This has certainly not been the case. The chasm between Roma's pre-season expectations and actual performance was clearly displayed in their match against Napoli this past matchday. The latest edition of the Derby del Sole ended in a 2-1 Napoli victory. Victor Osimhen opened the scoring for the Serie A champions-to-be, allowing Napoli to take a 1-0 lead into halftime. A half-hour after play resumed, Stephan El Sharaawy equalized for Roma only for Giovanni Simeone to seal Napoli's victory with the winning goal in the 86th minute.
Roma's loss leaves them in sixth place in the league, 16 points behind Napoli. The only silver lining for Roma lies in the fact that every other presumed title contender apart from Napoli has struggled this season; this has allowed Roma to remain in contention for the top four and a spot in next season's Champions League. However, just about everything that could have gone wrong for them this season has.
Abraham has not even come close to replicating his form from last season. The Londoner has found the back of the net just five times in his 20 league appearances thus far this season - a far cry from his 17 in 37 a season ago. Though his exclusion from England's World Cup squad did initially raise some eyebrows, that decision appears to make much more sense now in light of his recent struggles.
With the exception of Dybala, Roma's off-season signings have not even approached the level of impact expected of them. Matić, Belotti, and Zeki Çelik have not been significant contributors this season, while loan acquisition Georginio Wijnaldum has barely even entered the field at all. Roma's reluctance to open up their wallets last summer has come back to haunt them in a big way. Even as the January transfer window comes to a close, Roma only made one signing during it - Ola Solbakken on a free transfer from Bodø/Glimt. While it may be true that Roma aren't exactly the wealthiest of clubs, they surely could have invested in a player who could have made a major difference to their campaign so far.
Additionally, rumours surrounding head coach José Mourinho may have destabilized the team. Mourinho has reportedly become dissatisfied at the Stadio Olimpico and has been linked with positions at Premier League clubs Chelsea and Newcastle United as well as the national teams of the United States and his home country of Portugal. It should not go unmentioned that Mourinho received the lion's share of the credit for Roma's success last season after several difficult years (both for Roma and Mourinho himself). This might also partially explain Abraham's steep decline this season: Mourinho was able to tap into Abraham's potential in a way that no other coach ever had, leading to his highly successful season in 2021-22. The prospect of Mourinho's departure may have thus contributed to his diminished output this season. It may also have caused the rest of the team to mentally "check out" to some extent.
While AS Roma have not necessarily taken a step back when compared to where they were last season, most would have expected them to be doing far better than they are right now. That said, for all their struggles, they still have a realistic shot at a Champions League spot next season and have a Europa League round of 32 fixture against Red Bull Salzburg which they should easily win. There's still plenty of time for Roma to turn their season around; however, something must change soon if what once seemed like such a promising season is to avoid coming to nothing.
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