A new dawn at Roma brought mixed results in an inconsistent season. As expected Claudio Ranieri didn't remain as the permanent manager whilst club stalwarts Daniele De Rossi and Alessandro Florenzi both left the club.
Paulo Fonseca was appointed as the new coach and made a very respectable start to his maiden Serie A campaign - losing just twice in 17 league games before the new year (W10 D5).
The honeymoon period ended at the dawn of the new year and unsurprisingly coincided with an injury to last year's player of the season Nicolo Zaniolo. The mercurial youngster didn't return until the final few games of the campaign.
Roma lost 5 of their first 7 league games in 2020 and, just when it seemed they were stabilising themselves, the Coronavirus pandemic struck and any chance of momentum was shunted.
After the restart, the Giallorossi initially struggled badly and a run of three straight defeats left them potentially missing out on Europe but Fonseca made a brave and ultimately fruitful decision. A switch in system from 4-2-3-1 to three at the back was a revelation. Roma recorded 7 wins and a draw in their final 8 games of the season to secure 5th place and Europa League football. They'll want to do better in that competition next season after being easily schooled by Sevilla in the last 16 this term.
Edin Dzeko was Roma's standout performer. After a relatively poor previous season - it looked as though the Bosnian was set to leave but a change of heart and the extra responsibility of being named club captain saw a resurgence in the big striker. He not only bagged 19 goals across all competitions but he got into double figures for assists too.
Chris Smalling was a surprisingly resounding success after joining from Manchester United. He quickly adapted to his new surroundings and became a fan favourite but the club face a fight to make his loan move permanent.
A strong end to the season has been supplemented by a takeover at the club and the supporters will be hoping the manager is backed in the transfer market by the new hiearchy.
