Roma's Juan Iturbe: Big-Money Failure or Misused?

Roma's Argentine right-forward Juan Iturbe, 21, has yet to show signs he can overturn his burgeoning status as an expensive flop.

Have Roma mishandled Iturbe, or was his transfer bound to be a screw-up?

Why Roma Wanted Iturbe

Here is why Roma were so enamoured with Iturbe.

Having watched the free-kick swing away from Francesco Bardi, Iturbe pulled off a knee-slide to celebrate his first Serie A goal for Hellas Verona in a win over Livorno.

Iturbe deserved his look-at-me moment after enduring disappointment and inactivity at Porto, a move which Tim Vickery at SBS described as "clearly premature."

Veering into Bologna's half, Iturbe side-stepped Frederik Sorensen, was a step ahead of Panagiotis Kone, and shot from outside the box before Mikael Antonsson attempted a block.

Another goal, another knee-slide for Iturbe, who netted in Hellas Verona's 4-1 win over Bologna.

Early in the year, an "overjoyed" Iturbe was putting a positive spin on escaping Europe by being loaned out to River Plate.

Paolo Giovannini/Associated Press

Eight months later, he was rectifying his dreams of making the grade in Europe, starring at Hellas Verona.

Taking advantage of Juan Vargas jockeying from a distance, Iturbe unleashed a snap-shot, which was palmed into the net by Neto in Hellas Verona's 4-3 defeat to Fiorentina.

Get close to Iturbe, he will blitz past you. 

Give him too much space, he will blast a shot into the back of the net.

Federico Marchetti gazed at teammate Lorik Cana kicking the ball into the net in frustration, making the net ripple a second time in quick succession. 

The realisation probably sunk in for Marchetti—he had just conceded a long-range dipping free-kick from Iturbe in Hellas Verona's 4-1 win over Lazio.

Leading Hellas Verona starters in fouls per 90 minutes (2.8), Iturbe's competence at gaining calls from referees coupled with his free-kick proficiency added another dimension to his game.

Stealing the ball from Danilo on the right flank, Iturbe surged towards Udinese's goal, cut inside Thomas Heurtaux, wrong-footed Zeljko Brkic, and rolled the ball into the unguarded net.

Iturbe stopped Udinese from mounting a comeback as Hellas Verona won 3-1 and added another brilliant individual goal to his collection.

Bursting forward, Iturbe cut inside David Pizarro, turned outside Gonzalo Rodriguez, and hit the ball past Neto in a 5-3 defeat to Fiorentina.

Talk about the consummate showman.

Iturbe ended the Serie A campaign with eight goals after a confident finish in a 3-3 draw against Lazio and a deflected free-kick in a 5-1 defeat to Napoli.

Second in Serie A for dribbles per game (3.0), Iturbe freed up space for Luca Toni, who scored 20 goals last season.

Porto → Hellas Verona: €15/£12.1 million (21 years old; 2014).

Hellas Verona → Roma: €22/£17.4 million (21 years old; 2014).

Resuscitating Iturbe's transfer stock, Hellas Verona signed him from Porto, and sold him to Roma for a swift €7/£5.3 million profit.

Red Flags Roma Overlooked

Is Iturbe a fun player to watch?

Yes, but his playing style is flawed, which was pointed out by Hellas Verona manager Andrea Mandorlini.

"Iturbe has incredible quality, but he must learn to play with the team more," Mandorlini said, per Sky (h/t Football Italia). "We missed a couple of great chances due to [his] wrong decision-making."

Scoring eight goals from 72 shots at nine shots per goal, Iturbe was a volume-shooter at Hellas Verona.

Not only was Iturbe trigger-happy, he was unreliable with a shooting accuracy of 37.5 per cent.

Iturbe is a highlight-reel footballer capable of match-winning moments, but he is generally missing in action.

Rafael, a goalkeeper, averaged more passes per 90 minutes (28.2) than Iturbe (24.2) last season.

Having failed at Porto, Iturbe was realistic about the improvements he needed to make upon signing for Roma.

"I am here to learn. I'm still a young player," Iturbe said, per Omnisport (h/t SBS). "I think that with [Roma manager] Rudi Garcia I will learn so many things I currently lack."

Iturbe is 0-29 in goals-shots taken and his shooting accuracy of 17.2 per cent exemplifies the struggles he is suffering at Roma.

"Every time I run out onto the pitch I'm determined to score. I've been unlucky, too. I tried absolutely everything against Napoli and Torino," Iturbe said, per ASRoma.it. "At the end of the day, the most important thing is that Roma win, regardless of who scores."

Under Mandorlini, Iturbe was a big fish in a small pond. 

"The difference between here and Hellas Verona is that I had more space to get free," Iturbe said, per Sky (h/t RomaPress.us). "Everybody plays closed at the back against Roma."

Unable to produce on the field, Iturbe is just another option at Roma.

Garcia can field Adem Ljajic, who scores (eight goals), and Alessandro Florenzi, who is team-first and more coachable. 

To compound Iturbe's issues, his body is not holding up.

September 19, 2014, per Il Messaggero (h/t Football Italia): "Iturbe picked up a complaint in his groin ... [he is] out for as long as 30 days."  

February 1, 2015, per ASRoma.it: "Iturbe underwent tests this morning that revealed a distortive trauma to his right knee, with damage to the lateral collateral ligament. Iturbe also suffered a strain to his right ankle and potential ligament damage."

Explaining away Iturbe's non-existent form, Garcia focused on the injuries.

"Iturbe is a different story, he spent a long time recovering from injuries," Garcia said, per Football Italia. "If he isn't at 100 per cent, he can't express his qualities in full."

Roma: Upside > Productivity

Reality: Productivity > Upside 

Roma's investment in Iturbe heavily slanted towards upside and the potential for him to develop into a world-class footballer.

Projecting potential is risky and unascertained.

Bojan Krkic, Fabio Junior Pereira, Hidetoshi Nakata and Jeremy Menez never met Roma's expectations.

Iturbe is heading down that path.

+allanjiang.

When not specified, statistics via WhoScored.com.