Mario Hermoso Scout Report At Roma 2025/2026

Mario Hermoso Scout Report At AS Roma 2025/2026: His New Role Under Gian Piero Gasperini Tactics – Player Analysis

Mario Hermoso is a 30-year-old Spanish defender who has been performing well for AS Roma at the beginning of the season, helping Gian Piero Gasperini build a more solid defence compared to the last few seasons.

Not only that, Hermoso has been involved in both playmaking and the attacking phase, with Gasperini utilising him in various ways.

With new changes to his defensive positions and increased freedom in the attacking phase, this Mario Hermoso player analysis and scout report examines how Hermoso is being deployed at Roma in the 2025/2026 Serie A season.

Mario Hermoso Roles In Gian Piero Gasperini Tactics

Gasperini made one of his landmark tactical tweaks as soon as he started his journey at Roma by using Hermoso in a unique way that no one had before.

Mario Hermoso is known for being a left-back or a left centre-back at times, especially in back-three defences.

However, he is not accustomed to playing on the right flank.

Gasperini has made a switch in how he utilises Hermoso this season, having him play in various defensive positions after he previously only played on the left side.

This means that in less than one half of a season, Hermoso has already been used as a central centre-back or libero, as a right centre-back in a back-three defence, and as a right-back in a back-four defensive line.

What is remarkable is that Hermoso did not appear to be impacted by these positional changes and was still capable of performing well.

His defensive performances looked very convincing, as he appeared accustomed to playing as an inverted defender, while also being comfortable in defensive duels, as well as in passing, building up from the back, and supporting the attacks.

Gasperini confirmed once again that the tactical flexibility he relies on, in terms of player choices and positioning, still pays off, as this was not the first time he changed defenders from their positions and gave them more attacking roles.

Being left-footed on the right allows Mario Hermoso to be more ready to cut inside and play more centrally, while exchanging passes with midfielders and attempting one-two passes with quick penetrations in midfield or in the half-spaces near the wing.

This adds numerical superiority to Romas midfield and sometimes in attack, given that Hermoso also has the freedom to make forward runs into the box.

These movements, both with and without the ball, provide Roma with more solutions and allow Hermoso to be impactful not just defensively, but also through active participation in the playmaking process.

Furthermore, playing on the right allows Hermoso to be much more comfortable when dealing with cuts inside and internal penetrations from the wingers he faces.

In other words, defending using his left foot against such penetrations allows him to defend with quicker and more effective reflexes.

Gasperini tries to exploit Hermoso’s efficient defending using his stronger foot, especially when facing teams with wingers who rely a lot on cutting inside.

This change in position makes Roma’s defensive organisation more flexible and, more importantly, more unpredictable to opponents.

Roma’s opponents cannot know whether their opponent will be using an inverted defender on the right flank or play with the traditional defensive organisation, which can oblige them to remain cautious regarding their attacking plans.

That said, it will be important for Gasperini to pay attention to Hermoso’s defensive abilities when facing wingers who prefer to accelerate to the corner line and rely more on crosses rather than cutting inside.

This obliges Hermoso to use his weaker foot and find himself in complex situations.

That’s why it will be crucial for Hermoso to get used to all types of wingers when playing on the right flank, in order to train his body and mind on the necessary reflexes and to be ready for any attack.

However, given that Hermoso is an experienced player and not just an emerging defender, it will be easier for him to adapt to such tactical changes and defend from various positions.

Mario Hermoso Stats

The following pizza chart compares Mario Hermoso with other right centre-backs from Europes top-five leagues this season.

The data visual provides a statistical profile for Mario Hermoso at the start of the 2025/2026 season at AS Roma.

Mario Hermoso Pizza Chart 2025/2026

This analysis is based on a small sample size; however, the pizza chart effectively highlights Mario Hermosos defensive reliability, with a strong percentile rank in both defensive duel success and aerial duel success, as well as an above-average volume of defensive duels per 90 minutes.