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Extended Clip - Has Paulo Dybala Killed Lorenzo Pellegrini At Roma?
1.3k Plays3 years ago
After Lorenzo Pellegrini has gone one full calendar year without scoring from open play in Serie A, Nima Tavallaey and Carlo Garganese discuss if Paulo Dybala's arrival at Roma has killed Pellegrini or if it is José Mourinho's inability to make it work.
This is a clip from the weekly Thursday episode of the Italian Football Podcast.
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Transcript
Pellegrini's Performance Concerns
00:00:02
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcast. We have to discuss about Pellegrini. What is going on with Lorenzo Pellegrini? He's now gone nine games without a goal or an assist.
00:00:18
Speaker
And his formal season has generally been really, really poor. He's not scored in open play in Serie A. But wait for this, a year, a whole year without scoring a goal in open play since the Derby. His last goal was the Derby in March 2022, which was a late goal, and I think it was a three-nil win. So, you know, he really doesn't look good.
Physical and Tactical Challenges
00:00:40
Speaker
You watch him. It's not just the stats. Watch him play. Physically, he doesn't look in great shape. I know Mourinho kind of alluded to this.
00:00:46
Speaker
uh maybe a month or so ago saying that he kind of said that you know Pellegrini's having to play despite not being in great shape because we're so short and because i can't trust the squad players i'm being forced to play him and he's going through playing through you know i don't know whether he's almost alluding he's playing with an injury i don't know what marina was alluding to so maybe that could be it but he doesn't physically doesn't look good you know he doesn't look sharp doesn't have those little
00:01:09
Speaker
I mean, he's never been the quickest player, right? He's always been, he hasn't really ever had- Yeah, but there's no spark in his step. No spark, yeah. He doesn't have those little one to five meters where he might get away from a player, you know, and create something. He just looks lethargic. And I wonder, does he even deserve to start right now? I mean, I don't see what he's providing at the moment. So the question is, I mean, what is the cause here? Is it Paolo Di Barra the problem, taking up the same positions? Or is Mourinho the problem?
00:01:37
Speaker
I think the root cause is tactical. I think it's a little bit of Di Bala and him kind of getting in each other's way and Di Bala obviously is the big star. He's the one who has to create and he has the license to roam.
00:01:53
Speaker
And now when Tammy and him have got their understanding together, now they need to get to start working as a Trident.
Tactical Balance and Player Roles
00:02:01
Speaker
I think the only time where it's looked actually pretty decent is when El Sharavi was like left wing back and he pushed up and Pellegrini kind of covered behind him.
00:02:10
Speaker
and found the space there. That's when Roma were balanced, especially against Napoli. I thought that was one of the better games I've seen in Pellegrini in a long, long time with Lesharavi there. So I think that's the root cause of it. I don't think he's found the tactical solution to get these three to work together. And also, when Spina Zola's there, it's not worked either.
00:02:38
Speaker
So, you know, I think it's a combination of everything all of the above, but I do see a bit of a tactical issue there. And that falls squarely on Jose Mourinho's desk. That is something he just has to figure out because Lorenzo Pellegrini is good enough, is better than this. We know that he's better than this and he should be able to get more out of him than he's gone. I think that on paper,
00:03:02
Speaker
For me, on paper, I mean, it's a three, four, two, one, right? That Mourinho's largely been playing, right? Because we can say on paper, it's a three, four, two, one. See, I think on paper, there's no reason why Pellegrini and Di Bala can't coexist in those two, I mean, I think that they can play in those roles, both of them can.
00:03:19
Speaker
I mean, for me, that's his natural role, is as a trequartista as either a one in a four, two, three, one, or just a one, or a two behind a one. I think there's no problem with that. He's got all the attributes and the qualities of playing that role. So then it comes down to me whether he can coexist with Di Bala.
00:03:41
Speaker
Because I don't think there's a problem with the position. I just think it's the problem that him and Diwala can't coexist together.
Mourinho's Responsibility and Solutions
00:03:46
Speaker
Are they taking up the same positions? Is it that Diwala wants to be everything that he wants to the play to go through him? So that's that's.
00:03:55
Speaker
kind of Pellegrini is pushed out to the side a little bit and becomes more of a bit part player. I don't know. I really don't know. I would love to know the opinions of Roma fans as well because for me, I haven't quite got the answer because I look at it and I know that tactically on paper, Pellegrini can play in that role.
00:04:14
Speaker
No, I think it's the problem is that they haven't found the order, the pecking order amongst themselves, who does what. And I think that Pellegrini is kind of holding back to allow Dibala to dominate and that kind of hinders him as well. Like the point I was alluding to before that, you know, they
00:04:34
Speaker
they haven't learned. Dibala and Tammy can coexist now, but Pellegrini in that doesn't work, unless El Sharavi is playing because he offers something else. He almost becomes like a winger more than a wingback, and Pellegrini becomes more like this kind of defensive balance player. But that's not really Pellegrini's role either. So, no, I do think this is a Mourinho. I blame Mourinho more for this because this is literally his job.
00:04:59
Speaker
This is what he's paid to do to solve these tactical, to come up with solutions to these tactical problems to get the best out of the squad. So then here I hold them fully accountable. Yeah. I mean, he did try and play him in a deeper role, didn't he? Like a cinema field. But I mean, that's not his role. It's not his role. But I mean, I would even say with Tammy Abraham, he has improved a little bit recently, but he's even Tammy Abraham way, way below.
00:05:24
Speaker
you know, what is expected of him. And he's got three goals in the new year, so he's doing better now, Tammy. But still, you know, it's not Tammy Abraham anywhere close to Tammy Abraham of last year. So is that DiBala again? I don't know. I don't know. One thing about DiBala is that
00:05:42
Speaker
Sometimes it's not easy playing with him in a weird kind of way. He does kind of take over everything. We saw that at Juventus as well, to an extent, at times as well. But fitting him in tactically with other players was not always easy.