AS Roma and Juventus Frustrated by Ineffective Attackers

Two matches in the 18th week of the Italian League, Sunday (4/1/2026), brought frustration to the supporters of two top teams, namely AS Roma and Juventus. Both teams, which are currently striving to intensify the competition for the Champions League zone, failed to secure victories due to the ineffectiveness of their forwards.

Roma suffered a 0-1 defeat against Atalanta at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo. This marked the fourth loss endured by "The Wolves" since December 2025. Additionally, this disappointing result at Atalanta's home ground represents their third consecutive defeat in away matches in the Italian League.

Interestingly, three out of four losses in the last month occurred with a minimal score of 0-1. Napoli, Cagliari, and then Atalanta delivered painful negative results for Roma, who had briefly topped the standings in week 12.

In his first homecoming match since leaving Atalanta at the end of last season, Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini put all the romance of his nine seasons in charge of "The Goddess," Atalanta's nickname, behind him. Roma took the initiative from the opening whistle.

In the seventh minute, Roma's forward, Evan Ferguson, had already taken two shots from outside the penalty area, forcing Atalanta's goalkeeper, Marco Carnesecchi, to make saves.

As Roma were busy attacking, Atalanta stole the lead with their first chance in the 12th minute. From a corner, defender Giorgio Scalvini got a touch on the ball, sending the home fans into raptures. It was the only goal of the game on a chilly first Sunday night in 2026 in Bergamo.

The response was indeed presented by Roma to score, as well as Gasperini's effort not to leave the Gewiss Stadium, which holds him in high regard, with his head bowed.

At the beginning of the second half, Ferguson and Matias Soule each created a threatening opportunity for Atalanta's goal. However, Carnesecchi made a double save that secured three points for his team.

Ferguson was the Roma player who displayed the greatest ambition to help his team avoid a humiliating return from northern Italy. His 0.18 expected goals (xG) made the Irishman the most threatening Roma player for the home side. However, Ferguson failed to add to his tally of two goals in the 2025-2026 Serie A season.

We are facing a very physically strong opponent, so this match is not easy. Roma has played our game, creating more opportunities to score.

When Ferguson recorded 100 percent shooting accuracy, two of Ferguson's supporters, namely Soule and Paulo Dybala, were powerless against the solid defense of Si Dewi. Soule only managed to create one shot during the 66 minutes he had the opportunity to play.

On the other hand, Dybala, the most senior forward of Roma at present, failed to deliver a single threatening shot against Atalanta's defense. He also provided only one key pass and successfully dribbled once in the left zone of Roma's attacking line.

Gasperini's efforts to strengthen his squad's attacking power were ineffective in the final 30 minutes of the match. The introduction of two substitute forwards, Artem Dovbyk and Stephan El Shaarawy, proved futile. Neither of them managed to register a single shot on target.

"We faced a very strong opponent physically, so it wasn't an easy match. Roma played our game, creating more chances to score. Unfortunately, we couldn't convert them," Gasperini told Sky Sport Italia after the match.

Gasperini is also reluctant to blame his players individually for failing to score against Atalanta. According to him, the most important thing is that Roma must work together to improve themselves in order to enhance their attacking play.

"We must continue to work and improve ourselves. We were very close to scoring an equalizer; we played offensively to win. This is the character we have shown up to week 18, but we must keep refining ourselves," said Gasperini, who led Atalanta to one Europa League title.

Roma's failure to take home a point from Atalanta means they've relinquished fourth place. They've already been level on points with Juventus. Roma are in a worse position due to their inferior head-to-head record.

A more tragic fate befell Juve at the Allianz Stadium in Turin. Hoping to continue a streak of three consecutive victories, "The Old Lady" was instead held to a 1-1 draw by Lecce, a team fighting to avoid relegation.

Surrounding Lecce's defense with a record of 72 percent ball possession and 25 failed shots, Juve emphasized their numerical superiority on the scoreboard. After conceding a goal from Lecce's winger, Lameck Banda, in the 45+2 minute due to a mistake by wing-back Andrea Cambiasso, Juve managed to equalize with a shot from Weston McKennie in the 49th minute.

After the goal, Juve did not lack opportunities. The peak came when Canadian striker Jonathan David had a chance through a penalty execution in the 66th minute. David's panenka shot was successfully blocked with a foot by Lecce's goalkeeper, Wladimiro Falcone.

Then, David took a precise shot at the left foot in the 89th minute. The ball was caught by Falcone's right hand, who made four saves.

In that match, Juve recorded 2.77 xG. This is the highest xG in Serie A this season since being managed by Luciano Spalletti. However, they could only produce one goal.

"We were able to get the ball into their dangerous areas. Unfortunately, we never had the perfect touch to capitalize on our chances. That's something we need to improve on," Spalletti said, as reported by Tuttosport.

Spalletti defended David as the main penalty taker for Juve. On that occasion, Juve actually still had Manuel Locatelli and Kenan Yildiz on the field, who are often the primary choices for taking penalties.

"He (David) made the right decision to direct the ball to the center; he just failed to lift the ball slightly. The decision (of the penalty taker) was made in the moment of the match. It did not work according to the thoughts of people outside the field," said Spalletti.

The disappointing results have increasingly bombarded Roma and Juve with rumors of bringing in new forwards during this winter transfer window. Roma is reported to still be pursuing Italian passport holder forward from Atletico Madrid, Giacomo Raspadori, as well as Manchester United player, Joshua Zirkzee. Both are already familiar with the competition in Serie A.

Juventus wishes to bring Federico Chiesa back from Liverpool. Several Italian media outlets report that discussions between Juventus and Chiesa's representatives have begun. This approach is made possible with the approval of Spalletti, who appreciates Chiesa's performance during their collaboration in the Italian national team. (AFP)