Sinners & Saints: Udinese 2, Roma 5

Rather than falling into the trap often set in David vs. Goliath matches, Roma wasted little time clamping down on Udinese in Saturday’s 5-2 rout in Friuli. After a relatively sluggish start, Gasperini’s Group turned up the heat in the 10th minute, eventually burying Udinese with goals from Bryan Cristante, Rodrigo Mora, Donyell Malen and Evan Ndicka, racing out to a 4-0 lead at the break.

Sure, Roma suffered from a few lax moments early in the second half, but the outcome never truly felt in jeopardy. Besides, you could even argue Roma saved the best for last, with Daniele Ghilardi capping off the win with an emphatic stoppage-time goal. And with Inter Milan dropping points ahead of them on the table, Halloween was all treat and very little trick for the Giallorossi.

With five goals and a number of impressive performances, today’s S&S will lean heavily on the halos.

The Saints

Matías Soulé

Back in the day, we used to say that Francesco Totti was not only the straw that stirs the drink but the drink itself; Totti was everything and contained everything. Matías Soulé may never reach those heights, but the 23-year-old playmaker is playing the best football of his young career and is quietly becoming the club’s most important player.

Yesterday’s performance wasn’t a goal-scoring masterpiece for Soulé, but his passing and playmaking skills were on full display. In 79 minutes against Udinese, Soulé completed two successful dribbles, played six balls into the final third, and six line-breaking passes while setting up Malen and Ndicka’s goals late in the first half.

Soulé now has three goals and five assists in 13 appearances in all competitions. If he catches fire in front of goal later this year, a double-double is well within reach.

Bryan Cristante

There’s no waffling or hedging our bets this time; Cristante was fantastic against Udinese. With a goal and an assist, Cristante had his biggest offensive output since last February, when he managed the same feat against Cremonese. In addition to cracking open the match with his 10th-minute header and serving up Rodrigo Mora’s 31st-minute goal, Cristante played six balls into the final third and made 13 line-breaking passes while winning five of six ground duels.

Good stuff from Bryan, no notes.

Daniele Ghilardi

After spending the first two months of the season as a bit player, Ghilardi’s time has finally come. Making his second start in the club’s last four matches, the 23-year-old, who embodies everything we love about a classical Italian defender, delivered a superb performance against Udine: nine defensive actions, six recoveries, 9 of 14 duels won, and, of course, his no-doubt, grip-it-and-rip-it stoppage-time goal.

The balancing act between Ghilardi, Mancini, Balerdi and the rest of the backline will be one of the more interesting developments to monitor this season, but he’s certainly staking his claim for more playing time.

Rodrigo Mora

Speaking of a young player clamoring for more playing time, Roma’s 19-year-old €50 million man is on the rise. While he’s still used in spurts, Mora has now scored in back-to-back league matches and looks exactly as advertised: clever, quick, and creative. Mora is thriving as a link in the final third, connecting midfield play to the forwards, creating chances, and generally being a nuisance to the defense.

Evan Ndicka

It’s been a minute since we’ve discussed Ndicka in these spaces, but we’ll give the Ivorian defender the last halo. In addition to his steady play at the back (eight defensive actions, 75% duels), Ndicka’s 37th-minute header was particularly impressive, taking a 0.21 xG chance and generating 0.76 xGOT.

Ndicka feels like he’s gotten lost in the shuffle somehow, but yesterday was a reminder that he remains a genuinely top class defender.

Stuck In Between

With no major errors, we’re going to keep the pitchforks in the shed for now, but there were a few ho-hum and almost great performances from Saturday’s rout.

Mario Hermoso

While he wasn’t rated quite as highly as Ghilardi or Ndicka, the former Atleti man was instrumental in Roma’s passing attack, playing a game-high 11 balls into the final third and 17 line-breaking passes. And no pass was more impressive than his defense-stretching, across-the-pitch feed to Soulé, setting up Malen’s 33rd minute goal.

Nahuel Molina

Nothing particularly worrying came out of Nahuel’s 90-minute runout yesterday, but with Emanuele Luli nipping at his heels, Molina may need to sleep with one eye open. Molina had a chance to join the scoring parade late in the second half, but was perhaps a bit too unselfish, passing up an open shot to square a ball to Malen.

Niccolo Pisilli

Riding a four-match heater with goals in both the Champions League and Serie A, the young Roman came back to earth against Udinese. Joining the fray just shy of the hour mark, Pisilli struggled to make an impact, taking only 19 touches and failing to register a single defensive action.

With another quick turnaround between matches, we’ll catch you back in these spaces after Tuesday’s trip to Old Trafford, where Roma will matchup with a struggling Manchester United side in the Champions League.