Results. At the end of the disastrous 2012/2013 season, Roma set a clear target: a return to European competition. That meant that with fourth or fifth place the management would have been satisfied. In fact, Roma fought for the title until May 2014 and set a record in the history of the club: 85 points. Not even the team led by Fabio Capello managed to rack up so many points in the Scudetto season (although Serie A had 18 teams at that time). If Serie A didn't end in undisputed supremacy by Juventus, we have to thank the Giallorossi. It's clear that 2013-2014 has been a complete success, as Roma will take part in the next Champions League without facing the preliminary round. The team managed to keep a continuity that has been completely unknown for many years; keeping Napoli (who started with much more amibitious targets) at a safe distance for the entire season. The Coppa Italia was the only small imperfection of a fantastic season: Roma lost the semifinals against Napoli with a bad loss at the San Paolo (3-0).

 

Key player of the season. Is hard to pick one, as each component of the squad had a memorable season. Above all Gervinho has been a crucial game-changer. With his incredible speed and dribbling skills, the Ivorian has been essential to change the pace of the game and to create numerical superiority. With Gervinho and Totti on the pitch, Roma could count on the most important skill in a football game: unpredictability. The Ivorian scored 9 goals and made 10 assist in Serie A this season, and was the best assistman of the tournament along with Francesco Totti and Torino's Alessio Cerci. But it would be unfair not to mention Mehdi Benatia, currently the best defender in Serie A. Daniele De Rossi's resurrection (on average he has been the best passer of the season) is largely thanks to the feeling of safety that Morgan De Sanctis gave to the team or Mattia Destro's goal spree. Obviously, Rudi Garcia's role in this miracle was huge: the Frenchman induced self esteem in the team and, especially, he was a capable psychologist as he managed to avoid any loss of concentration.

 

Flop player of the season. Excluding Maicon, who had a great season after a grey year at Manchester City, Roma's weak point was – once again – on the defensive sidelines. The young Brazilian Dodò grew up but he's still not ready for a place in the starting eleven; Balzaretti's first part of the season was largely satisfactory but a hernia kept him away from the pitch for the entire second half (his return is still uncertain) whereas Michel Bastos (who arrived in the winter transfer window) was a fiasco: his ineptitude in the defensive phase doesn't fit with Garcia's philosophy.

 

Best moment. Roma started the season in terrific fashion: 10 wins in a row. Although it didn't lead to the title, that impressive streak was crucial; Roma took advantage of it for the following months because those 10 games became an endless source of confidence for a side that was still feeling humiliated by the poor results it obtained in the previous season. And, furthermore, the winning streak brought the fans closer to the squad, for a union that still endures and bore fruit: an Olimpico Stadium which was always full and extraordinarily noisy.

 

What do they need for the next season. How to improve such a good side and equip it for a Champions League campaign? First of all: holding on to the key players. The first step is completed: Miralem Pjanic has renewed his contract until 2019. Assuming that De Rossi and Totti are immovable, if Mehdi Benatia, Gervinho and Kevin Strootman stay, the foundation will be solid. But Roma will need two full backs at least (assuming that Rafael Toloi and Michel Bastos won't stay and considering Balzaretti's long injury) and a playmaker with a “licence to kill”, as Kevin Strootman will miss the first part of the next season. Then, the transfer market wizard Walter Sabatini will have to make a choice: to buy Gervinho's “little brother”, who can replace him when he's injured (or tired); or a brand new striker, a target man with a solid European experience to flank Mattia Destro and Francesco Totti. Sabatini's masterpiece would be to buy both.

 

2013-2014 season analysis: Napoli | Fiorentina | Inter | Milan 

 

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