Emperor FLORENZI gives Roma Good Start in Champions League against Barcelona

Thankfully, Roma came with a plan. I feared that they would stick to their own game, and be totally embarrassed yet again in front of their own fans. Thankfully, Garcia learned his lesson and respected the fact that they were going up against an unstoppable attack. More or less, the tactic worked. Yeah, they got lucky and Messi opened them up a few times, but it would have been much worse had they been totally open.

Barcelona were always very likely to score first. Being the Champions League holders and the amazing goal-record that Messi, the Cannibal and Neymar have; you would be a brave man to bet on Roma being the first to bulge the net.  The actual goal came after Roma defended really well and kept hitting Barcelona on the counter. The tactic was working and you could see the gameplan that Roma had which every player was buying into. Well done, Garcia.

Eventually though, the pressure would tell. A foul or not a foul, Rakitic got the ball, Roma were thin at the back and the Cannibal had an easy header to dispatch. From then on, I feared the worst for them. This would mean Roma would have to come out a bit more, which would leave them lighter in defense and say hello to complete battery at the hands of that Barca frontline. However...nobody ever factored in the imagination of Mister Florenzi...







I have been very privileged to see some great goals live. The Ronaldinho goal against Chelsea where he chipped it into the corner against the best keeper in the world at the time, Cech, is the one that sticks in my mind most firmly. That goal is still the best goal that I have ever seen live. But Florenzi's G is definitely in the top three or four. It actually made sense, in the way the game was going with Barcelona being the attacking team and Roma playing the role of defender that this would be how they would equalize.


Florenzi had the ball on the wing, and it was yet another counter. Naturally, his aim was to find either Salah or Dzeko and try and catch Barcelona on the break. Without either of them available for the pass, Florenzi decided to just go for it. Most players wouldn't even try it. Assuming they would miss, which would be the likely outcome nine times out of ten, they would opt to pass the ball back or try and win a throw. Florenzi is one of the few that likes to head to the edge and look over. He struck that ball and tried his luck.


Luck.

A few people have talked about how that goal was luck. Anyone with a brain and who has played football would know, that was not luck. Florenzi meant to go for goal, and when you see how he struck the ball, he understood how he needed to beat Stegen who was off his line. A combination of the right amount of power, the proper technique and the awareness of Stegen's position all came together to produce a memorable goal. Simple as that. Florenzi must be given all the props in the world for that, and it has already gone down as one of the greatest goals scored in the history of football.





As far as both teams are concerned with regard to this group, nothing has changed. Barcelona have shown that they will finish top, while Roma know they will need to do battle with Leverkusen for second place, which should be very exciting to watch over those two games. The Spanish club really don't have much to worry about, as long as their front three are fit. Beyond them though, Iniesta and Rakitic ought not to go unnoticed. Without a working midfield, your attack is useless, and those two keep the ball really well and bring the trio into the game. Busquets (or Digestive Biscuits based on your preference) is a great cover for the defense, and ensures that Barcelona control the game.


Too early to say which two will come through. It will be Barcelona and either Roma or Leverkusen, but I can't decide which of those two. But if Roma can use the talents of Dzeko, Salah and Florenzi and with Pjanic to come back; they could edge Leverkusen out based purely on superior quality. And if they can defend as well as they did with Rudiger and De Rossi putting in work to keep things tight, Roma have a really good chance in doing the Serie A league proud.


HH