If winning is difficult, repeating is even more difficult. This was not the case for the women’s Roma team who, after failing to get their first match point at Viola Park, not going beyond a 0-0 draw against Fiorentina, their next opponents in the Italian Cup final, became Italian champions in front of the TV. Yes, because Juventus’ defeat against Inter gave the second championship in the history of the Giallorossi club, the second in a row.
A CHAMPIONSHIP NEVER QUESTIONED – What we witnessed was a real e own triumphal march. 18 wins (12 consecutive), 1 draw and 1 defeat (with 4 matches still to play) in Serie A. A team that has in fact played a championship apart, without rivals, capable of increasing the gap on Juventus in the senior period difficulties of the season, a clear sign that there would have been no chance for anyone.
THE TURNING POINT MATCH – 5 November 2023, Juventus-Roma 1-3. There is no doubt that that was the match of the definitive leap in quality for the Giallorossi. The Italian champions had never won at the home of Juventus who had ripped the scudetto from their chest a few months earlier. The same Bianconere, defeated only on penalties in the Super Cup, had made the Italian Cup final their own, depriving Roma of the possibility of the national treble. Basically, all the matches between Roma and Juventus, up until that day, had been characterized by a balance, always tending towards the yellow-red, but there was never the feeling of one team dominating the other. Instead, thanks to goals from Giugliano, Haavi and Viens, after less than an hour of play, Roma are 3 goals ahead at Juventus. It will finish 1-3, but beyond the 3 points, the performance says that there is no story: Roma are on another level.
ALL THE WOMEN OF THE SCUDETTO – The core of the team is the one that won the first championship. To that group there were the additions of Kumagai, Viens, Feiersinger, Aigbogun, Tomaselli, Valdezate, Latorre and in the January transfer window Troelsgaard, Sostenvold and Pilgrim. The credit must be divided between all of them and obviously Mister Spugna. It was certainly Manuela Giugliano’s year. The number 10, with her Giugliano (Dybala) mask, characterized most of Roma’s matches. Andressa’s departure allowed her to advance her reach, unleashing her full potential.
Nor should the impact with Evelyne Viens’ team be forgotten, capable of immediately fitting into Roma’s tactical scheme, also adapting to the role of attacking winger, she who prefers to play centrally. Gradually all the others, from captain Bartoli to the defensive pair Minami-Linari, Di Guglielmo always skilled in front of goal, Giadina Greggi one of Tre Fontane’s idols, Haavi and her indispensability from a tactical point of view, the lioness Giacinti up to Glionna.
A CYCLE OPENED – The second consecutive scudetto means having opened a cycle. There is no need to hide anymore, Roma are the team to beat and will be for a long time to come. The sporting title is the result of years of planning and development of a club, born a few years ago, capable of becoming a real model to draw inspiration from. The new Tre Fontane, the new sponsors who have bet on the team, a Primavera team that has practically always won the championship. The tricolor is just the tip of the iceberg. It is no coincidence that the Friedkins have collectively confirmed Mr. Spugna, the DS Migliorati and the person in charge of the entire women’s club, Betty Bavagnoli.
WILL TO WIN – The discussion that is being made for the Rome square in men’s football cannot be made in the slightest with the women’s team. It’s exactly the opposite. The Roma women’s team is a team that the more they win, the more they fuel their desire to win. Just think of the January transfer market, when a team that had already put a serious claim on its second championship went to get a player like Pilgrim. The Swiss has forcefully entered the history of this season: goals in the semi-final against Milan and goals in the momentary +13 match against Juventus, in the Scudetto pool. Once the championship paperwork is over, there is still an Italian Cup to win. The only trophy missing for Mr Spugna to lift since he sat on the Giallorossi bench, the second in the history of a club which, most likely, will have to expand its trophy cabinet.
