Last summer, AS Roma endured arguably the most tumultuous off-season of any top flight club in Europe. If that sounds like an overly bold proclamation, then consider the following evidence: After 24 years of first team action, iconic Captain Francesco Totti retired, doing so as their all-time leading goal scorer and appearance maker. At the same time, beloved Coach Luciano Spalletti – a man with a unique understanding of all things Giallorossi – moved on to take charge of Inter, while the team’s goalkeeper (Wojciech Szczęsny), best defender (Antonio Rüdiger) and most effective attacking player (Mohamed Salah) were all sold.
It was hard to imagine how Roma would fare without each of those men, and it is fair to say they have struggled to replace some of them. The side no longer strikes fear into opposing defences, Edin Dzeko’s flood of goals drying up now that Salah’s speed and skill are thrilling Anfield rather than the Stadio Olimpico. New boss Eusebio Di Francesco is struggling to give the team balance and poise, the jury still firmly out on whether the former Sassuolo Coach is a viable long term solution in the Italian capital.
Totti’s influence both on and off the pitch was always going to be irreplaceable, but ex-Tottenham defender Federico Fazio has done well to fill the void created when Rüdiger left for Chelsea. Yet perhaps the most significant substitution came between the posts when Szczęsny – unquestionably Serie A’s best goalkeeper in 2016/17 – was allowed to leave following two seasons on loan with Roma.
Juventus would eventually sign him from parent club Arsenal, but the decision not to keep him in Giallorossi was actually relatively easy. Indeed, despite the 27-year-old Polish international proving to be a superb custodian, his replacement was already in place after Alisson Becker agreed a move to Italy in January 2016.
The Brazilian had caught the attention of scouts following a steady string of impressive displays for Internacional and a €6 million deal was agreed. The 6ft 3” (1.91m) stopper arrived the following summer, spending his first full season as backup to first choice Szczęsny, making just 15 appearances – 11 in Europe, four in the Coppa Italia and none in Serie A – but even in such limited playing time he made a lasting impression. “He is obviously very good,” Spalletti told reporters back in April. “I’m fortunate to have two excellent goalkeepers but unfortunately I can only play one of them!”
Recognising that purchasing Szczęsny from Arsenal would be an unnecessary expense, sporting director Monchi used the money elsewhere and gave Alisson the opportunity he so desperately craved. “If I hadn’t had the guarantee of playing, I would’ve asked to leave Roma,” the player admitted to Sky Italia in September. With one eye on the World Cup, he added that he saw 2017/18 as “the most important year in my career” before confessing he suffered in silence during the previous campaign.
“I didn’t play much last season due to the decisions of Spalletti,” Alisson continued. “I’m a calm lad and don’t like talking. I didn’t feel comfortable going to him and saying things because he chose to have two high-level keepers and he played me in the cups. Let’s say that I learned to have a bit of patience…”
Now, months later, that patience looks to have paid off and the decision not to retain Szczęsny appears to be yet another masterstroke from former Sevilla man Monchi. Mixed results for the team have seen them slip to fifth place, but without Alisson they would be even lower in the table, the 25-year-old managing nine clean sheets in his first 21 league games. He has made 64 saves in order to do so, a tally that ranks ninth among all Serie A goalkeepers, his commanding and confident presence helping an otherwise fragile backline to outperform expectations.
Yet for all his heroics in recording those nine shut outs, his best performance thus far arguably came in a match where Alisson did eventually find himself beaten by an opponent in a match Roma failed to win. Last week, the Giallorossi travelled north to Milan, taking on Spalletti’s Inter under the San Siro floodlights. Seeking a chance to show his old boss just how good he could be, he made two excellent early saves to deny Ivan Perisic and Borja Valero, before going on to arguably record his first assist of the season.
With 33 minutes on the clock, he spotted Stephan El Shaarawy running behind the Nerazzurri defence, picking him out with a perfect long ball and the Italy international deftly chipped the ball over Samir Handanovic. That goal merely served to spark Inter into life however, and for almost an hour they laid siege to the Roma penalty area.
Yet time and time again, Alisson stood tall to repel every attack. Perisic, Mauro Icardi, Eder and Antonio Candreva all tested him, and the Brazilian was equal to all 17 Inter shots, pulling off a string of spectacular saves to preserve the lead. They eventually found an equaliser after Matias Vecino was left unmarked to head home a cross, but speaking at his post-match press conference, even Spalletti could not hide his admiration for the goalkeeping display he had just witnessed.
"I am happy to talk about Alisson because I penalised him last season,” the Inter boss told reporters. “I favoured Szczesny because he came from a great championship and gave me certainties, but Alisson is a real man. He has character and is a great professional, he deserves all the praise that is being given to him.”
He certainly does, and after becoming first choice at the Stadio Olimpico he has also retained his place as Brazil’s No.1 over Ederson, the Manchester City man managing just one international appearance to date. Given his displays under Pep Guardiola, perhaps that is the best way of recognising just how well Alisson Becker is playing this term, and for that Roma fans should be truly thankful.
