World News – US – Team rotation is the name of the game as Roma prepare to face BSC Young Boys in opener

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Given the history of Roma moving from a distant city to a distant city during the Europa League, it’s probably a relief for Paulo Fonseca and his team that their match tomorrow is only Bern In non-COVID times, I would recommend guys to spend at least some time in the city; when i visited Switzerland in 2019 it was one of my favorite stops

Alas the Giallorossi don’t go to Bern to admire expensive watches or go to the Zentrum Paul Klee They go to Bern to play BSC Young Boys, the name of a football club I’ll never understand Why not call you Bern FC, a name that raises fewer questions! Regardless of the dubious name of the Bern soccer club, tomorrow’s game is the first for Roma in this year’s Europa League installment With them in Group A, if you forgot it, there’s BSC Young Boys, CFR 1907 Cluj and PFC CSKA-Sofia, a real who’s who of teams I can’t remember Which brings us to our first thing to look out for in tomorrow’s match!

To put it simply, Roma don’t play any club from a distance close to their stature in the Europa League group stage The transfer fees the Giallorossi paid for Patrik Schick are probably enough to buy the whole squad from the one of these clubs Given that, it makes sense for Paulo Fonseca to make a heavy rotation while Europa League matches are (or at least should be) gimmes In the pre-match presser, Fonseca said he plans to at least five or six changes from the usual starting XI, so expect more experienced squad members like Edin Džeko, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and others to rest

Like I said before, this game is meant to be a freebie, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some great things to look forward to, especially if one of the younger ones Giallorossi players can plead for increased playing time Gonzalo Villar and Borja Mayoral come to mind as two players who should seize this moment and try to grind BSC into a fine paste It would also be great to see Pau Lopez keep a clean sheet against even a small team like YB; that is, if Antonio Mirante (rumored to be in line for a contract renewal, of all things) doesn’t get the sign

Carles Pérez’s 89th-minute stunning against Benevento still hits the net in my mind This goal has definitely caught media attention to the Spain winger over the past two days, and assuming that Fonseca gives Pérez the start against YB, it will certainly be interesting to see if Pérez can turn a race finish mind-blowing early game in good form He showed he has the talent to make an impact on Roma; now he has to show he’ll take a chance when it comes to him

There’s no doubt that Pérez will have some fierce competition for an attacking midfielder this season, at least in the games that weigh more heavily. Pedro and Henrikh Mkhitaryan (who played a crucial role in Roma’s victory over Benevento, through) are seasoned champions who bring a lot to the table for the Giallorossi parties. For Pérez to prove to Roma that he is worth his transfer fee, he needs to make his way through the starting XI The only way I can see him doing this (except injuries to Mkhitaryan or Pedro) is to get in hot shape If he can do that, he could be a long term partner for Nicolo Zaniolo. If he can’t, well, we all remember what happened to Justin Kluivert, right?

If there has been one main frustration in watching Roma over the past decade, it’s that Giallorossi too often play their competitors This problem has been alleviated since Paulo Fonseca arrived, thankfully, but it is still a problem for a club with aspirations like Roma to have supporters who feel uncomfortable when a ‘match’ easy ”looming on the horizon It would be fantastic to see this pattern of minimizing the weaker opponent disappear with the arrival of the Friedkin Group, although I doubt that a change in who pays the wages will result in the mentality change needed

Nonetheless, hopefully the Giallorossi can pick up the energy from their 5-2 beating of Benevento in this Europa League opener if they are able to register a statement victory, even using the rotation of the players, maybe we can all start crossing our fingers to make it to the Europa League final this time around Wouldn’t that be nice?

AS Roma, UEFA Europa League, BSC Young Boys, Gonzalo Villar, Paulo Fonseca, Serie A