Torino – AS Roma: Mirrors Draw The Same Reflection (1-1)

Matching three-at-the-back systems and little shot activity, this is what they mean by Calcio. In classic throwback Serie A action, it was the individual battles that took centerstage, but AS Roma needs to be more creative if they are to break the ceiling above them.  
Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker.

Serie A has often been evaluated with a straight line between eight very competitive clubs and the rest of the league being forgotten about. Quite harsh towards clubs like Torino, who have proved to be tough nuts to crack. Ivan Jurić has established Torino as a solid defensive unit, one that has kept three clean sheets in their first four games of the season and in a traditional 3-4-2-1 structure, whose attacking gears favor the left side of the field.

Roma needed to build momentum. They have added some crucial technical players to their squad, but José Mourinho has a tough task in keeping them physically capable of lasting the season. A 7-0 victory over Empoli was an encouraging sign, with Romelu Lukaku scoring both in the league and in Europe in midweek. However, more convincing performances would answer more of the looming questions, that surround a club which has financed heavily with little domestic return.  

Jurić made just a single change, from his team’s 3-0 away win to Salernitana. Samuele Ricci was replaced in the midfield by the young Serbian international, Ivan Ilić. Mourinho made a single change from that victory over Empoli, as the injured Renato Sanches was replaced by Stephan El Shaarawy, a slight alteration that changed the formation from a 3-1-4-2 to 3 . . .