AS Roma faced Udinese in an away match at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine and lost by a single goal, as Udinese delivered a powerful performance to defeat their opponent.

Roma failed to secure three crucial points that would have helped them overtake Juventus in the standings and retain fourth place in Serie A.

Their loss leaves them in fifth place and further from the top four.

Roma will need to be better prepared and more attentive in their next games, as they risk losing what they have been working to achieve throughout the season.

In fact, Roma recently reached the top and second spots but failed to remain there.

However, it would be unacceptable for them to relinquish the fourth spot as well, as that would mean failing to qualify for the UEFA Champions League despite their excellent first half of the season.

In this tactical analysis, we will focus on Roma’s attacking issues and mistakes in this match, while shedding light on Udinese’s set-piece plans and solutions for shooting from distance.

Udinese Vs Roma Lineups & Formations

Kosta Runjaić started the match in a 5-4-1 formation, with Maduka Okoye as the goalkeeper, Oumar Solet, Thomas Kristensen, and Nicolò Bertola as centre-backs, and Kingsley Ehizibue and Jordan Zemura as full-backs.

The midfield comprised Jesper Karlström and Lennon Miller as central midfielders, with Arthur Atta and Jürgen Ekkelenkamp as wingers behind the main striker, Keinan Davis.

On the other hand, Gian Piero Gasperini started the match in his preferred 3-4-2-1 formation, with Mile Svilar in goal and a defensive line of three centre-backs: Gianluca Mancini on the right, Evan Ndicka in the centre, and Mario Hermoso on the left.

The midfield line featured Zeki Çelik and Wesley França as right and left wing-backs, with Bryan Cristante and Neil El Aynaoui as central midfielders.

In attack, Gasperini used both Matías Soulé and Lorenzo Pellegrini as advanced playmakers, with the new recruit Donyell Malen as the main striker.

Roma Inability To Score Against Udinese

Udinese succeeded in limiting Roma’s attacking threats in this match, mainly thanks to their disciplined high pressing and their ability to block Roma’s build-up from the back, using the same man-marking system that Roma usually employs to prevent opponents from advancing easily.

Udinese played an almost perfect defensive game, with excellent man marking throughout the match, which obliged Roma to opt for complex long passes at times.

Even after overcoming the initial pressure, Roma failed to break Udinese’s defensive line, as Udinese did not advance significantly and remained ready for counterattacks.

This helped them avoid conceding remarkable counterattacks from Roma and limit their danger in open-play situations.

That said, Roma failed to capitalise on the few chances they created, largely due to poor decision-making in the final third.

More importantly, the absence of difference-makers in offensive duels, such as Paulo Dybala, proved decisive, as only Soulé was reliable at surpassing opponents.

Soulé’s presence was not enough, though, as Udinese knew how to alleviate the danger of his potential penetrations and mark him tightly, except for a few chances during which he was able to penetrate towards the box.

Furthermore, Manu Koné’s attacking support and ability to win duels, whether in midfield or attack, were absent in this match, as his presence is often beneficial in games that require a strong physical presence in midfield.

That said, Roma could have been more decisive with the few chances they created in this match, given that such matches require exploiting half-chances to score, as games against Udinese are typically tight, with few chances and restricted spaces.

Roma Poor Management Of Key Opportunities

Roma surprised Udinese thanks to Soulé’s ability to dribble past opponents and cut inside; however, a lack of understanding and communication in attack, as well as unsuccessful decision-making in the final third, made it difficult for I Giallorossi to score.

The following example is one of the few dangerous opportunities created by Roma in this match, highlighting the lack of chemistry between Malen, Soulé, and Pellegrini as the trio started a match together for the first time.

It was obvious, especially in this action.

Soulé made the more difficult work by cutting inside and eliminating his direct marker, thereby creating numerical superiority.

And as soon as he spotted Pellegrini’s excellent positioning on the left side, he provided him with a through pass in space.

However, Malen thought that the pass was destined for him and did not notice Pellegrini’s presence behind him.

Therefore, he intercepted the pass and chose to turn and shoot, having lost precious seconds, rather than provide a quick pass to Pellegrini, who was unmarked.

Instead, he opted for a predicted shot towards the goalkeeper and prevented Pellegrini from getting an inviting goalscoring opportunity.

Roma Partial Solutions To Udinese Man-Marking

Roma succeeded in troubling Udinese through either Soulé’s penetrations and dribbling or through wing-back penetrations into the penalty area.

The second solution was effective, as França had the necessary pace to escape marking and receive a through pass from Malen in the subsequent action.

He was quick enough to run faster than his direct opponent and keep his acceleration going while collecting the ball and advancing with it in space behind Udinese’s defensive line.

However, due to a back-line disturbance and França’s poor finishing with his weaker foot, the goalscoring chance was missed.

França could have been more creative in this action, as it was very difficult for him to score from that angle with his weaker foot.

Instead, raising his head up and looking at the centre of the box would have encouraged him to provide a pass to Soulé, who would be better-positioned to score or win a penalty thanks to his dribbling skills.

Furthermore, França’s finishing could have been more potent and should have been directed towards the far post rather than the near post, where the goalkeeper was already standing.

Udinese Dangerous Set-Pieces

Udinese succeeded in disrupting Roma’s solid defensive organisation, primarily through set pieces and long-range shots.

This solution worked effectively for Udinese, as they were dangerous on most set-pieces and came very close to scoring on almost every one.

The final result could have been higher than a 1-0 win for Udinese if Svilar had not been less than 100% focused during these set pieces, as some of the set-piece plans were unexpected, and some of the shooting attempts were extremely confusing for any goalkeeper.

Udinese Free-Kick Shooting From Distance Plan

Atta created the first real threat from set-pieces during the following free-kick.

Udinese confused Roma, with the intent of going for a cross into the box, as their players advanced towards it to try to head the ball.

However, they opted for a completely different set-piece plan, passing to Atta, who was unmarked because he was distant from the penalty area.

Atta is known for his excellent long-range shooting, which is why he was intentionally relied upon in this situation to exploit his long-range abilities.

The latter controlled the ball and struck a powerful, deceptive shot with the right side of his foot, sending it into the air and confusing Svilar.

This resembles Andrea Pirlo’s type of shot, which goes straight, then changes direction in flight and leans toward the right angle.

Although Atta was unable to score from this shot due to Svilar’s exceptional save, he highlighted that Udinese are extremely dangerous on set pieces, particularly in their players’ ability to shoot from distance.

Udinese Reliance On Shooting From Distance

Udinese’s set-piece plan against Roma was largely based on shooting from distance, as they had confused Roma by feigning crosses to crowded areas inside the box, but they executed a completely different plan that would put the designated shooter in a suitable shooting position.

Ekkelenkamp indeed scored the only goal of the match thanks to his excellent execution of a free-kick, with a bit of luck thanks to a Roma player’s deviation.

However, the following action further highlights Udinese’s reliance on long-range shooting and on some of their players’ exceptional shooting skills.

Both Atta and Ekkelenkamp demonstrated in this match that they can be extremely dangerous in this regard, thanks to the powerful yet highly accurate and deceptive trajectories of their shots.

Ekkelenkamp’s shooting technique in this action closely resembles that of Pirlo and Juninho Pernambucano in similar situations and in free-kicks as well.

Replicating the techniques of such legends can only be praised as Udinese’s players were capable of doing so with valuable quality and efficiency, and not just for the sake of copying, knowing that their attempts were crucial in this match and helped Udinese a lot in winning the match and representing a serious threat to their goal.

The change in their set-piece strategy caught Roma and everyone off guard, mainly because Udinese is known for relying heavily on aerial duels and physical battles.

Changing the way the team deals with such set-piece situations and succeeding in surprising their opponent with that counts for the head coach and for the players.

Conclusion

Roma were ineffective in attack in this match, as they failed to capitalise on the few opportunities they created and convert them into goals.

This highlights the team’s lack of attacking maturity and the need to address it as soon as possible to avoid losing points in this manner going forward.

Furthermore, Roma’s failure to defend effectively against Udinese’s set-pieces and to block distance attempts means that Roma still have to work harder on the defensive aspect and analyse their opponents’ strengths in greater depth.

On the other hand, Udinese earned three important points from this match, a win that means a lot for everyone, as it was against one of the top teams in Italy.

They will have to capitalise on the momentum to try to win their next games as well, while consolidating what went well in this match, such as the strategy of shooting from distance.