December showed improvements but not all that the manager had hoped for. Now, the winter window could deliver the right moves to continue the journey.

It was supposed to be the month of truth and to some extent it was. But this December has yet to reveal what grand plans this Rome has in store. Since Ranieri’s arrival, the yellows and reds have scored 4 victories, 2 draws, and 3 losses in a total of 9 games. However, if we only account for December, the losses drop to a mere one: the unfortunate away trip to Como. This month, Roma have partly demonstrated their worth, they have bounced back, played as a team, and most importantly, they have fought. The hallmark quality of Mourinho’s tenure that was gradually lost with the passage of months and dismissals. Roma fights and believes in its potential for the first time this season. The draw at San Siro is the proof. After Reijnders’ goal, the team disintegrated for a few minutes only to regroup, flirting with victory multiple times towards the end. However, not all that glitters is gold. The yellows and reds have distanced themselves from the relegation zone but December has also revealed all the limits of a poorly constructed squad in the summer. Last night, the need to bring at least one central defender to Trigoria was emphasized once again since instead of Hummels, “Sor Claudio” brought back the Celik card, moving Mancini to a central position (not his preferred one). On the bench, there was also Hermoso, who, however, now seems destined for other shores, thus inevitably increasing the need for two new defenders. However, looking at the cold, hard numbers, Roma needs a right full-back and a substitute for Dovbyk. The Giallorossi find themselves midway in the rankings for the teams that execute the most crosses in the championship, tallying a total of 299 crosses, which is less than Torino, Monza, Genoa, and Udinese. Among the top 20 crossers for the Giallorossi, only Angeliño stands out with a staggering attempt of 56 crosses. Much further down, other external players appear (Celik is 78th in A for attempted crosses). In the offensive statistic XG, it tells a tale of a Roma that struggles heavily to score, particularly with their striker who, as Ranieri often underscores, has rarely been in form. Ghisolfi is already hard at work reshuffling a squad that is teeming with talent in some areas while starkly lacking in others. As for the centre-back role, all eyes are fixated on Marco Di Cesare, a rising star of Argentine football owned by Racing Avellaneda. The 22-year-old, boasting clear Italian ancestry, is a name that has been in favor for some time, and in fact, an offer has already been dispatched from Trigoria to “La Academia”. But it appears to have been snubbed, deemed too low. There are also interested parties circling around him, including Inter (with Milito being the spokesperson for the operation), Eintrach, and Lipsia. On the outer lanes, however, there are two names: Ratiu and Sidillia. However, the evaluations for both are quite high. Twenty-five million for the Romanian from Rayo Vallecano and 15 million for the Frenchman from Fribourg. These are sums that Roma is expected to shell out in order to improve the situation. On the other hand, the prospect remains strong for Raspadori, despite his victorious goal yesterday against Venezia and Conte’s words of praise: “He is involved in the project. I am working with him as a central midfielder. The goal is well-deserved, considering the energy and seriousness they bring to the table. “We don’t want to weaken ourselves in January,” they say. You didn’t provide any text to translate.