against Venice this could be your chance
After the untouchable Rui Patricio, league and cup goalkeeper (51 out of 52 matches, only Sofia missed) Abraham is the most user player this year since Mourinho, 3.987 ‘in official matches, curiously the same as Ibañez. Precisely for this reason the English center forward is the main suspect to rest on Saturday evening, against Venice: Eldor hopes for it. Shomurdov, who on Monday gave him the change, but only in the 90th minute: not the best for an attacker, who is often evaluated (in a superficial way, without evaluating the actual minutes), by the relationship between appearances and goals. Which in his case is disheartening: 26 and 2 goals in the league, 36/4 adding the Coppa Italia (in which he scored in the only appearance, but it was played against Lecce, a B team, albeit destined for promotion) and Conference League.
In the cup he had scored immediately, on his debut, in Trebizond, when Abraham had been bought a few hours ago, and not made in time to join the team: that goal (which Uefa counts separately, because it was scored in a preliminary and not a group stage), a right-footed shot, to 9 ‘from the end, having earned the victory in Turkey, had given the Giallorossi fans hope, given that the Uzbek – arrived, with retirement already underway, as third striker in an attack completely different from the current one, with Dzeko and Borja Mayoral in the squad, Abraham at Chelsea and Felix in that Primavera group that the first team did not dare or hope for – he had presented himself very well, scoring in both friendlies played by his membership, that of Seville against Betis and the official presentation at the Olympic against Raja Casablanca.
But the magic ended that day, and there hasn’t been a return yet: to have the encore of that first center on August 19th, it was necessary to wait until November 7th., when the striker brought to Italy by Genoa in the summer of 2020 found his first Serie A goal with the Roma shirt against his next opponent, with a right-footed rebound in the 43rd minute of the first half, at Pier Luigi Penzo of Venice. Not a happy memory, given that that day Roma, who went down for a goal from Caldara after 3 ‘, and took the lead with Abrahm’s 1-2, collected a penalty from Aramu and a left from Okereke, remedying a defeat totally unexpected, against a team that in 36 days has won just 6 times.
The one with Venezia was also his second appearance from the first minute, after the one in Verona, when the initial series of victories stopped: both times he played alongside Abraham, as well as the game after, against Genoa, when, however, he left. the 74th place to the almost rookie Felix, who scored two goals, and if he begins to undermine his place. The two have a very similar playing time: 657 ‘for the Uzbek, who played the fourth and last as a starter at home with Inter, when Abraham was disqualified, 665’ the Ghanaian. Against Bologna Abraham remained on the bench, and Felix played in his place (even if in fact the center forward was Zaniolo that day), Monday’s change would suggest that the moment of the former Genoa is back.
Spina hopes
But the center forward will not be the only change, against a team that could already be relegated at the kick-off (it will depend on the result of Empoli-Salernitana, scheduled for 15: a point for the Campania region, and the Venetians will already be on vacation): yesterday the sports judge’s statement came out, ratifying the disqualification of Gianluca Mancini, who has reached the fifteenth sanction, Kumbulla will play in his place. Veretout, who in the league has played the two from the beginning, the last to have continuity, hopes to make Bove minutes (only one segment in the last 8, against Inter, moreover starting the action of the only goal of the Giallorossi), there Spinazzola will certainly do it, who on Monday only played in recovery, making his seasonal debut after breaking his Achilles tendon on 2 July. As he himself said at the end of the race, every minute is precious to him right now. At 3 pm the team will meet again in Trigoria, after the rest day.