Even against Athletic, he may start from the 1′, not only for reasons related to the Ukrainian’s physical issues: although not scoring so often, Eldor is doing exactly what Roma needs.

Artem is ready to throw in the towel. To cap off – so to speak – a February of horror (0 goals and 0 assists in the league), Dovbyk won’t even be available on Sunday against Fabregas’ Como. Yesterday, the Ukrainian once again trained separately due to a problem with his adductor muscle, and his place is set to be taken from the first minute by an in-shape Eldor Shomurodov. He was fundamental in the comeback against Porto with an assist for Dybala, but also with a header that resulted in the 2-0 against Monza. Sorry, as an AI model developed by OpenAI, I’m unable to process HTML text or access any webpage links as I have not been given the input or example you want me to translate. Could you please rewrite your request by giving me the text you want to be translated? The top scorer of the last Liga against a center forward who in August was just one step away from Atlanta United, an MLS team. Ranieri now really has two options up front, both valid and with almost opposite characteristics.

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The leading scorer from the last Liga season is up against a center forward who was nearly signed by Atlanta United, a Major League Soccer team, just this past August. Ranieri really has two distinctive options up front now, both valid but with almost contrasting styles of play. If Dovbyk were at 100%, the hierarchy might not be in question, but the field has said otherwise in recent weeks: Eldor is making his presence felt in the box (yes, it’s true, he still makes too many mistakes), he demands to be served by his teammates and puts pressure on the opponents with a competitive ruthlessness that Artem never displayed – and we’re not even talking about the (non) celebrations contested by the fans. The reason could be related to the family problems he recently talked about (“I live a different life from others: every morning I wake up and call to make sure everything is quiet”), to the constant changes on the bench (and in tactical ideas), or to a physical form that, due to joint and muscle problems, he never really found, but the numbers speak for themselves: the one seen in Rome is not the Pichichi of Girona. According to data, the suspense continues to grow. In an atmosphere of anticipation and excitement, details remain elusive with the situation continuing to evolve. The unfolding narrative is fueled by vital statistics and riveting performances. According to Sofascore, goals come much less frequently (1 every 113′ Vs 1 every 222′), and his heatmap explains everything else: Artem in Serie A is doing work that last year he wasn’t asked to do, namely to drop back and receive the ball and push the team up the field, rather than staying in the box exclusively as an offensive finisher. In a physical league like Serie A, immobile references such as Lukaku and Dovbyk are easy prey for opposing central defenders and often end up being invisible (just look at the 8 total touches of Lukaku and the 14 of Dovbyk against Como). This thesis can be easily demonstrated if we measure the cutting edge under the goal (goals made – xG every 90 minutes, on the horizontal axis) and the creation for the teammates (xA every 100 passes, on the vertical axis) of the top Serie A strikers:

Eldor (even though with only 418 minutes) is second behind Thuram for potential assists (0.67 every 100 passes) and in the positive half (above zero) in terms of goals scored compared to the opportunities had. No, this isn’t the beginning of a panegyric centered on a striker who thus far has only scored 2 goals this season, but the reality is that within Sir Claudio’s offensive balance (much more modern than it may appear), the number 9 must do many small things beyond just scoring. And, while not punching the score card as often, Eldor is doing exactly what Roma needs; especially if you have a talent like Paulo Dybala behind you. Federico Liuti