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Forza Roma Sempre!

At the outset of the 2024/25 preseason, the "Roma 2024/25" project had the feel of a startup, aiming to distribute attacking creativity among a wealth of playmakers. Daniele De Rossi intentionally packed the squad with these types of players, leading to an abundance of trequartisti on the roster.

It quickly became clear in the opening matches, however, that the attacking machinery was sputtering. It needed significant time for fine-tuning. In hindsight, De Rossi wasn't given that time. His coaching ideas were ultimately set aside.

Then came Juric, a coach far less concerned with possession-based play – it simply wasn't his forte. While he might have recognized the need for progress in that area, he too ran out of time.

Claudio Ranieri answered the "SOS" call. The venerable Mister meticulously sought balance, experimenting with the squad. By late winter, he'd found solid combinations and effective tactical interplay. From that point on, attacking play was just a matter of refining details.

One constant remained under all three coaches: a consistent effort to build attacks through the left flank. Roma's offensive moves invariably leaned heavily toward this side from their very inception. Why?

The answer lies with one player: Angelino.

How did this Spaniard, who had already played for eight clubs by age 28, become such a pivotal figure for Roma?

After a successful stint at PSV, Manchester City re-signed Angelino. Yet, he once again struggled to establish himself at the club where he began his career, simply not getting the chance to prove his worth. The subsequent six months only confirmed a harsh reality: Pep had no use for him. "Guardiola killed my confidence," Angelino told Bild. "After returning from my PSV loan, he judged me on just two training matches and never gave me a real opportunity."

In January, RB Leipzig secured a loan for the Spaniard, who was stagnating in England. Ahead of the 2019/20 season, talented and ambitious coach Nagelsmann joined the team, and Angelino quickly formed a strong bond with him.

"He's the only new player who grasped my philosophy, especially offensively, so quickly," Nagelsmann praised. "He doesn't overthink; much of what he does comes from intuition."

Angelino truly adapted rapidly to the top level. He arrived at the club right before the Champions League playoffs. RB Leipzig unexpectedly reached the semifinals, and the Spaniard was an indispensable presence on the left flank in every single round.

His time in Germany marked a long-awaited bright spell in his career. The defender played extensively and contributed significantly, putting up impressive statistics for his position.

The secret to this success was his excellent relationship with Nagelsmann. After his first loan spell at RB, the defender had an option to join Barcelona. It seemed like a dream move, but the Spaniard stoically declined. He chose Leipzig primarily because of the coach, explaining that Julian's style and tactics perfectly suited him. The coach showed immense trust, and the player responded with unwavering loyalty.

In the summer of 2021, Nagelsmann departed the team.

Over the next six months, the club experienced a tactical shift, filled with homegrown coaches from the Red Bull system: Jesse Marsch and Achim Beierlorzer. Marsch failed, and Beierlorzer merely kept the team afloat until a new, more established specialist, Domenico Tedesco, arrived.

Angelino continued to play consistently under the new coach. In a system featuring three center-backs, he was crucial as a wing-back. By the end of May 2022, RB again reached a semifinal, this time in the Europa League, with Angelino contributing a solid 3 goals and 13 assists across all competitions that season.

Despite the dynamic defender's consistent performances, the RB Leipzig management felt the need to upgrade the position, acquiring David Raum from Hoffenheim. The buzz around the German overshadowed the arguments for the Spaniard. Angelino then headed in the opposite direction, spending a full season on loan at Hoffenheim.

At the end of that season, a return to Leipzig didn't materialize. The club sent the player to Turkey. Typically, continuing your career at Galatasaray at just 26 years old isn't a promising sign for a footballer. It usually hints at retirement or being shunted to the periphery of major European football. For Angelino, the latter seemed more likely.

Meanwhile, in the Italian capital, Roma's left-back, Leonardo Spinazzola, was constantly battling injuries. This ironically saved Angelino's career from fading out. De Rossi needed a player who could provide defensive cover on the left without a significant drop in quality.

While the Roman club was considering Angelino, both Real Betis and Marseille were already trying to snatch him up. Ultimately, the defender gave his approval to De Rossi. This move for the out-of-favor Spaniard was a stroke of genius for Roma. Angelino not only shored up a problematic position; he became a direct competitor to Spinazzola and even a more favored option at left-back. The disparity in their playing minutes spoke volumes.

De Rossi was ecstatic: "I'm crazy about our left-backs: Spinazzola and Angelino. I love their qualities and personalities, even though they have different characteristics. Sometimes I make a decision based on the opponent, and sometimes I choose the one who seems fitter," Daniele stated before the Europa League match against Brighton.

Roma finished that season strongly, reaching the Europa League semifinals and nearly clinching a Champions League spot, climbing from ninth place (the position when José Mourinho was dismissed).

By late May, Roma had bought Angelino's contract from RB. The Spaniard's play convinced De Rossi that he was an asset worth keeping. Especially since Spinazzola left the team in July, unable to resist Napoli's offer.

By the start of the 2024/25 season, Angelino was the undisputed starting left-back for the Romans.

Coach Daniele De Rossi hasn't been known for bold pronouncements. His coaching philosophy was more evident in Roma's on-field play than through flashy press conferences. It didn't take long to realize that Coach De Rossi wasn't a conformist. He was willing to immerse himself in the creative process, try new things, and forge his own path. While he'd undoubtedly heard of pragmatism, that word wasn't in his tactical "Plan A."

His favored formation was a 4-2-3-1, stable in possession yet dangerous in vertical attacks. These modes were meant to coexist, adapting to the opponent's pressure. The coach filled his squad with skilled ball players, but he entrusted Angelino with the most unique tactical role.

In preseason friendlies and the season's opening match against Cagliari, De Rossi launched an ambitious experiment: he deployed Angelino as a false full-back. This meant the wide defender would drift into the defensive midfield when in possession, helping to create a numerical advantage in that area.

The idea was short-lived; by the second match against Empoli, De Rossi shelved this option for a better time, which, as it turned out, never came.

The coach's experiment was more a side note in his search for optimal central midfield combinations than a deliberate effort to maximize Angelino's qualities. The Spaniard is actually more comfortable playing strictly along the flank. Ranieri would later confirm this in practice.

In the 2024/25 season, De Rossi experimented with various central midfield configurations in his initial (and only) four matches. Each week, the player combinations differed, offering varying dynamics in the center and methods of ball progression. Ultimately, the Angelino-as-midfielder idea didn't pan out and was far from a perfect solution. The Spaniard lacked the necessary attributes for central play, and the position wasn't exactly in short supply to begin with.

De Rossi was certainly inventive, but his execution fell short.

After DDR's dismissal, the experiments with Angelino's position didn't cease. The new coach, Ivan Juric, went a step further, selectively using the Spaniard as a left-sided center-back depending on the opponent. Why not? The Spaniard is only a centimeter shorter than the legendary Fabio Cannavaro.

However, the initial concept for this shift came from De Rossi, who had first tried moving the technically gifted wing-back closer to the defensive center in a match against Genoa. But it was the Croatian coach who made this risky move a regular occurrence, preferring Angelino in this unconventional position over established center-backs like Mats Hummels and Mario Hermoso, who warmed the bench.

"Angelino is a quality player; he can play both in defense and as a wide midfielder in a five-man midfield," Juric summarized Angelino's versatility before the match against Athletic Bilbao.

There wasn't a complete disaster. Angelino didn't concede goals in droves, but the drawbacks of playing in his new position lay in his attacking limitations.

When Roma had possession, Angelino would still drift to his familiar left zone. One of the defensive midfielders would then drop into his position in the back three. But in this setup, he rarely ventured into the opponent's penalty area, where more offensive wing-backs like Stephan El Shaarawy or Alexis Saelemaekers operated. This, unfortunately, constrained Angelino's technical range, reducing the number of his signature crosses into the box.

When defending positionally, he was part of the defensive trio and often operated directly in front of the goal. Juric even believed in this experiment against Inter.

The diminutive Spaniard struggled most when playing in open space. He was used to competing with wingers in terms of speed and power, but doing so without the cover of his own center-back was a new challenge. Angelino himself was now the one providing that cover.

"Defense is fundamental in Italy because every team is tactically well-prepared, and it becomes difficult to create scoring chances. I feel I've really improved in that aspect," Angelino observed.

Under the Croatian coach, Roma conceded five goals (!) from crosses following set pieces (4 corners and 1 free-kick). In four of those five instances, Angelino was on the field as a left center-back. He was directly involved in one of the goals when he was outmuscled by Oihan Sancet of Athletic Bilbao. Perhaps the Basques intentionally aimed their crosses at that zone. Angelino isn't directly to blame for the other goals, but his regular appearance at center-back meant Roma lacked an additional tall defender.

Juric stuck with his decision regarding Angelino until the very end. Even in the last game under the Croatian coach against Bologna, the Spaniard started as a left center-back. They lost 3-2, with Riccardo Orsolini's second goal coming from under Angelino.

Juric lasted only a month and a half. The frantic appointment predictably ended in dismissal. The Croatian always seemed like an anomaly within the Roma setup. At the time of his sacking, the team was just two points above the relegation zone.

In his very first press conference, Ranieri uttered what quickly became a memorable quote: "I promise Angelino will no longer play in central defense." There's no reason to doubt the words of such a respected gentleman.

With Don Claudio's arrival, stability returned. The coach assessed the squad, gauged the team's potential, and adjusted the playing model. The players could "breathe" again. Everyone had a clear role, understood their tactical assignments, and felt their value. Roma's symptoms of malaise vanished, followed by a steady recovery.

The effect wasn't immediate, but it gradually extended throughout the entire second half of the season. Several players, arguably, had the best stretches of their careers, and Angelino was among them. Ranieri retained part of Juric's legacy – the three-center-back formation – but moved Angelino back to his favored position: left wing-back.

The period from late January to early March marked the Spaniard's prime, yielding a remarkable 4 goals. One was a decisive winner against Eintracht, another secured a last-gasp draw against Napoli. The scorching peak form of the Galician native (our hero hails from the Galicia region in northwestern Spain) perfectly coincided with Roma's unbeaten run.

Angelino possesses a rich technical arsenal. Only Dybala and Soule overshadow him, keeping him from free-kick duties. Angelino excels at short combinations, launches long balls to target men, delivers precise crosses from the flank, and executes diagonal cut-backs into the box. He does all of this at an elite level with pinpoint accuracy. In Serie A, it's hard to find a full-back with such advanced passing skills.

If the opponent presses high in our half, we go long to Dovbyk. If the attack develops through the left flank, Angelino slices through with precise, billiard-like diagonal passes into the final third. The attacking players – the “number ten” and the far winger, or the number eight – act as the targets. And if the Roma attacks wide and in numbers, Angelino lurks in wait at the far corner of the penalty area. This tactic has resulted in goals for the Spaniard several times this season.

All three Roma coaches this last season heavily utilized the left flank for both build-up and finishing. Consequently, Angelino was arguably the most involved player in developing attacks, not just within the club. His statistics are among the best for full-backs in Europe's top 5 leagues. In terms of key passes per season, he's only behind Alex Grimaldo of Bayer Leverkusen (by a significant margin) and Sergio Gomez of Real Sociedad, and in terms of crosses and low crosses into the box, only Maximilian Mittelstadt of Stuttgart.

Roma's playing style allows him to continue progressing and feel comfortable. The Giallorossi always have a "big man" up front (Dovbyk/ Shomurodov) through whom Angelino can vertically launch attacks. There's always a target in and around the penalty area (the same players, plus those making late runs from midfield). And crucially, he can make attacking forays without fear, knowing that Ndicka provides cover behind him.

If he has a creative player staying wide in the final third, he is almost unstoppable – he is quick and prolific in linkups. But as soon as you replace Soule or Dybala with Pellegrini in this scheme, things just stop working offensively: Angelino needs a partner to link with and quickly bypass the opponents, and Pellegrini always drifts to the center of the pitch.

Another equally vital factor is the coach. As we've seen throughout the Spaniard's career, trust is his primary fuel. He's sensitive if something starts to go wrong in the coach-player relationship. In Ranieri, he found another mentor (alongside Nagelsmann). He keenly felt, as I believe everyone did, the inevitable departure of "Mister": "We all love him; he did incredible things for us. We would be happy if he stayed."

Angelino became so integral to Roma's play that the thought of his departure casts a shadow over future prospects. Since early summer, rumors have swirled about the move to Al-Hilal for €20 million. Later, other reports linked him to Cristiano Ronaldo's club, Al-Nassr. The latest news suggested that Sunderland is now interested in the Roma defender. The English club has returned to the Premier League and reportedly plans to hire Roma's former sporting director, Florian Ghisolfi. Given this, the pieces certainly fit.

What's the likelihood that Angelino will indeed leave? Quite high. Roma needs immediate funds. The capital club understands that selling the winger would free up Roma in the transfer market and allow for a wider selection of potential new players.

And it's not even a given that Gian Piero Gasperini is genuinely interested in a wing-back of Angelino's type. Gian Piero typically employs "Football Navy Seals" on the flanks, and the Spaniard might simply lack the physical presence.

Angelino's earlier words about wanting to stay in Rome for a long time have already been quoted. And no matter how his career unfolds, at 28, despite a challenging journey, he's matured enough to admit: "I'm really happy." And he made that admission while wearing the Giallorossi colors. That's a double reason for quiet joy.