Analysing AS Roma’s playing style

Claudio Ranieri was appointed head coach of AS Roma in late 2024 due to the side’s rough start to the 2024/25 season. The 73-year-old retired back in May of the same year after helping Cagliari avoid relegation but has now returned to help Roma achieve a European spot in Serie A. He is currently unbeaten in the league in 2025, and the way he sets up his team is reminiscent of his counter-attacking side at Leicester when they won the league.

AS Roma’s current tactical setup

It would be difficult to analyse the current tactical setup of AS Roma without looking at how the club has played in the past year. José Mourinho was still in charge of the team just about a year ago. His style may not have been entertaining, but it helped Roma clinch their first piece of major silverware in more than 14 years. The Portuguese manager deployed a conservative playing style during his time at the club that saw Roma often use the 5-3-2 formation, where three centre backs are flanked by wingbacks that can start an offensive when given the opportunity.

Club leadership sacked him following his maiden UEFA Conference League victory and replaced him with club icon Daniele De Rossi. De Rossi’s success remains uncertain, yet his playing style differed greatly from his predecessor’s defensive approach. De Rossi reversed the defensive emphasis of the team to a more attacking philosophy, favouring a 4-3-3 formation that saw some talents, such as Lorenzo Pellegrini, regain their attacking mojo. However, when the Giallorossi played teams like Inter, they often reverted to the 3-5-2 formation, which helped them be compact without giving up their attacking style.

However, De Rossi would only manage four games into the 2024/2025 season before being shown the door by the club owners. A few weeks later, fellow Italian Claudio Ranieri would be called out of retirement to take over from Ivan Jurić, who briefly replaced De Rossi. Ranieri’s philosophy has been successful, and he appears to be replicating it at Roma.

If one can sum up Roma’s current playing style, it would be an aggressive approach on home turf and a conservative approach when playing on away grounds. This makes it easy for punters to bet on some of the outcomes of his side. It is also common to see the team play solid defensive lines with fast transition counterattacks. Unsurprisingly, he has not conceded more than two goals since his appointment. These are points that a football punter who speculates on football odds would want to note. Let’s take a closer look at the strengths and weaknesses of AS Roma’s playing style.

Strengths of AS Roma’s playing style

Roma’s attacks come with the commitment of many players pressing forward in quick transitions, and without the ball, they form a compact block that aggressively pursues the ball. This playing philosophy favours the wingbacks. They now have the freedom to deliver crosses into the box for players like Hummels and Paredes to nod in.

Another advantage of Roma’s playing style is that it creates opportunities from field switch crosses. These changes can cause trouble for teams who do not regroup quickly. Roma are a difficult team to play against off the ball because they revert to a 5-3-2 formation. This formation chokes the spaces in front of the goal posts. Roma’s tactics have resulted in five Derby della Capitale victories this season.

Tactical limitations

Ranieri’s tactical slips were exposed as Roma lost 1-0 in the Europa League match against AZ Alkmaar. Roma’s solid defensive capabilities suffered against a quick-paced counter-attacking team. The manager re-echoed this tactical flaw when he mentioned that the club had conceded similar goals in recent matches.

In addition, some players have yet to understand and use the quick transition ideology of Ranieri. In a post-match conference, he was utterly furious with his midfielders. It appears that they tend to hold on to the ball for too long, which attracts dispossessions or kills off quick transitions.

Will Roma catch up?

Roma currently sits mid-table, with 31 points from Serie A 23 games. They are 23 points off league leaders Napoli. The club’s current form may not be top-notch, but their style of play always poses problems for their opponents. This is due to Roma’s solid defence and fast attacking approach, as Ranieri prefers direct play and exploitation of space.Claudio Ranieri was appointed head coach of AS Roma in late 2024 due to the side’s rough start to the 2024/25 season. The 73-year-old retired back in May of the same year after helping Cagliari avoid relegation but has now returned to help Roma achieve a European spot in Serie A. He is currently unbeaten in the league in 2025, and the way he sets up his team is reminiscent of his counter-attacking side at Leicester when they won the league.

AS Roma’s current tactical setup

It would be difficult to analyse the current tactical setup of AS Roma without looking at how the club has played in the past year. José Mourinho was still in charge of the team just about a year ago. His style may not have been entertaining, but it helped Roma clinch their first piece of major silverware in more than 14 years. The Portuguese manager deployed a conservative playing style during his time at the club that saw Roma often use the 5-3-2 formation, where three centre backs are flanked by wingbacks that can start an offensive when given the opportunity.

Club leadership sacked him following his maiden UEFA Conference League victory and replaced him with club icon Daniele De Rossi. De Rossi’s success remains uncertain, yet his playing style differed greatly from his predecessor’s defensive approach. De Rossi reversed the defensive emphasis of the team to a more attacking philosophy, favouring a 4-3-3 formation that saw some talents, such as Lorenzo Pellegrini, regain their attacking mojo. However, when the Giallorossi played teams like Inter, they often reverted to the 3-5-2 formation, which helped them be compact without giving up their attacking style.

However, De Rossi would only manage four games into the 2024/2025 season before being shown the door by the club owners. A few weeks later, fellow Italian Claudio Ranieri would be called out of retirement to take over from Ivan Jurić, who briefly replaced De Rossi. Ranieri’s philosophy has been successful, and he appears to be replicating it at Roma.

If one can sum up Roma’s current playing style, it would be an aggressive approach on home turf and a conservative approach when playing on away grounds. This makes it easy for punters to bet on some of the outcomes of his side. It is also common to see the team play solid defensive lines with fast transition counterattacks. Unsurprisingly, he has not conceded more than two goals since his appointment. These are points that a football punter who speculates on football odds would want to note. Let’s take a closer look at the strengths and weaknesses of AS Roma’s playing style.

Strengths of AS Roma’s playing style

Roma’s attacks come with the commitment of many players pressing forward in quick transitions, and without the ball, they form a compact block that aggressively pursues the ball. This playing philosophy favours the wingbacks. They now have the freedom to deliver crosses into the box for players like Hummels and Paredes to nod in.

Another advantage of Roma’s playing style is that it creates opportunities from field switch crosses. These changes can cause trouble for teams who do not regroup quickly. Roma are a difficult team to play against off the ball because they revert to a 5-3-2 formation. This formation chokes the spaces in front of the goal posts. Roma’s tactics have resulted in five Derby della Capitale victories this season.

Tactical limitations

Ranieri’s tactical slips were exposed as Roma lost 1-0 in the Europa League match against AZ Alkmaar. Roma’s solid defensive capabilities suffered against a quick-paced counter-attacking team. The manager re-echoed this tactical flaw when he mentioned that the club had conceded similar goals in recent matches.

In addition, some players have yet to understand and use the quick transition ideology of Ranieri. In a post-match conference, he was utterly furious with his midfielders. It appears that they tend to hold on to the ball for too long, which attracts dispossessions or kills off quick transitions.

Will Roma catch up?

Roma currently sits mid-table, with 31 points from Serie A 23 games. They are 23 points off league leaders Napoli. The club’s current form may not be top-notch, but their style of play always poses problems for their opponents. This is due to Roma’s solid defence and fast attacking approach, as Ranieri prefers direct play and exploitation of space.