Sinners & Saints: Bologna 0, Roma 2

Neil El Aynaoui

It takes a lot to be mentioned in the same breath as Malen, but NEA matched him beat-for-beat yesterday, trading a goal and an assist with Roma’s new star forward. In addition to his work on the scoreboard, El Aynaoui played three balls into the final third, created two scoring chances, recovered two balls, and covered a hell of a lot of ground:

Wesley França

Back after being sidelined with a hamstring injury over the past few weeks, Roma’s young Brazilian wing-back was at his unbridled best against Bologna on Saturday. The stats won’t paint an accurate picture of Wesley’s performance yesterday, though he did have “hockey assists” on both goals, but he was a thorn in Bologna’s side, pushing the issue in attack, winning 50/50s and was seemingly always in the right place at the right time. It’s good to have him back…to say the least.

Evan Ndicka

As usual, Ndicka was steady as she goes at the back, leading Roma’s backline with his typical poise and grace. In 90 minutes, the Ivorian defender led all comers with 11 defensive actions, including five interceptions, and also played five balls into the final third. Whether pressing up the pitch in the first half or sitting back and absorbing everything Bologna had to offer in the second, Ndicka left Bologna with no answer. As Roma’s likely FFP sacrificial lamb, we may not get to enjoy these performances for much longer, so soak them up while you can. Since this match was largely decided in the first half, fueled primarily by these five names, we’ll keep today’s edition all halos. Let’s hope for more of the same next week after Fiorentina!