The moment Malen decided on Como-Rome

“It’s time to stop with these still images; they distort reality,” said Gian Piero Gasperini following Donyell Malen’s sending-off in the Como v Roma match. In this context, where we deal with transcribed still images, there is consideration of abandoning this racist situation, because soon enough it will all be one large artificial intelligence, spreading from the provinces right up to the national team. It’s true, “football isn’t made up of still images but of actions”, but it also involves rules and sanctions, in a country where those who break the former are by no means certain to face the latter. The Roma manager would be right, were it not for the fact that this column deals with screenshots by applying them to alternate history, to ‘what if’ scenarios, following the curve of the parabola: and so yes, the more or less treacherous challenge, with both feet together, by the Dutch centre-forward determined the outcome of the big match, the league position, and the entire matchday that went Inter’s way.

The momentum of the live television broadcast made it clear: after a first half won on points by the Giallorossi, thanks to two significant chances from Paulo Dybala and Lorenzo Pellegrini compared to Assane Diao’s solitary counter-attack (saved by Wesley), the start of the second half was following the same pattern until the 53rd minute, when the fateful incident occurred. From then on, the momentum was all with the home side, although – despite having a man advantage – they were unable to do much more than give an excellent Pierluigi Gollini a bit of a scare. In this match, on a day marked by numerous draws amongst the chasing pack, and in the context – including the psychological aspect – of the upcoming European week, the red card brandished in ‘Bobby’s’ face therefore takes on crucial significance, starting with the answer to the question that is practically unavoidable, not only in Rome: what would have become of the rest of the match had it been played with eleven men?

It was by no means a foregone conclusion that the visitors would have found the right attacking spark, even though the sent-off player was physically battling against two defenders such as Jacobo Ramón and Trevoh Chalobah, the man of the match. But it is reasonable to think that a full-strength Roma side could have put in another half, unhindered by circumstances, even though they were hardly under pressure during the remaining forty minutes. It was precisely that ‘bull-like’ attitude – otherwise commendable – that proved costly for number 14: Manu Koné won the ball back in midfield, playing a through ball to the striker, who controlled it and tried to break away head-on, using his body and arms to his advantage. He got past Ramón but was closed down by the excellent Máximo Perrone; the ball rolled outwards and, to win it back, Malen went in with an early sliding tackle as Bruno Kaiki closed in. The collision was inevitable, and the referee was well positioned.

The red card is brandished without hesitation, whilst the Brazilian full-back rolls on the ground: Malen is stunned; in the shot, Chalobah and Perrone are still calling for the decision. The front-on replay leaves no doubt as to the foul nature of the tackle, especially given that Kaiki touches the ball a fraction of a second before the opponent arrives. A full-blown orthogonal tackle, with the Como player along the y-axis and the offender lying across the x-axis: the reward, evidently, was the reckless, martial-arts-style flying challenge, which in football – as the video analysts immediately recognised – has always been punished with the maximum penalty. From that point on, Roma reorganised themselves by dropping their centre of gravity slightly but, above all, by abandoning their attacking intent – as evidenced, for example, by the failure to bring on Santiago Castro, who remained wistfully warming up on the sidelines.

The fact is that the two managers considered the most ‘attacking’ produced a 0–0 draw that wasn’t particularly satisfying in terms of chances created, but that is not a contradiction in terms. It is ‘results-oriented football’ (which is popular in Italy, as mentioned) – a meagre 1–0 victory played conservatively and capitalising on a stroke of luck – whilst the mirror-image outcome of the tactical battle between Gasperini and Cesc Fàbregas bears more resemblance to the so-called ‘perfect match’ according to the theories of Arrigo Sacchi and Francisco Maturana, the same goalless scoreline that was holding the Intercontinental Cup final between Milan and Atlético Nacional de Medellín in a stranglehold, before it was broken by Chicco Evani’s left-footed free-kick. Clearly, the two managers who faced off on the shores of Lake Como know how to organise their defence well even when they look to attack: if anything, Como – compact when out of possession – appeared too stretched when on the attack.

Inter are therefore in high spirits, having secured an easy 3–0 victory over Parma – the same scoreline that saw Napoli bounce back against surprise package Frosinone. The rest, quite simply, were missed opportunities of the ‘I’d like to, but I can’t’ variety: this applies to Juventus, who were on the back foot for long periods against Cagliari, and to Milan, who failed to get the better of Sassuolo. Credit must go, however, to Ruben Amorim, who, during the seemingly endless twenty days without club competitions, has realised that the current squad offers him a comfortable 4-4-2 formation, unfairly branded as outdated; the same formation in which Daniele de Rossi has decided to reshape his Genoa side based on the players at his disposal. Also breathing the fresh air at the top of the table, and fully deserving of it, are two ‘underdogs’: namely the Sardinians, whom Fabio Pisacane is bringing out the best in – even technically – and Lazio, for whom everything continues to go well.