Atalanta BC shook up Serie A as they beat Italy’s big three en route to wrapping up qualification for the Europa League in the first season back in the top tier. Manager Trebor Mahtal would face a significant challenge to hold onto his exciting youngsters with Europe’s elite circling in the summer of 2039 but, before he got a chance, one came calling for him.
Italian giants AS Roma had taken note of Mahtal’s impressive efforts in Bergamo and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse – a 12-fold wage increase to £80k per week – which, incidentally, keeps him managing at a club beginning with A.
Who Are AS Roma?
Associazione Sportiva Roma is a professional football club based in the Italian capital Rome. The club was founded in 1927 by leading National Fascist Party member Italo Foschi, who merged three clubs, Roman FC, SS Alba-Audace and Fortitido-Pro, to establish a strong team in the Italian capital. The only team to resist the merger was arch-rival Lazio, led by an army general who was also an executive at the Italian Football Federation.
AS Roma won its first Italian title in 1941 and added two more in 1983 and 2001, along with nine Copa Italia wins and a Europa Conference League in 2022. During this save, Roma has finished 2nd in Serie A twice, including in 2038, and 3rd four times, but slumped to 7th behind Mahtal’s Atalanta last season. It also won the Europa League in 2032 and Coppa Italia in 2031, 2034 and 2038.
Mahtal walks into a huge club that has £126m in the bank and a £67m transfer budget. Roma still plays at the 69,110-capacity Stadio Olimpico with superb facilities of 20 youth recruitment, 19 junior coaching, 18 youth facilities and 17 training facilities, with a 4.5-star reputation. However, they have a huge £130m net debt, from an original £407m, being paid off at £2.4m per month.
Roma just lost their best player and club icon Matias Soulé to retirement, which was indicative of an aging team that needed revitalising. Mahtal wasted no time in cashing in, moving on 18 players for a £111m profit, including 32-year-old centre back Pau Cubarsi going to Saudi for £45m. The best player remaining was Spanish centre back Carlos Brenes along with defender/winger Federico Sibilli, real-life former Celtic winger Zion Pullan, who has to be the youngest player on the original database and has phenomenal physicals, 21-year-old Swiss full back Elias Clerc, striker Rafael Fernandes and English midfielder Jaimes Klug. Other players worth keeping an eye on are impressive striker Giacomo Cobianchi, full back Marco Coppi and powerful centre back Fernando Llorente.
In no surprise to anyone, Mahtal turned to his Atalanta attacker Ihor Petrov for £45m. He also brought in a couple of players he’d been tracking for a while in Inter full back Yuri Dell’Atti for up to £30m and midfielder Héctor Enrique Zecua for £10.5m from Toluca. They were joined by an exciting talent in midfielder Jan Regas, who came in on loan from Barcelona with a potential £40m fee, and attacker Luca Conforti for just £1.7m from Foggia.
Mahtal initially leaned towards a 4-2-4 approach but was a little concerned it might leave them too open and by the lack of a natural left back.
Getting Started With AS Roma
The bookies have Roma as 4th favourites for Serie A with 12/1 title odds. AC Milan remain 5/4 favourites followed by Inter (7/2) and Napoli (6/1) with Atalanta down in 8th at 50/1.
The fixture computer gave Mahtal a tasty first game in charge of AS Roma as they welcomed his former club Atalanta on the opening day of Serie A. Roma dominated the early stages and eventually took the lead as Pullan crossed for Brenes to head home. They completely dominated, racking up a massive 32 shots and 4.37 xG and hit the woodwork five times. But a Fernandes double, which apparently ended his 15-game goalless streak, secured a 3-0 victory that immediately justified Mahtal’s switch. Two tricky away days followed and they fell to narrow 1-0 and 2-1 defeats at Napoli and Milan.
An easier run followed and Cobianchi’s brace led a 4-0 win at Frosinone and Pullan followed suit as Petrov got his first goal in a 4-0 win over Parma. Cobianchi scored the only goals at Udinese and at home to Empoli then a hat trick in a 3-1 win at Genoa, sending Roma 2nd ahead of Mahtal’s first Capitale Derby. Lazio took an undeserved lead but Cobianchi fired Roma levelto score for a fifth successive game, Lazio had a man sent off for a terrible challenge, and Petrov sent Fernandes in for a winner.
Fernandes earned a draw at Inter before late Regás and Cobianchi strikes downed Juventus 3-2 and sent Roma top of Serie A in early November. And they maintained that form to take a 1-point lead over Napoli into the new decade.
Europa Conference League Opportunity
Arguably AS Roma’s best shot at glory may be the Conference League. They got a tough playoff round draw against Koln but eased to an 8-4 aggregate success. A fairly easy set of fixtures followed and they got the perfect start with a 3-0 win at Dynamo Kyiv, Cobianchi and Conforti braces led a 5-2 win over Belarussian side Torpedo-BelAZ and a rotated team won 3-0 at Iceland’s FH. Petrov’s 11-minute hat trick led a 7-1 thumping of TNS and rotated sides beat Club Brugge 4-1 and Trencin 2-1 away to qualify 2nd only to Aston Villa. Mahtal had to rest his tired squad in the knockouts, and they defeated Fenerbahce 6-3 on aggregate but lost 3-2 to Lens in the quarter finals.
Crushing Win Ignites Title Hopes
Roma started the 2040s with silverware as they won Supercoppa Italia on penalties against Inter. In addition to the Conference League, Mahtal sacrificed Coppa Italia, rotating a tired team for a quarter final at Napoli, to focus on the league.
Serie A resumed by entertaining 2nd-place Napoli and Roma started well as Petrov’s devilish cross was powered home by opposite winger Pullan. Cobianchi missed his third penalty of the season but quickly made up for it before Petrov again teed up Pullan and Conforti made it four. Petrov was denied by a brilliant save just after halftime but Pullan soon returned the favour, and Roma cruised to a bruising 5-0 victory without even giving up a shot on target. That began a big run of games as Mahtal lost 3-2 on his return to Atalanta before another dominant but wasteful display as they beat Milan 2-0.
Roma’s form continued to be solid, but draws at Cagliari and high-flying Empoli opened the door for Inter, who’d won 13 on the bounce to move 1 point back with 10 games remaining. Cobianchi stepped up with a brace to earn a 2-1 win at rivals Lazio, which began another big run of games. A week later, a huge clash saw Roma entertain Inter, who’d played a Coppa Italia semi in midweek while Roma were fully rested. Inter took an undeserved lead just before halftime. But Mahtal laid into his side and eventually got the desired response as Llorente poked home the equaliser from a corner and substitute Zecua nicked all three points with a wondergoal, turning 35 yards out and curling an unstoppable strike into the top corner. That victory was backed up by a clinical performance at Juve with Cobianchi’s strike and Rodrigo Álvarez’s incredible saves securing a victory that took them 6 points clear with seven to play.
Roma strengthened that position with Petrov laying on two Cobianchi goals in a 3-1 win at home to Torino and Pullan’s late goal nicking a 1-0 at Fiorentina. That took them 7 points clear with five to play, and Roma couldn’t have asked for a better set of closing fixtures.
Game 1 – Bologna (20th, home): The run-in began by hosting relegated Bologna and Roma laid down a massive statement as Petrov again laid on two Cobianchi goals in an 8-0 annihilation. Napoli won 1-0 and Inter drew at Cagliari to drop out of contention.
Game 2 – Lecce (11th, away): Cobianchi delivered yet again at Lecce, striking on 74 minutes to earn a 1-0 win. Napoli also won 1-0 at Genoa to keep Roma 7 points clear with three games remaining.
Game 3 – Monza (16th, home): Roma would win the league with victory over relegation-threatened Monza. They made a great start as Llorente headed home a corner after 8 minutes and battered Monza with 15 shots to one in the first half. That continued after the break and they eventually finished the game off as Fernandes won a penalty that Cobianchi tucked away before Conforti’s late third.
Roma won Serie A and became Champions of Italy for the first time in 39 years!
Roma celebrated their success with Cobianchi bagging four in a 5-0 crushing of Como then going one better with five in a 6-1 win at home to Sassuolo in Mahtal’s 600th game in management. That saw Roma win the league by 12 points, finishing with an incredible 99 points after 32 wins, 3 draws and 3 defeats, scoring a massive 107 and conceding just 25. The brilliant Cobianchi bagged an unbelievable 42 goals in 38 games, scoring a goal every 77.55 minutes. Pullan was the 4th top scorer with 23 in 36, Petrov led the way with 21 assists and Álvarez’s 18 clean sheets was only bettered by Napoli’s keeper getting a ludicrous 26. And this title win was born out of keeping things simple, as Mahtal used a league-low 21 players all season.
Celebrating A Magnificent Season In Rome
Mahtal knew this strong Roma squad had a shot at Serie A and they delivered in style in his first season at the club. That was thanks to stellar performances led by the ludicrously good Cobianchi, who smashed a new club record 52 in 46 – surpassing the 39 scored by Edin Dzeko in 2017. He was supported by the fantastic Pullan (29 goals and 16 assists), Petrov (14 goals and 28 assists), Fernandes (12 goals and 9 assists), and Klug (11 assists) and Dell’Atti (9 assists).
Mahtal had loved this season in Rome, as they started strongly and went on to dominate after jumping ship from Atalanta. But the manager knew it was time to move on, having ticked A off the Alphabet Challenge alongside E, L, P, S and U.
Where would Mahtal end up as he went in search of a new club to complete leg number seven of this journey? Join us on Monday to find out!
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