that can do anything."

Roma manager Luciano Spalletti was effusive in his praise of Radja Nainggolan after his side's 3-1 win over Inter Milan at the San Siro last weekend.

It certainly feels as though Nainggolan can do anything at the moment. The Belgian midfielder has been in outstanding form since Serie A resumed after its winter break, and his performance against the Nerazzurri was perhaps one of the finest of his career.

The 28-year-old was typically combative, while also assured and confident on the ball. Like a prime Roy Keane or Patrick Vieira, few players are able to drive their team on as Nainggolan does when at his best.

The midfield powerhouse is tenacious in carrying out his defensive duties and dynamic when transitioning into attack,

20th February 2017. By Edward Stratmann.
Emerson Palmieri's encouraging finish to last season was a reward for all his hard work in training trying to impress his manager, the tactically sophisticated AS Roma's Luciano Spalletti.

With Lucas Digne ahead of him in the pecking order, Emerson's patience and persistence finally paid off, with Spalletti granting him some valuable appearances off the bench and one start towards the end of the 2015/2016 campaign.

In Roma's final match of the crusade, against AC Milan, a game the Giallorossi went on to win 3-1, this served as a landmark occasion for the Brazilian. Coming off the bench, the then Santos loanee produced a splendid cameo that culminated in him scoring his first ever league goal for the club.

"I'm happy to have the coach's faith," a delighted Emerson said after the game. "I'm doing everything

18th November 2016. By Edward Stratmann.
With AS Roma in need of defensive reinforcements in the summer, due to Antonio Rudiger's nasty knee injury, plus the departures of Lucas Digne, Maicon and Leandro Castan, the club turned to Juan Jesus.

Joining from Inter Milan on an initial loan fee of €2 million, with an €8 million obligation to buy if certain parameters are met, the deal seemed reasonably logical, despite his time at Inter being rather mixed. After all, Jesus can play, not only at centre-back, but also at left-back. In addition, once the injured Rudiger returned, he'd be an adequate backup and give Roma some important squad depth.

Upon new signing, Mario Rui, suffering a devastating ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, the club would've been additionally grateful they'd signed Jesus, who could now provide vital cover at left-back too. But unfortunately, whether playing in central defense or as a fullback, the Brazilian has largely flattered

Right now, Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, and arguably even West Ham United are all battling to clinch one of the English Premier League's top four spots. As in previous years, the top four clubs in the division this season will qualify for the Champions League-with the top three earning entry into the group stage and the fourth-place club heading into the final play-off round.

The race for these four slots is even more intense this year, given the fact that last year's EPL champion-Chelsea FC-has very little chance of qualifying for the Champions League. As such, clubs that haven't traditionally qualified for Europe's most prestigious tournament in the past-Leicester, Tottenham, and West Ham are getting ever close to breaking the cycle in 2016.

But what if England didn't get four spots in the Champions League? Recent rumors have suggested that the Premier League could, at some point in the not-too-distant future, be

Serie A 2015/16 week 12 saw Fiorentina maintaining their top slot, Inter Milan retaining a strong second-place position, and Juventus continuing their climb up the table, among other things. All of the "major contenders" in Italy won their matches this past weekend, ratcheting up the competitive tension at the top of the table even further. Now, with a break this coming weekend for Euro 2016 play, each of these clubs will have a chance to take a deep breath and reassess their plan of attack for the remainder of the calendar year.

Fiorentina continue to impress in the 2015/16 Serie A. Though they've lost three of their 12 games so far, the Lilies have also won nine-more than any other soccer team in the league. The football club's win this past weekend-a 2-0 away game triumph against Sampdoria-kicked their goal difference up to +15 and served as insurance to protect their leading position.

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AS Roma may currently be contending for the top spot in the 2015 2016 Serie A, but the Italian football club have been anything but dominant in the UEFA Champions League so far. Qualifying for the tournament based on a second-place Serie A finish last season, the Wolves have been disappointing in the event so far. Coming into the fourth week of UCL competition, Roma were at the bottom of Group E, with zero wins, two draws, and one loss. They needed a win against Bayer Leverkusen, and win they did meaning that Roma keep Champions League hopes alive.

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The Group E Standings

AS Roma beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 in a Wednesday home fixture to boost their Group E stock. In fact, the victory was enough to boost the Wolves into second

My what a difference a week makes. In the Italian Serie A, the 2015 2016 season has been thoroughly unpredictable so far, and this past weekend's fixtures did nothing to solidify things at the top of the table. Last week, AS Roma were leading the way following a 3-1 home win against Udinese. This weekend, Inter Milan top Roma in one of this season's key Serie A fixtures to take 2^nd place in league standings, forcing AS Roma into 3rd.

Indeed, unlike in other European soccer leagues, where clear frontrunners have begun to emerge (Manchester City and Arsenal in the Premier League; Real Madrid and Barcelona in the La Liga; Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga), the Serie A is a jumble of four clear contenders at the top of the table. Roma and Inter Milan are two of them while the others are Fiorentina and Napoli.

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The downfall of Juventus has created something of a vacuum at the top of the 2015 2016 Serie A league standings table-a vacuum both Fiorentina and AS Roma are out to fill. The two high-ranking Italian football clubs met for the first time this season on Sunday, October 25^th. And while Fiorentina came into the match as the Serie A point leaders, it was AS Roma that left the fixture with that distinction. It seems that the battle for the Serie A top spot 2015/16 is set to be one of the highlights of this season's football action.

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The Season So Far

Roma and Fiorentina-along with Napoli, Internazionale, and Lazio, all of which are in the Serie A's closely-ranked top five-have played strong football