If we want, for Dovbyk the same discussion applies as the Marchese del Grillo had with the good Aronne Piperno: ‘Beautiful boiserie, beautiful wardrobe, beautiful chests… beautiful, beautiful, beautiful everything…’. Now, however, it’s time to score. Yes, because the assist to Soulé in Florence was decisive; the one to Wesley, although wasted by the Brazilian, in Reggio Emilia was splendid; even more so the touch for Pellegrini in Glasgow. Not to mention the dirty work, the clear athletic improvement, and the greater participation in team play. All true, all ‘beautiful, beautiful, beautiful’, paraphrasing the unforgettable Sordi. The problem, however, is that if Roma wants to stay at the top, 10 goals in as many matches are not enough. In the era of three points per victory, for Roma it is the minimum harvest. The Giallorossi have never scored fewer goals: 10 also in 1995/96, 2008/09, and 2024/25. And Dovbyk lives with the burden that goals rhyme with center forward. For this reason, in the afternoon, against Udinese, Gasp relies on the Ukrainian. Because Dybala and Bailey are in the pits, Ferguson has not been called up, Soulé is already going beyond his scoring standard, Pellegrini (in the ballot with El Aynaoui, precisely to have a card to play during the match given the numerous absences) can give some goals but only once in his career has he reached double figures, El Shaarawy has lost positions, Baldanzi has never climbed them. Who, then, if not Artem, must take the team by the hand with goals? Certainly, Udinese brings luck to the Ukrainian. He scored his first Serie A goal against the Friulians and repeated it in the return match, scoring the 2-1 from 11 meters, something that has been very difficult at Trigoria lately. He desperately needs a goal, perhaps a decisive one, even better if more than one. Because a number 9 feeds on goals and if the 17 scored in the first year might have sufficed, considering the three coaches changed during the season and the first year in Italy, now the two after 10 league matches and 4 cup matches raise eyebrows. Where to start again? Or rather, what to focus on? Gasperini’s words are a good start: ‘He is constantly growing, compared to the start of the season he is a completely different player. He knows how to attack depth, helps the team and brings intensity’. Yes, he only lacks that magic word that both he and Roma need. Because reaching the break with another success would give the group, in addition to three precious points, also that awareness that despite the return of the historic big teams, Roma is there and wants to compete until the end. However, they must shake off this aversion to the opponent’s goal that the two goals against the modest Scots of Rangers cannot have suddenly erased. Udinese is a very physical team but in front of them is a Roma that, beyond the experiments with the light attack, has seen better results, at least numerically, with the heavy center forward (8 goals to 1, the other came from a penalty). And here we magically return to Dovbyk, the big guy with the sad smile, the striker who must be taken by the hand by Pellegrini in Reggio Emilia to make him celebrate with his teammates under the festive curve, otherwise he would have gone straight into the locker room. A goal that Roma needs but also he does. Because these ups and downs that are distinguishing him in yellow and red have also cost him his place in the national team (he was surprisingly benched against Iceland), something that seemed unthinkable a few months ago. So watch out for today. Because winning is crucial for Roma. For Artem, scoring, perhaps, matters even more.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
This article is automatically translated
