At least on the pitch, the yellow-reds seem to have a future after years of disposable purchases.

Amid shaky benches and massive doubts about the Roma project, at least there’s one thing from Thursday’s game we can take heart: the team put out by Juric had an average age of 25.3 years, the third-lowest of the last Serie A round- leveling with Verona and above Empoli (24.8) and Parma (23.6). Youth often implies inexperience (a little less if you have a champion like Paulo Dybala ahead of you), but it seems to have convinced many more than usual. Empoli and Parma shouldn’t even be compared to Roma – given that they are in full reconstruction mode and in the beginning of the year, they certainly weren’t targeting Champions League glory – but after years of throwaway purchases, the Giallorossi (Roma) seem to have finally understood that running a successful team takes time and planning, particularly starting with the youth players. The management’s decisions (among them the premature dismissal of Daniele De Rossi) are not aligned with the moves made within the market by Ghisolfi. However, at least on the field, Roma appears to have a future that is gradually distancing itself from monumental contracts and making room for young, hungry players, and perhaps even devout Roma fans like Niccolò Pisilli.