Opinion: The 7 reasons why Roma beat Lazio

Cesare Prandelli believes there were seven key reasons behind Roma’s 2-0 derby win over Lazio on 8 November.

Speaking exclusively to Il Corriere dello Sport, Prandelli – who had a brief stay at Roma in the summer of 2004 and led Italy to a second-place finish at Euro 2012 – believes the Giallorossi are one of the favourites to win the Serie A title this season.

“On an individual level, they have more quality than any of the other Scudetto hopefuls,” claims Pandelli.

“It was the speed at which the Roma players broke that made the difference. When they countered you could see all of the players trying to get into space. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Mohamed Salah or Radja Nainggolan.

"Even Vasilis Torosidis was popping up to form triangles – it’s not often you see a full-back coming inside the midfielder, usually they attack up the flank. Roma have players that are very quick getting into space without the ball.”

“Roma are doing something that we haven’t seen much of recently in Italy and that’s attacking the penalty box with multiple players. On an individual level, they have more quality than any of the other Scudetto hopefuls.”

“With his pace, if you let him turn you you’re dead. You have to make sure you don’t let him turn.”

“During the derby Roma’s play focused on two main things: Playing first-time passes out to the flanks and hounding the opposition when they lost the ball. Those were the key tactics.”

“It’s fascinating to watch the build-up play to Roma’s first goal. Edin Džeko takes his man on, but you have to applaud Gervinho’s movement. He attacks the penalty area, freeing up space for the centre-forward.

"The move starts with a first-time pass, something that Roma repeated throughout the match. That’s how Roma managed to shake off Lazio’s pressing – by playing first-time passes. Rudi Garcia had clearly told his players that whenever they received the ball with their back to goal, they should offload it first time.”

“If you choose to play with three forwards plus a trequartista, as Roma do, you have to make sure you press your opponents. It’s not something we see much of in Italy and as a coach it can be hard to convey the idea here. We are used to being shrewd and cunning, hanging back and waiting to see what happens.

"But when you take that step, you become a world-class side. It’s up to the forwards to set the precedent – that makes the midfielders push up. You force them higher up the pitch and they follow the forwards’ movement, as if they were all linked together.”

“Iago played the ball first time every time he got it and that meant Roma were able to get the ball wide more often. If he tried to control it and hold onto the ball, he would have been tackled. He played with great intelligence, pressing Marco Parolo well. It was an extraordinary performance from a tactical perspective.”