The 31st round of Serie A once again ushered in the Rome city derby, the game is still very hot, but the result is different from the previous games, Roma won the game with the goal of Roberto Mancini Jr., and is very close to the Champions League qualification zone in the standings.
Suffice it to say, both teams in the traditional powerhouse of Roma have had a poor season in Serie A, with the Red Wolves in 5th place and the Blue Eagles in 7th place. Due to poor results, both teams have also experienced a change of manager, with Roma replacing Mourinho with De Rossi and Lazio replacing Maurizio Sarri with Tudor.
What is certain is that this Roma derby is a big test for both new managers, especially De Rossi is also responsible for leading Roma to the top four in Serie A, otherwise it will be difficult for him to get a contract extension from the club, so the pressure on him is obviously still greater.
In this game, Roma coach De Rossi continued to line up the traditional 4-3-3 formation, Lukaku, Dybala, and Shaarawy played the three arrows, captain Pellegrini joined Cristante and Paredes to guard the midfield, and Angelino, Mancini Jr., Llorente and Celik lined up at the back, and the goalkeeper was still Svilar. On the Lazio side, veterans Immobile, Daichi Kamada and Isaksen started the attack.
Due to the familiarity of the two teams, the two sides began to play against each other without too much probing after the game began. In the second minute, Paredes' outside instep shot went over the crossbar, and just four minutes later, Immobile received a pass from Isaksen and it was colored, but it hit the side-netting. After that, Llorente and Manuel Pellegrini both had a good chance on goal, but both were denied by the opposition goalkeeper.
In the 42nd minute of the game, Dybala took a corner kick, and Mancini knocked on Lazio's goal with a powerful header in the middle, giving Roma a 1-0 lead at home.
In the second half, Lazio coach Tudor made three substitutions in a row to try to equalize, but Roma had high morale and continued to dominate the field. In the 54th minute, El Shaarawy's shot hit the crossbar and almost doubled the score.
It is worth mentioning that Lazio scored a goal in the 63rd minute by Japanese player Daichi Kamada, but the referee ruled that he was offside and the goal was invalidated.
De Rossi stepped up defensively towards the end of the game and Roma eventually secured a 1-0 win at home to secure a valuable three points.
With the victory, Roma are still in fifth place with 55 points, but they are only two points away from Bologna, who have played a game less, and Champions League qualification is within reach.
Finally, let's talk about the historical record of the Roma derby, last season Roma was beaten by Lazio under the leadership of Jose Mourinho, and this season the two teams met in Serie A, although Roma drew 0-0 away from Lazio. However, in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia, Roma were eliminated 0-1 by Lazio, which also directly led to the dismissal of Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho by Roma in the middle of the season.
What is certain is that Mourinho's tactics and approach to managing the dressing room no longer work with Roma's current squad of players. Roma have been rejuvenated under De Rossi, winning 10 of their last 15 matches in all competitions and reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League.