Will Ranieri Ramp Up Rotations As Roma Host Monza?

The Giallorossi are riding a wave of positive momentum into tomorrow’s match against Monza, unlike any other they’ve had this season. It’s safe to call Claudio Ranieri’s return to Roma a success, as the Giallorossi have remained unbeaten in their last four matches and are tied for best form in the league since Ranieri replaced Ivan Jurić. The renewed vigor and tactical discipline that’s been on display throughout the side has been key to that rebirth — Roma’s 3-2 midweek victory over Porto in the Europa League not only exemplified their attacking prowess but also showcased a solidified defensive resilience. All of this now means that Roma is positioned surprisingly favorably in both Serie A and the Europa League.

In contrast, Monza’s form has gone from worse to worse. The Biancorossi find themselves anchored to the bottom of the Serie A standings, with relegation to Serie B looking practically guaranteed for the 2025/2026 season. A string of disappointing performances, including a heavy 5-1 defeat to Lazio, have only exacerbated these struggles, and the club’s managerial merry-go-round, which for the moment has resulted in the shock return of Alessandro Nesta, has done little to stabilize the team’s form. With only two wins this season and a shocking goal difference of -18, Monza faces an uphill battle to salvage their campaign.

This one shouldn’t be too tough for the Giallorossi; Roma has dominated this fixture in recent years, as they’re undefeated in their last five encounters against Monza. Add in the fact that the Giallorossi are hosting Monza and have won eight of their last nine at the Olimpico, and it feels like a relatively safe bet that Roma will come away from this one with a positive result.

With that in mind, what’s really hanging over tomorrow’s match is the reality that Roma’s fixture list is becoming increasingly congested. Following the Monza match, the Giallorossi are set to face Como on March 2nd, then Athletic Club on March 6th in the Europa League Round of 16. This sequence of matches presents a delicate balancing act for Ranieri, who is now facing the serious challenge of navigating and maintaining domestic momentum while advancing on the European front. The question looms: will Ranieri opt to rotate his squad against Monza, preserving key players for the challenges ahead, or will he field his strongest lineup to secure vital league points?

The strategic decisions made by Ranieri regarding squad rotation will be pivotal moving forward. Balancing the ambition of a deep Europa League run with the imperative of securing a strong league finish will demand astute management and depth utilization—traits Ranieri has fortunately been known to possess for decades. Tomorrow’s encounter with Monza serves as the first test in this challenging period, and the choices made in this fixture will set the tone for the Giallorossi’s fortunes on both domestic and European stages for the rest of the season.

What To Watch For

Is It Shomu Season?

With Artem Dovbyk sidelined for tomorrow’s match due to a nagging muscle injury, one of Claudio Ranieri’s rotational picks seems all but chosen for him, as it looks like Eldor Shomurodov will lead the line against Monza. Dovbyk’s injury—picked up in training ahead of the Europa League clash with Porto—leaves a noticeable gap up top, but if there were ever a time for Shomurodov to remind everyone why Roma splashed the cash on him in the first place, it’s now. The Uzbek forward has spent most of his Roma career as a peripheral figure, bouncing between loan spells and limited minutes off the bench. Still, he’s got the physicality and movement to make life miserable for a truly struggling Monza defense.

Of course, consistency has never been the Uzbek Messi’s strong suit in a Roma kit, and that’s precisely why he finds himself on the fringes of this squad. Yet there might not be a better chance for him to get on the scoresheet and give Ranieri some options up top moving forward than against a Monza side that’s leaking goals and staring down relegation. Will he seize the moment, or will this be just another footnote in his disappointing Roma tenure, forcing Roma to look for a new forward to back up Dovbyk this summer?

Can Roma Improve Their Response to Counters?

Photo by Marco Iacobucci/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

If there’s one hope for Monza tomorrow, it’s that Roma’s vulnerability to counter-attacks has been a glaring issue this season, deeply undermining a side with strong individual defenders and one of the most promising goalkeepers in Europe. Claudio Ranieri has been vocal about these lapses, especially after the 1-0 defeat to AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League. Despite pre-match warnings, the team conceded a decisive goal from a swift counter, leading Ranieri to express his frustration: “It’s unbelievable to concede like that… I had told the team beforehand to be careful because they go on rapid counter-attacks.”

Roma has struggled to maintain a cohesive defensive structure, often exposing themselves during offensive transitions due to mental lapses or weakness in the fullback position. Ranieri has already implemented some tactical adjustments to help fix this issue, such as reinforcing midfield coverage and ensuring full-backs are more disciplined in their forward runs. Florent Ghisolfi also wisely brought in players like Anass Salah-Eddine and Devyne Rensch to help shore up the Giallorossi flanks during the January mercato.

Yet fixing these defensive issues will take longer than a month, particularly a month with an incredibly congested fixture schedule. Alessandro Nesta will have his hands full tomorrow regardless of what version of Roma’s defense shows up to the Olimpico; Monza’s defense quite frankly makes the Giallorossi defense look like an iron curtain. Still, if Roma wants to build up the mentality needed for a Europa League title run, it has to start with clean sheets against sides like Monza. It’s as simple as that.

Match Details

Date: February 24

Kickoff: 20:45 CET/2:45 EST

Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Roma

Referee: Fabio Maresca