It was a new era at Roma this season after the retirement of club legend Francesco Totti and the departure of Luciano Spalletti as manager. Eusebio Di Francesco came in to take his first big job after working wonders at Sassuolo and he can be extremely proud of his debut campaign in the capital.
The Giallorossi finished runners-up to all conquering Juventus last season so they would have hoped for a sustained Scudetto challenge this time around. They started the campaign well enough with just two defeats in their first 17 Serie A matches but, perhaps crucially, those were in big games against Napoli and Inter. Their third defeat came at Juventus Stadium just before Christmas and it was perhaps the point where a realistic Scudetto challenge died. They just couldn't seem to perform in the crunch games domestically. That was far from the case when it came to the Champions League, which became the focal point of Roma's season. They had their most memorable European campaign since reaching the final of the big competition in 1984.
Pitted in the so-called "Group of Death" with Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, the Giallorossi were expected to be the fall guys but they ended up finishing on top. Alisson Becker was absolutely outstanding in goal all season and made the fans instantly forget about the departed Wojciech Szczesny. He produced a heroic display in the 0-0 draw with Atletico on Gameweek 1 which laid the foundation for the rest of the tournament. Roma picked up four points with two terrific performances against Antonio Conte's Chelsea and advanced to the knockout stage.
The real drama began in the Quarter-Finals when Roma were drawn against the mighty Barcelona. It looked like business as usual when the Catalans won the first leg 4-1 at the Nou Camp but what was to happen the following week in the Italian capital would not only go down in Roma history, but European folklore. Having to win by three clear goals against one of the most fearsome sides in the world, the Giallorossi produced a memorable performance in front of their home crowd to achieve what most thought impossible.
The semi-final against Liverpool didn't disappoint either, in terms of excitement, but Di Francesco clearly got his tactics wrong in a 5-2 defeat at Anfield which ultimately cost Roma the tie. The 4-2 win at Stadio Olimpico was agonising but showed the heart and desire that the manager had developed in his squad. Those characteristics were summed up no more so than by Daniele De Rossi who had one of his best seasons in years, relishing stepping up to the role of captain and leader after Totti's departure.
The challenge for Roma next season will be to put up a much better fight in the league. They'll hope they can keep their star players including top scorer Edin Dzeko who almost left in January and potential young superstar Cengiz Ünder.
