Roma’s midfield has been a project for several seasons. The 2025-26 campaign has shown both progress and persistent issues. The current state heading into the season’s final months is mixed.

What’s working

The midfield’s strengths in current form:

Defensive coverage. The deeper midfielders have been more disciplined this season. The transitions from defense to attack are cleaner than recent years. Counter-press in the middle third has been more aggressive.

Set piece organization. Direct improvement under current coaching. Goals from set pieces have meaningfully contributed to the points tally.

Pressing patterns. When the press triggers correctly, the team wins the ball higher up the pitch than in recent seasons.

What isn’t working

Several persistent issues:

Creative output from open play. The midfield generates fewer chances from open play than the squad’s quality should produce. Forward passes break down. Through balls don’t connect. The final third dynamism comes more from individual brilliance than systematic creation.

Width support. When wide players are isolated, midfield runs to support are inconsistent. The full-backs cover ground but the midfield support is often delayed.

Big-game performance. Against direct rivals, the midfield has been less effective than against weaker opposition. Whether this is mental, tactical, or quality-related is debated.

The roster picture

The current midfield squad has both established players and recent additions. The integration has been uneven. Some additions have settled quickly; others remain works in progress.

The depth chart has improved compared to recent seasons but the first-choice combination hasn’t fully clicked. Injury timing has affected stability — when key players are available, the midfield has functioned better than aggregate season stats suggest.

What needs to happen

For the midfield to elevate to a level matching the club’s ambitions:

• Better in possession sequences
• More consistent decision-making in the final third
• Improvement in big-game performance specifically
• Continued physical conditioning and tactical discipline

These aren’t unrealistic but they require sustained work and likely some squad refinement.

The summer

The summer transfer window will likely involve midfield activity. The specific moves depend on financial circumstances and target availability. The ideal would be:

• Quality additions targeting specific gaps
• Loan/sale of players not in long-term plans
• Continuity at the spine to maintain progress

Whether the executive will deliver on this depends on factors beyond what fans control.

The verdict

The midfield is better than it was. It’s not where it needs to be. The trajectory is positive but incomplete.

For the season ahead, the realistic expectation is improvement that’s visible but not transformative. For the longer-term project, continued investment and patience matter. Roma’s midfield has been rebuilt before. The current rebuild is producing results but isn’t finished.

Fans wanting an immediate transformation will be frustrated. Fans recognizing the rebuild as multi-year will find encouragement in current direction even if not in current outcomes.