AS Roma Vs Fiorentina [1-0] – Serie A 2024/2025: Claudio Ranieri High Line Tactics & Wing Play – Tactical Analysis

AS Roma beat Fiorentina last Sunday in an entertaining match.

This helped the Giallorossi move closer to fourth place, which would qualify them for UEFA Champions League football next season.

In this AS Roma vs Fiorentina tactical analysis, we will explore Claudio Ranieri style of play and game management.

This football analysis examines Roma’s strengths, which help them win points consistently, and their weaknesses, which still need improvement.

At the same time, the Serie A tactical analysis will study Fiorentina’s tactics under Raffaele Palladino and assess their performance to discover what they lacked at the Stadio Olimpico.

AS Roma Vs Fiorentina Lineups

Claudio Ranieri was brought to Roma from retirement to coach the team in an attempt to save them and avoid catastrophic results at the end of the season.

Ranieri’s current performance is a tremendous achievement: a series of 19 games without a loss (including 14 wins).

At the same time, Fiorentina lost a decisive game, dropping to eighth place in Serie A, which is especially costly for the European qualification spots.

Nevertheless, nothing can be confirmed yet since Fiorentina will still play Venezia, Bologna, and Udinese, fighting to qualify for Europe while waiting for the other teams to hopefully drop points.

Moreover, Fiorentina’s season can also end on a much more positive note.

They will play the second leg of the UEFA Conference League semi-finals on Thursday, with an opportunity to play the final at the Wrocław Stadium if they succeed in turning the tables on Real Betis.

Claudio Ranieri started the match according to the 3-5-2 formation with Mile Svilar as a goalkeeper, Mehmet Zeki Çelik, Gianluca Mancini and Evan Ndicka as centre-backs, Bryan Cristante, Manu Koné and Lorenzo Pellegrini as central midfielders, Matías Soulé and Angeliño as wingers, while Artem Dovbyk and Eldor Shomurodov formed the team’s attacking duo.

On the other hand, Raffaele Palladino opted for the 3-5-2 formation as well, with David de Gea as a goalkeeper, Pietro Comuzzo, Pablo Marí and Marin Pongračić as centre-backs, Amir Richardson, Rolando Mandragora and Cher Ndour as central midfielders, Fabiano Parisi and Robin Gosens as wingers, and Nicolò Zaniolo as a second striker beside Moise Kean, the team’s central striker.

As Roma Performance & Areas For Improvement

During the first part of the match, Roma relied on blocking Fiorentina’s build-up phase by applying continuous high pressing to oblige their opponent into committing errors.

They also relied on both wingers to penetrate or go for crosses to the box.

They were not capable of successfully applying this plan initially, and they even risked conceding a goal due to playing with a high defensive block and leaving a dangerous striker like Kean in a one-on-one situation with a lot of space behind him.

The result was conceding a dangerous shot from Kean that was saved miraculously by Svilar.

AS Roma Poor Defensive Marking Vs Moise Kean

But in this action, Çelik was neither quick nor aggressive enough to stop Kean or at least commit a foul.

Such actions also prove the limits of using a right-back as a third centre-back since Ranieri risked using him at the expense of other defenders.

Kean kept causing problems for Roma’s defence even following that chance, as Fiorentina used through passes in space for him.

The latter was intelligent and powerful enough to protect the ball on almost every occasion before attempting to shoot.

AS Roma High Defensive Block Risks

Again, as you can see in the following picture, Roma‘s very high defensive block risked causing issues for the team.

Kean found himself in a one-on-one situation each time he received through passes towards the box, which helped him avoid marking easier and have more chances to shoot with ease.

At the same time, Roma could only start taking concrete actions in the 33rd minute following a long possession phase, given their inability to penetrate the penalty box easily.

Due to this compact Fiorentina defending, Roma’s danger was primarily created starting from the wings, either by Angeliño or Soulé, who were very dynamic during this match and could win many offensive duels.

Zeki Çelik Overlaps

The following overlap idea between Soulé and Çelik surprised Fiorentina as Çelik added attacking numbers to Roma’s players inside the box and was close to scoring if De Gea was not sufficiently concentrated.

Although Çelik’s advancing to the box can be very risky in case of counterattacks, it is also beneficial for Roma as it adds more players joining the attack and guarantees more passing options, especially if we consider Fiorentina’s tight marking system.

Moreover, both Dovbyk and Shomurodov had tight spaces and struggled to receive the ball and create the expected danger.

However, Shomurodov did not lose his concentration and was still able to threaten De Gea as he exploited second balls.

He was attentive enough to anticipate Fiorentina’s defenders and shoot with his left foot with power.

This was one of four on-target shots for Roma in this match out of a total of 12 shots.

This invites the coaching staff and the players to work harder on shooting on target, as eight shots off target can be considered a high number.

It also means that Roma creates many chances but does not convert many of them.

Artem Dovbyk Goal

It is also important to know that Roma’s goal came from a corner kick and was scored mainly thanks to Angelino’s perfect cross and, more importantly, Shomurodov’s header, which assisted the unmarked Dovbyk.

This goal highlights this group’s unity and chemistry despite not having star players.

Moreover, it confirms that Shomurodov and Dovbyk can form a potent attacking duo going forward since both players have the needed talent, goalscoring abilities, and positive attitude inside the box.

Roma Second-Half Chances & Fiorentina Comeback Attempts

During the second half, Roma tried to change their tactics and opt for defensive consolidation and counter-attacking whenever possible to preserve their lead.

They also tried punishing Fiorentina if possible, as they knew that Fiorentina would try to advance to equalise.

Eldor Shomurodov Missed Opportunity

As soon as the second half started, Roma succeeded in intercepting the ball in midfield and serving Dovbyk, who had space on the left wing, which he exploited before providing a golden pass to Shomurodov.

However, Shomurodov slipped at the moment of shooting and missed a big opportunity to score the second goal.

At the same time, Fiorentina tried to play on Kean like they did during the first half but could not do so as Roma’s defensive bloc got lower, and Kean was marked more tightly.

Moreover, Fiorentina’s build-up was slow during this match, making it even more difficult for them to reach the goal.

That’s why they did not create many chances during the second half, and most of their chances were shots from distance when they ran out of ideas.

Their other attacking alternative was crosses from the wing, but Roma’s defence was not surprised, as they cleared most of the crosses before they reached Kean or Zaniolo.

Rolando Mandragora Golden Opportunity

Among 13 shots (five shots on target), the following picture shows the most dangerous Fiorentina opportunity, which was created following a good effort and cross from Kean on the left side of the box.

As the ball was deflected, Mandragora was first on the second ball, but his shot was saved by Svilar, who cancelled a genuine goalscoring opportunity that could have changed the match’s final minutes.

Moise Kean Decisive Chance

During the game’s final minutes, Kean missed another golden opportunity to score in a way that all Fiorentina followers will regret, as it was a chance not to be missed.

It is true that the goalkeeper was excellent in his saving attempt, yet a reliable striker like Kean could have handled this occasion differently to score.

In fact, it was a counterattack launched from the midfielder to Zaniolo, who was close to Kean and saw him make the movement upfront.

Zaniolo provided Kean with an intelligent key pass into space, and the latter quickly understood the idea and anticipated his direct marker’s movement.

However, the finish was not as decisive as needed, even though it was accurate, since the goalkeeper was able to save it.

Missing such crucial chances is what is making Fiorentina suffer at the moment, and it is also what is making them unable to compete for UEFA Champions League spots.

That said, being capable of creating such chances against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico means Fiorentina has the resources and the attacking ideas needed to threaten any team.

However, finishing can be improved by becoming more decisive, which will result in winning more matches and points.

At the same time, reinforcements are needed, especially on the wings and for the striker role.

It is not beneficial for the team to rely only on Kean’s goalscoring form and not have a solid replacement for him, in addition to inconsistent support from the wings.

Conclusion

Roma knew how to win this match, even though they risked a lot at the start of the game by using a very high defensive block and leaving a lot of space for Kean.

They also risked conceding the equalising goal at the end of the game, so Roma’s defensive phase still needs to improve.

At the same time, the team’s maturity and chemistry upfront are satisfying to see, as Roma are actually becoming a much more powerful team in the attacking phase than at the start of the season.

On the other hand, Fiorentina will need to learn from their attacking misses, try to be more clinical on goal, and better defend against set pieces.