Goal.com's transfer special series comes to focus on the Giallorossi... 23 Dec 2009 12:00:30 http://tinyurl.com/ykwb5v6 By Vince Masiello Just like last year, Roma got their domestic campaign off to a disastrous start and lost their opening two games at the hands of Genoa and Juventus. The inevitable happened. Luciano Spalletti realised his time was up and stepped down, paving the way for Claudio Ranieri to get the opportunity of a lifetime. The ex-Juventus boss took charge of his beloved hometown club and, amid ups and downs at first, he steadied the ship. The Lupi are back in contention for a Champions League spot and I feel that, barring Inter, they can be a match for any side in Serie A in the second part of the season, provided that they make a few adjustments in the January transfer market. But times are tight and even though Francesco Totti may be decked in a dandy Santa Claus costume in his latest foray into the advertising world, Roma are unlikely to receive any big presents. Goalkeepers With Brazilian Julio Sergio having finally shed the tag of ‘best third goalkeeper in the world’, his compatriot Doni could hand in a transfer request in January to get regular playing time ahead of next summer’s World Cup finals. Artur and Bogdan Lobont have failed to impress Ranieri in their rare appearances at the start of the season and if Doni does demand to leave the Olimpico, director of sport Daniele Pradé might have to dive into the Calciomercato for a trustworthy backup net-minder. I would definitely go after Marco Amelia who is having a difficult time at Genoa and would relish the chance to defend the goal of his hometown club. Defence The backline poses the biggest conundrum. Roma have conceded a whopping 33 goals in 26 games in all competitions so far this season and had to wait until the beginning of December to keep their first clean sheet in Serie A when they defeated city rivals Lazio 1-0 in the Derby della Capitale. A stalemate away to Sampdoria the following week and last weekend's 2-0 defeat of Parma show that Ranieri has perhaps found a tactical key to his side ’s defensive woes and there will be no immediate need to intervene in the transfer market in January. And it’s not by chance that Roma’s defensive record has considerably improved since Brazilian international Juan shrugged off his recurring injury problems and rediscovered his best form. The 30-year-old appeared to have fallen out with the club last month when the Lupi refused to release him for international duty. But he has reiterated his commitment to the Maggica last week by turning down an offer from Bundesliga heavyweights Bayern Munich. However, Spanish giants Real Madrid have also been linked with the former Bayer Leverkusen man in the past and could revive their interest in the New Year after Portuguese international Pepe was ruled out for the remainder of the season. Should a mega-bid arrive at Trigoria, I think the Giallorossi directors should take the leap and sacrifice the injury-prone Brazilian who has missed half of Roma's games during his first two seasons in the Italian capital. And I would look no further than out-of-favour Napoli centre-back Fabiano Santacroce to provide cover for Philippe Mexes and Nicolas Burdisso. Santacroce has been hampered by fitness problems so far this term, but still remains one of the most promising Italian defenders. He reminds me of a young Fabio Cannavaro and would represent a sound investment for the future. Full-back Cicinho has openly admitted he wants to return to his former club Sao Paulo, but Roma seem reluctant to let go of the former Real Madrid man. However, his potential departure is unlikely to push Roma into signing a replacement, as Ranieri can count on a revitalized Marco Cassetti at right-back and former Italy Under-21 captain Marco Motta. Midfield I suppose Roma will hardly concentrate on the midfield department in January, and rightly so. It’s not a stretch to say that the Giallorossi can boast one of the best starting midfield line-ups in the peninsula, up there with the likes of Inter, Milan and Juventus. Simone Perrotta seems back to his old form that allowed him to become one of the ‘untouchables’ in Marcello Lippi’s Italy squad in 2006. Chilean David Pizarro is still superbly pulling the strings and it goes without saying that Daniele De Rossi remains the shining light in the middle of the park. Wingers Stefano Guberti and Rodrigo Taddei are reportedly unhappy with their lack of playing time, but they are likely to stick it out until at least next summer when the latter, in particular, will run out of contract. Attack Most of the transfer speculation regarding Roma is focusing on the frontline in recent weeks. The Lupi are widely expected to offload unsettled Brazilian Julio Baptista and bring in an out-and-out striker to add even more firepower up front, as explicitly pointed out by Ranieri. Several names are circulating in the press, namely Ruud van Nistelroy, Kevin Kuranyi, Luca Toni, Adriano and David Suazo. The latter three have the advantage of being no strangers to Serie A and that can never be discarded when the season is already in full swing. As it stands, Adriano would no doubt be my first choice as he has worked his way back to top form at Flamengo and inspired the Brazilian outfit to the league title, while Toni and Suazo have both been unknown quantities so far this season at their respective clubs. But we all know how Adriano kept falling into old habits during his spell at Inter and I’m afraid it would be too much of a gamble. In the end, I would say it’s a two-horse race and Toni gets my vote as the lanky hitman has already proved in the Italy national team that he can link up well with his good friend Totti. IN (3): Marco Amelia (Genoa), Fabiano Santacroce (Napoli), Luca Toni (Bayern Munich) OUT (3): Doni, Juan, Julio Baptista. Preferred Line-Up (4-2-3-1) Julio Sergio Cassetti Burdisso Mexes Riise De Rossi Pizarro Menez Totti Vucinic Toni --

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