Roma finally savour home comforts with long overdue win vs. Napoli

Ahead of Roma's 1-0 win over Napoli at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday, Rudi Garcia's men were a team in serious trouble.

They had not won at home since Nov. 30, 2014 (a 4-2 win over Inter.) That was a stretch of 125 days; seven winless Serie A matches; five matches in other competitions and a run of 12 games in which they only won once -- an embarrassing extra-time win against Empoli in the Coppa Italia from a goal that probably should not have stood.

They were a team who saw their title ambitions slip to Europa League ambitions and then slip further to just Coppa Italia ambitions -- all while watching the gap between first and second grow ever larger with their lead over third place shrinking ever more.

They were a team that were teetering dangerously close to a full-blown crisis, risking automatic Champions League qualification at the very least and maybe their ability to finish in the top three at the worst.

Then, in the 25th minute against Napoli, Juan Iturbe took on three men down the middle of the pitch and slotted the ball wide to Alessandro Florenzi, who looked up, saw Miralem Pjanic's run into the middle and played it back in the box. The Bosnian sliced the shot into the net to score his first goal since November's win over Inter. Fittingly, it propelled Roma to their first league win at home since that day, too.

Pjanic noted after the match that his celebration was out of anger against those who have criticised his form this season. The look in Iturbe's eyes as he celebrated with his teammates following the strike suggested the Argentine might be feeling similarly.

Neither player has really lived up to the standards they set last season and part of Iturbe's entourage suggested the fault lied with a Roma management who have not shown faith in their young player. It turned out that Roma just needed both players to play with some semblance of form up front to take over striking duties on a day that Francesco Totti couldn't feature through injury and Seydou Doumbia was benched.

At the back, two pillars kept the side together. Kostas Manolas put in another superb showing to add to the burgeoning number he's already displayed this season. He was brought in to replace Medhi Benatia when he left for Bayern Munich and the comparison is begging to be made but the Moroccan is older, more experienced and a better defender. The Greek is getting there, slowly and surely. He is perhaps less able at reading the game but is incredibly adept at reacting to it.

In fairness to him, he needs to react more than Benatia ever did because so much of the defence around him is often so terrible and the midfield offers him little help. Luckily against Napoli his speed and reflexes were something else as he demonstrated with several world-class slide tackles. Gonzalo Higuain temporarily changed his address to the centre-back's back pocket.

The second pillar was the one most active at the very end of the match, Morgan De Sanctis. Like Iturbe and Pjanic, the goalkeeper has too often failed to play at the level he was capable of last season. But perhaps playing against his old side lit a fire in him, motivating him to prove to his former teammates that he still has more to give, as his contribution was vital.

De Sanctis made several gravity-defying saves to ensure the visitors didn't sneak a late equaliser and they ultimately helped the side to secure an important three points.

After such a long time without a home win, breaking their drought could be even more important. The boost in morale should fire up the capital club as the season comes to a close but they must forget about last season and concentrate on ending on a high.

Benatia is gone, Manolas is here; Pjanic, Iturbe, and De Sanctis are not the same players but they will do everything in their power to make sure that the rest of the campaign is not as disappointing as the last few months.

Roma president condemns fans over banners insulting victim's mother

Roma president James Pallotta has condemned the club's fans for displaying banners criticising the mother of the Napoli fan killed by a Roma supporter before last season's Coppa Italia final against Fiorentina.

Ciro Esposito died in hospital a month after being shot during outbreaks of fighting before the match.

The victim's mother, who has called for an end to violence around football andsaid she forgives the gunman, was targeted by banners displayed by Roma fans as they defeated Napoli 1-0 at home on Sunday.

One banner accused her of using her son's death for personal gain.

In a statement on Roma's official website, Pallotta said: "As has been expressed repeatedly, AS Roma considers any events that lead to the loss of life at a football match to be a defeat for civil society as a whole, regardless of affiliations to clubs or fan groups.

"The enormous pain that follows such events deserves maximum, unconditional respect from all and necessitates that all parties -- fans, clubs and law enforcement agencies -- strive to ensure that such pain is not renewed, not even verbally, in the stands of a stadium."

Esposito's mother, Antonella Leardi, told the ANSA news agency: "May God change the hearts of those people who wrote those banners.

"I watched the game on TV and I was hurt by those words. It pains to hear such horrible things said about a son who has been lost."

Roma chief hits out at fans again following partial stadium ban

Roma president James Pallotta has once again condemned supporters after the club were ordered to play one game with a partial stadium closure.

The Curva Sud will be closed for the Giallorossi's Serie A game at home to Atalanta on April 19 after banners criticising the mother of the Napoli fan killed by a Roma ultra prior to last season's Coppa Italia final were displayed during the 1-0 defeat of Napoli on Saturday.

Pallotta, who had earlier said the Roma fans' actions were a "defeat for civil society," told Roma Radio that those who displayed the banners are "idiots" ruining things for everybody else.

"We are incredibly frustrated and disappointed in some of the actions," Pallotta said. "We just don't really have the power in the stadium to stop all of this. We did take away some of the banners -- whatever banners that we did see outside before the game, our stewards did -- but at the end of the day, the security inside have to choose to take action and we don't control that security inside.

"But in spite of that, it's just not fair for all of our fans to be tarnished by a few f---ing idiots and a--h---s that hang out in the Curva Sud. And I'm sure that the vast majority of Roma supporters are sick and tired of these fools, and it's up to all of us together -- not just in Rome but in Italy -- to put an end to their antics.

"It's time we put an end to their antics. We are doing a lot of good things with 'Roma Cares' against bullying and violence and racism, and we'll continue to do that and we're working very hard at this, sometimes fairly quietly."

At the same time, Pallotta has vowed to strengthen attempts to clamp down on this minority and promote a better atmosphere in and around football games.

"I am pledging right now $1 million to 'Roma Cares' to continue to combat this bulls--- that's going on in Rome by a few, and in Italy by a few," he said. "And I'm hoping that we get others to contribute for educational programs to stop all of this crap."

Roma's Daniele De Rossi, Ashley Cole both dealing with minor fractures

Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi has a micro-fracture in a vertebra, while defender Ashely Cole has a broken hand, the club announced on Thursday.

Despite the back injury, De Rossi will train on his own for the next few days in an attempt to play against Torino on Sunday.

Cole will be able to play while wearing a brace on his right hand after he was found to have fractured his fifth metacarpal bone.

Roma are in second in Serie A, one point ahead of Lazio with nine games to play.

Torino 1-1 AS Roma

Roma surrendered their grip on second place in Serie A to fierce rivals Lazio by struggling through a 1-1 draw at Torino.

While the Biancocelesti were busy dismantling Empoli on their way to claiming a 4-0 victory, Roma were lethargic and needed an Alessandro Florenzi penalty to take the lead on 57 minutes.

Maxi Lopez promptly equalised and Roma stumbled towards their ninth draw in 13 games.

Now they are 13 points behind leaders Juventus, Rudi Garcia's men will likely to focus their efforts on reclaiming the runners-up spot from Lazio with only eight matches remaining to do so.

Roma enjoyed the better chances of the first half but the opening 45 minutes would be tame.

Juan Iturbe was first to try his luck, fizzing the ball over the bar from outside the box before Daniele De Rossi copied the move only to send his shot even higher.

In the 21st minute Radja Nainggolan carved out some space and tested Daniele Padelli with a right-footed effort.

The Torino goalkeeper coped well again, when Iturbe exploded down the left wing to force him into a desperate punching save.

With half-time fast approaching, Florenzi came up just short on a pin-point cross from Miralem Pjanic and the game remained goalless at the break.

Roma returned to the pitch full of intent and Jose Holebas almost fooled Padelli with a shot from the edge of the box that the keeper fumbled.

The Giallorossi were given a helping hand in the 57th minute as Emiliano Moretti fouled De Rossi to concede a penalty. Florenzi stepped up to take it and Padelli was duly beaten.

That lead would disappear seven minutes later, however, with Lopez coolly steering Giuseppe Vives' pass beyond Morgan De Sanctis from the middle of the box.

Adem Ljajic had the ball in the net in the 70th minute only for the offside flag to deny him and his replacement Seydou Doumbia threatened a prompt goal with a header only a few minutes later.

With time ticking away Roma piled forward and, after Padelli coped well with Florenzi's drive from deep, Nainggolan's missile from distance represented the capital club's last effort of the match.

Roma, now third behind Lazio in Serie A, shouldn't panic just yet

Welp, it's finally happened.

As Roma have stalled over the last few months, having scored more than one goal in a game just twice since January, Stefano Pioli and the noisy neighbours from across town decided to dig deep and shoot their way up the table. Yes, it's every Romanista's worst nightmare: Lazio have overtaken Roma in the standings, edging aside the red-and-yellow part of the city for the light-blue-and-white.

This feels somewhat cognitively dissonant.

Roma, of course, were supposed to be challenging for the title this season, and as soon as early January, were just a point behind Juventus. Yet things have really fallen apart since then -- as even the most casual of observers of Serie A could attest -- but second place was never really under threat. Everyone below Roma seemed to be stuttering even worse.

Bar Lazio, that remains more or less true: The gap between Roma in third and Napoli in fourth is seven points. And Lazio are just one point above Roma now in second.

Certainly, this should be a wake-up call. The ramifications for missing second are loud and clear, all too often a domino effect that begins with Champions League playoffs.

Without knowing if a side are guaranteed to be in the group stage, and the massive amount of money that comes along with it, a team's mercato is usually seriously affected. Not only is there less money to bring in players, but players of a certain caliber would hesitate to go to a side that might not be in Europe's best competition.

Then, even if the third-placed team does qualify, there's no way of knowing until August, which can condense months' worth of mercato dealings into just weeks, giving new players even less time to get used to the tactics. Just look at what happened to Napoli last season for a good example of how finishing third can have devastating consequences.

And yet, this isn't yet time for Roma to panic. On paper, the 1-1 draw away to Torino is not a bad result. The side are in seventh for a reason and have some serious talent, including two full-backs that Walter Sabatini would be very wise to try and pry away. Yet Rudi Garcia knew before the match that Lazio were to take on Empoli and anything but a win could be costly; the side did anything but, and the result certainly was.

Here's the catch: There are still eight games to play in Serie A, and Lazio's run-in is brutal. They still have to face Juventus and Roma, the teams immediately above and below them. They'll have to host plucky Chievo and travel away to Atalanta. They have home matches against a Parma side that refuses to go down without beating a top opponent and an Inter team that are completely unpredictable.

Oh, and their final three weeks: away to Sampdoria, the Roman Derby, and at the Sao Paolo.

Roma's schedule is easier, at least on paper. They host Palermo, Udinese and Genoa, all of which have cooled off massively in recent weeks. And they have a trip away to Sassuolo who haven't really repeated last season's heroics. There are tougher matches too, to be fair, like two trips away to Milan within three weeks, but a one point gap is certainly possible to bridge.

That is, of course, if Roma get their act together.

If Lazio do finish second, the side will certainly have earned it. They're on a strong winning streak and have to navigate murky waters in order to stay that way as the season comes to a close. But the only reason they were even allowed to climb so high is because Roma have fallen so far -- and the red-and-yellow half of the city have no one to blame but themselves for that.

Banned Roma fans call for stadium boycott, slam president James Pallotta

Roma fans who have been banned from attending the Serie A club's home game with Atalanta at the weekend have called on the rest of the club's supporters to show their solidarity by boycotting the game.

The Curva Sud will be closed for Sunday afternoon's clash after insulting banners about the mother of a Napoli fan who was killed by a Roma supporter prior to last season's Coppa Italia final in the capital were shown during their recent 1-0 win over Napoli.

Club president James Pallotta branded the culprits "idiots" and distanced his club from them. But those fans have now isolated themselves from the president and called on the rest of the Roma fans to follow suit at the weekend. 

"You permitted yourself to label 14,000 Roma fans "f---ing idiots," making yourself a new millennium moralist," read a statement released by the Roma Ultras, which will be distributed to fans outside the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday.

"This is why we are angry with you, James, and this is why, in a sign of solidarity with the Curva Sud, the rest of the stadium will remain empty for Roma-Atalanta. We invite all of the Giallorossi fans to stay away."

Pallotta is not going to back down in his condemnation of those fans who tarnished the Serie A club's reputation, however.

"I'll continue my fight against those few who are damaging the great majority of fans," he told Il Corriere dello Sport.

The Italian Football Association (FIGC) have also defended their decision to close a quarter of the stadium at the weekend, saying they may even go further.

"The closure of the Curva Sud and the measures adopted by the club do credit to Roma," FIGC president Carlo Tavecchio said at a conference in Cassino, in quotes reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport. "I think banners should be removed from all the stadiums because we're the only country where this sort of thing happens."

Roma's Daniele De Rossi: I chose No. 16 shirt because of Roy Keane

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane was the inspiration behind Daniele De Rossi's decision to wear the No. 16 shirt, the Roma midfielder has revealed.

De Rossi says he had originally wanted to wear the No. 5 jersey as ex-Giallorossi player Falcao had done during his time at the club.

But while he was disappointed not to have been able to wear such a number for Roma straight away, he has no regrets about his eventual choice.

"I used to wear No. 4 and my dream was to wear No. 5 of Falcao," De Rossi saidduring a visit to a Roma store in Rome. "They didn't let me have it, even though it could have been rightfully mine. There's a hierarchy as to how we get the shirt numbers.

"I could then have got it after one year, but my daughter was born on July 16 and I took that number, which was also the number of Roy Keane, another of my greatest idols. So thanks to Gaia and Roy Keane, I chose 16."

Keane is not the only player who has helped define De Rossi's career, with Diego Maradona listed among the 31-year-old's favourites.

"My idols were also Rudi Voller, and then [Giuseppe] Giannini. They were those I looked up to when I was growing up," he added, before discussing who he gets on with most in the current Roma team.

"I've got on well with everybody. There's somebody new each year, but after 15 years playing football together, [Francesco] Totti has got to be the one with whom I have the strongest bond.

"We've had [Victor] Ibarbo here for the past few months and he's really nice and always smiling, then there's [Davide] Astori, [Alessandro] Florenzi. But if I have to name one then it would have to be Francesco."

Francesco Totti scores for Roma but Atalanta battle back for draw

Roma missed a chance to reclaim second place in Serie A after being held to a 1-1 draw at home to Atalanta on Sunday.

The Giallorossi went into the game knowing that victory would see them climb above city rivals Lazio, who saw their eight-game winning streak in the league ended in a 2-0 defeat at Juventus on Saturday.

Roma captain Francesco Totti put his team ahead in the third minute from the penalty spot but German Denis pulled Atalanta level with a spot-kick midway through the first half.

The Giallorossi struggled to break down Atalanta's defensive wall and for the ninth straight game in Serie A failed to score more than one goal.

Roma are in third place but did move level on 58 points with Lazio.

Atalanta, who hold the last position of safety, are seven points clear of the drop zone with seven games remaining.

The visitors went into the game without defender Giuseppe Biava, midfielder Luca Cigarini and the team's top scorer Mauricio Pinilla, because of suspensions.

They suffered an early setback when the referee pointed to the spot after a Guglielmo Stendardo handball.

Totti's diagonal shot beat Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Sportiello.

Atalanta equalised after Urby Emanuelson earned a penalty when brought down in the area by Roma's Davide Astori.

Denis sent his spot-kick towards the bottom left corner of the goal and out of Roma goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis' reach.

In the 28th minute, Sportiello was forced to make a save after a poor back-pass from Carlos Carmona allowed Roma striker Alessandro Florenzi to enter the Atalanta area and take a shot on goal.

Atalanta put a good move together in the 34th minute when Emanuelson fed Alejandro Gomez in the box and his right-footed effort towards the near post was saved by De Sanctis.

With the Giallorossi struggling up front, Roma coach Rudi Garcia brought on Victor Ibarbo for the ineffective Juan Iturbe and also inserted Seydou Keita into midfield as a replacement for Leandro Paredes.

Roma's struggles continued and they were limited to shooting from distance.

On the hour, Sportiello was twice called upon to make saves of long-range 

attempts from Radja Nainggolan and Florenzi.

Roma could not find a way through and grew frustrated.

In the 79th minute, a diagonal shot by Adem Ljajic was kept out by Sportiello.

Atalanta's Giulio Migliaccio did well to clear the rebound with Vasilis Torosidis ready to pounce on the loose ball.

Atalanta defended deeply and held on for a vital point in their battle to avoid the drop.

Atalanta draw leaves AS Roma in a familiar mess

Trying to figure out this AS Roma side is difficult, infuriating and messy -- like a painting made of some colours that are beautiful, some that are ugly and some that you've never seen before.

The side's 1-1 draw at home against Atalanta on Sunday was a missed opportunity to leapfrog over Lazio and back into second place, especially given their crosstown rivals' loss to Juventus earlier in the weekend. The opportunity was there, the team knew it, and they failed to take advantage of it.

The result was as familiar as the tale of the game. The match's opening suggested maybe Roma had found some semblance of swagger. Adem Ljajic won a penalty Francesco Totti converted within the opening five minutes to propel the side into the lead. Buoyed with confidence, the team continued to push forward and create half-chances, though they rarely amounted to full ones.

Young Marco Sportiello had a superb game in goal for the visitors, who took heart from Roma's failing to add to their one-goal advantage. Midway through the first half, Davide Astori committed a foul in the box in Atalanta's only real chance of the match. German Denis converted, leaving Roma to toil and toil to no avail, until the game eventually ended.

That the fans are reaching a breaking point is becoming undeniable. Whistles rained down at Juan Iturbe when substituted, as the ultras displayed their disappointment with the impact he has made on the pitch. Whether he fits into this Roma side is a discussion that needs to be had away from the jeers of the fans, who clearly expect more from the team's most expensive signing in a decade.

On the other hand, there was nothing but applause for Seydou Keita, who came on as a late substitute and looked as assured as ever. He was one of three players who escaped the match without scorn, as Alessandro Florenzi ran tirelessly and put in an exceptional shift driving from one wing to another and Radja Nainggolan was his usual, irreplaceable self. The oft criticised Victor Ibarbo did arguably more in his short time on the pitch than many of the starters. Everyone else, however, looked short of confidence and without much of a plan, and even Totti and Ljajic faded after their bright start.

If all of the above sounds familiar, it's because it is; it has become a running pattern for Roma in the second half of the season. The lead to Lazio might have been cut, thanks to their loss, but Napoli's win means third place is just five points behind Roma now. With 21 points left to gain this season, Champions League football is no guarantee, which would be nothing short of disastrous for 

a side with the ambitions and financial need Roma have.

Answers to the underlying question -- 'Where did this all go so wrong?' -- are varied and incomplete. Was the Bayern Munich home thrashing in the Champions League the reason? Was it relying too much on an aging core of veterans, such as Francesco Totti and Douglas Maicon? Has the team lost its foundation without Leandro Castan and Mehdi Benatia? Were the club's actions in the summer transfer window really that ineffective?

Yes to all of these, which only reveals how messy and tangled Roma's season is. There is much work to be done in the offseason, but without Champions League football, the immediate future of the club is in a very delicate position. All this in a year the team looked poised to compete for the title.