CSKA Moscow vs. Roma: Lessons Learned from Champions League Game
It's hard to know what Roma can take from their game with CSKA Moscow. The empty stadium and bitterly cold conditions—it was a frigid -7 Celsius at the Arena Khimki—made for a strange atmosphere, and it's unlikely that the Giallorossi will play another game like this any time soon.
Francesco Totti looked to have given the Italians the win with a sublime first-half free-kick until Vasiliy Berezutskiy's improbably late equaliser added an extra chill to the freezing Russian night and denied Rudi Garcia's side all three points.
This was a game the Lupi desperately wanted to win because it would have secured their progress to the next round of the Champions League and allowed them to focus more on their Serie A exploits.
Now they'll be reliant on results elsewhere and in their vital final game at the Olimpico with Manchester City if they are to continue in Europe's premier competition this season.
Here are some of the lessons we've learned from Wednesday's game.
CSKA Aren't as Bad as They Looked at the Olimpico
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When Roma dismantled the Russians 5-1 back in September, it looked like Leonid Slutsky's side were drastically off the pace in Europe's biggest competition.
The Giallorossi, after all, hadn't played in the Champions League in three years, and most of the squad came into the tournament with little or no experience at the highest level.
As the 1-1 draw in Moscow proved, however, CSKA are more capable than the shock result in Rome suggested. The result is a bitterly cruel one for the Lupi because it leaves their progression from the group in limbo, but the Russians held on, believed in themselves and were repaid for that tenacity right at the death.
They also only lost narrowly to Bayern Munich in Moscow and drew with Manchester City at home before going to England and grabbing an unlikely 1-2 win at the Etihad.
Morgan De Sanctis Needs to Rediscover His Confidence
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In his book Soccer in Sun and Shadow, the great Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano mused that goalkeepers wore the No.1 on their backs because they were the first to pay whenever a team made mistakes.
Unlike his colleagues, the goalie needs to be absolutely flawless from start to finish or he'll be savaged by the critics. A single mistake can ruin a game and leave an indelible mark on an otherwise fine performance.
So it was for Morgan De Sanctis in Moscow.
Many questioned the thinking behind Roma signing a 36-year-old 'keeper before the 2013-14 season, when so much of the talk around the club was focused on building for the future.
The veteran quickly answered his doubters, however, and was one of the Giallorossi's best performers throughout last season, making a number of key saves and commanding the defence brilliantly.
Things haven't gone so well so far this term. The former Napoli star made a number of top-quality saves at the Arena Khimki, but the late equaliser from Vasiliy Berezutskiy won't do his confidence any favours. De Sanctis will know that he should have done better—even if his defence were just as culpable.
Rumours have been rife in the British press linking Roma to out-of-favour Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech—as covered by the Evening Standard's Tom Collomosse recently—and conceding a last-gasp goal in a must-win game isn't going to do De Sanctis' case any favours.
Radja Nainggolan Is Working on His Attacking Game
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Radja Nainggolan missed a great opportunity to make it 2-0 after 59 minutes—but only after an excellent run brought him through the CSKA defence and in front of Igor Akinfeev's goal.
The Belgian scored Roma's second at the weekend against Atalanta thanks to a clever link-up with Adem Ljajic, and the fact that he was again eager to get into the final third in Moscow proves that the 26-year-old is keen to add an attacking element to his game.
No one has made more tackles in Serie A in the last five years than Nainggolan, but the former Cagliari player isn't known for his prowess in front of goal. In 127 league games for the Sardinians, he found the back of the net just seven times.
Of course, Roma didn't sign him looking for goals. Rather, the Antwerp native is rightly prized for his dynamism—he covered an impressive 10.4km in this game according to uefa.com—and his defensive prowess.
That said, he has become more of a goal threat since moving to the Giallorossi, and if Rudi Garcia can work with him to develop a real cutting edge, he has the potential to be one of the best all-round midfielders in the world.
Francesco Totti Is a Class Act
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OK, so this should be news to absolutely no one, but who could resist praising the talismanic 38-year-old, even if it's just for the sake of it?
He didn't have his best game in a Roma shirt—the cold never seemed to suit him—but when called upon, he had more than enough up his sleeve to pull off a brilliant free-kick and give his beloved Roma the lead.
"How old is Francesco Totti? Who cares. Totti scores a wonderful free-kick for Roma (h/t @FootballWeb_es): https://t.co/lQRPvqEyso
— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) November 25, 2014"
Alessandro Florenzi Should Be Cherished
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Imagine the reaction you'd get from the likes of Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Angel Di Maria or Gareth Bale if they were asked to do a job at full-back?
Alessandro Florenzi might not be at their level yet, but he is one of the brightest talents in Serie A and an established Italian international, so it wouldn't be surprising if the young Roman had a problem with being used as a stop-gap out of position.
Instead, he put in a fine shift at right-back in place of the injured Maicon and Vasilis Torosidis. And he should be applauded for that. He played so well, in fact, that it wouldn't be a surprise to see him feature in the role again, not least as it would free up an attacking spot farther up the pitch.
What did you think of the game? Let me know on twitter @ColliOBrien.
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