Roma Sluggish and Ineffective in Scoreless Draw Against Lecce

Now that the international break is over, it's ride-or-die time for Daniele De Rossi and Roma. With no further breaks in the schedule and the club vying for a spot in the Champions League via the league route while also facing an incredibly difficult two-legged tie against AC Milan in the Europa League Quarterfinals, the Giallorossi have no more easy outs. Every match matters and the results could potentially shift the balance sheets by millions in the coming season.

While his club suffered a bit during the break, losing striker Sardar Azmoun, De Rossi had most of his regulars available today, though club captain Lorenzo Pellegrini was suspended for today's fixture. As a result, De Rossi threw a few interesting wrinkles into this starting lineup, swapping out Pellegrini for Edoardo Bove while starting Tommaso Baldazni, Nicola Zalewski, and Romelu Lukaku in the attack.

After an opening 10 minutes that only saw one attempt on goal, a scattered shot from Rick Karsdorp, the absence of Lorenzo Pellegrini and Paulo Dybala was noticeable. With their chief playmakers absent, Roma struggled to create chances in the final third, putting the onus on Baldanzi, who fired wide in the 11th minute, curling the ball just outside the left post. It was a good look on goal from the young midfielder, but it raised Lukaku's hackles as he pleaded for a through ball into the channel.

Lecce wasn't exactly carving up the Giallorossi backline, but thanks to multiple corners in the opening 15 minutes, the other Giallorossi side looked more likely to break open the match. The home club continued to outwork Roma in the middle of the park, forcing multiple turnovers. One of which nearly produced a goal in the 21st minute: Roberto Piccoli pounced on a loose ball and dashed right toward Mile Svilar's goal, firing narrowly wide of the mark.

As the match passed the half-hour mark, Roma continued to play passively, relying on lazy back passes or long balls over the top instead of taking control of the game. This approach almost led to trouble several times, as Lecce pressed Roma's backline, forced turnovers, and created scoring chances at will. After 30 minutes, Roma was outshot 13-2, while Lecce won five corners to Roma's one.

Lecce continued to pummel the Roma backline in the waning moments of the first half, swarming any white shirt that dared touch the ball, maintaining numerical superiority, and keeping Roma on the back foot. Piccoli posed a particular challenge for the Roma defense, with the Lecce forward creating multiple chances past the 40th minute.

Roma finally stirred from their slumber in the final moment of the half, with Zalewski coming excruciatingly close to scoring in the 44th minute. After running onto a looping pass at the left post, Zalewski attempted to settle the ball with his boot rather than go for a crouched header at the near post. Angeliño then nearly stole a goal with a low free kick that skirted inches wide of the post.

The match may have been scoreless after 45 minutes, but Lecce was running the show, outshooting Roma 16-5. Something had to give in the second half.

With Evan Ndicka picking up a yellow card early in the first half, De Rossi went to the bench to begin the second half, bringing Dean Huijsen in place of the Ivorian defender. The young Dutch/Spanish defender made an immediate impact, dispossessing Lecce on the flanks, pulling the ball off the touchline, and springing a counter-attack for Roma.

The Giallorossi saw an appeal for a penalty ignored in the 54th minute after Zalewksi was knocked over the box while attempting to settle a bounding ball in the box. The officials weren't entirely buying it, deeming it incidental contact. Baldanzi then saw another effort miss the target moments later, firing an off-balance right-footer into the stands after being played into space by Bove.

With approximately 25 minutes left to play, De Rossi made a pair of attacking changes, swapping out Bove for Houssem Aouar and Zalewski for Stephan El Shaarawy, giving the club a pair of experienced hands for the stretch. The changes seemed to have their intended effect, as El Shaarawy and Aouar teamed up in the 71st minute to create Roma's best chance of the match, only to see Aouar denied on the doorstep by Wladimiro Falcone.

Roma continued their late surge, with Lukaku and El Shaarawy pulling off a lovely one-two in the area. The Belgian striker checked the ball back to SES at the edge of the box, but El Shaarawy couldn't get enough power behind it to trouble Falcone.

Give De Rossi credit for trying to make it through an entire match without Dybala, but he couldn't only last so long. With Roma desperately seeking a late match-winner, De Rossi had no choice but to turn to La Joya, bringing Dybala into the fray in the 83rd minute.

In the end, it mattered little. While Dybala soaked up multiple defenders, Roma's lack of fluidity through midfield and imprecision in the final third was their undoing. They failed to dent the Lecce backline during the final seven minutes plus stoppage time.

While it would be easy to assume that Roma could topple Lecce without Pellegrini and Dybala, today's result further proved their importance. Lacking Pellegrini's progression and Dybala's intuition, De Rossi's attack was stuck in the mud, unable to produce the patterns of play and general aggressiveness to which we've grown accustomed.

It was only natural to expect a slight dropoff without those two on the pitch, but Roma looked completely clueless today, particularly in midfield, where they couldn't hold possession, much less find a path towards goal.

Lecce was a bit hard-done, firing 27 shots on goal only to come up empty, but Mile Svilar continued to cement his case as the number one keeper with his positioning, reflexes, and control of the area.

We'll see how De Rossi responds to this performance, but this was, without a doubt, the worst they've looked during his 14 matches in charge. Let's hope for better next week.

Roma hosts Lazio in the Derby della Capitale on Saturday.