Roma Football Formation

Starting Lineup

Mile Svilar · Gianluca Mancini (captain) · Evan Ndicka · Angelino · Manu Kone · Niccolo Pisilli · Bryan Cristante · Alexis Saelemaekers · Stephen El Shaarawy · Paulo Dybala · Artem Dovbyk

Roma relies on a direct and vertical style of play with this 3-5-2 formation. The lineup is built to win the second ball and use the width of the pitch to create chances. By utilizing three central defenders and a crowded midfield, the team looks to control the center of the pitch before looking to hit in behind the opposition defense with quick transitions.

Mile Svilar starts in goal to organize the back line. The defense uses a back three consisting of Angelino, Gianluca Mancini, and Evan Ndicka. Angelino acts as a wide centre-back who can push up to support the wings, while Gianluca Mancini and Evan Ndicka hold a high line to squeeze the space in the middle. Mancini often acts as a ball playing defender to start moves, while Ndicka provides cover to sweep behind the line if the opposition tries to play through the center.

In the middle of the pitch, Roma uses a three-man midfield with a carrier. Manu Kone sits in front of the defense to shield the back three and win possession. Bryan Cristante works as an inverted eight to connect the defensive and attacking lines, often making late runs into the box to provide extra numbers. Niccolo Pisilli operates alongside them to drive forward with the ball and progress through the thirds. This group works to compress the midfield and deny the turn of opposing playmakers.

The attacking unit features a partnership of two forwards. Artem Dovbyk acts as a target man to hold up the ball and win headers, while Paulo Dybala plays as a second striker in the hole to find the feet of the striker or drift into half-spaces. To provide width, Stephen El Shaarawy and Alexis Saelemaekers operate in the wide areas. They are tasked to overlap the winger or pull wide to stretch the defence, allowing the central attackers to find space between the lines.

One major strength of this Roma lineup is the ability to create wide overloads when the wingers and wide midfielders push up together. The formation also offers compactness when defending by allowing the players to drop into a narrow defensive block. This makes it very difficult for opponents to play through the middle, forcing them to play wide where the wingbacks can squeeze the space.

This 3-5-2 formation is a balanced setup that relies on strong central presence and quick transitions. It is best suited for games against teams that leave space behind their full backs or struggle to handle physical target men.