The Conference League final is the kind of game that defines a season for a club like ours. Whatever you think about the tournament’s prestige (and I have plenty of opinions), winning a European trophy in May 2026 changes the conversation about this Roma side, this coaching staff, and this rebuild project.

Let me work through how I’d set the side up if I were Daniele De Rossi, and where I think the actual tactical edges lie.

The opposition profile

Without naming names that may have changed by the time you read this, the typical Conference League final opponent at this stage will be a side that has overperformed its underlying numbers across the tournament. They will be:

Defensively organised in a mid-block. They will not press us aggressively in our own half because they cannot sustain it for 90 minutes against our quality.

Reliant on transition. Two or three players who can break at speed, usually one of whom is a wide forward with end product.

Strong on set pieces, both for and against. This is where most Conference League finals get decided. Look at the last four winners. Two of them won via direct or indirect set-piece situations.

Where I’d build the press

If they sit in a mid-block, our high press becomes less important than our rest defence. We need to be set up to absorb their best transition without conceding the kind of central runs that have hurt us all season.

I’d play a 3-4-2-1 in possession that becomes a 5-2-3 out of possession when they’re on the ball in their own half. This gives us:

Width through the wing-backs (Angelino on the left has been our most consistent attacking outlet for three months).

A double pivot of Paredes and Koné that can hold central space and rotate to cover the wing-backs when they push.

Two attacking midfielders in the half-spaces (Dybala and Pellegrini if both fit, otherwise Pellegrini and Soulé).

Lukaku as the focal point with license to drop and combine.

This shape gives us five defenders behind the ball when they break, and a clear underloads-overloads pattern in their final third.

The pressing triggers

The one tactical wrinkle I’d add for this game specifically: I’d press their goalkeeper aggressively when he has the ball, but I’d hold off pressing their central defenders unless the ball goes wide. Most Conference League sides have a goalkeeper who is uncomfortable on the ball under genuine pressure but central defenders who are technically fine in space.

Force the keeper to play long. Win the second balls with our central two. Don’t waste energy chasing centre-backs who can pass their way out.

This is essentially what Atalanta did in the Europa League final two seasons ago. It worked because their central midfielders won every second ball in the middle third. We need Koné and Paredes to do the same.

Set pieces are the game

I cannot stress this enough. Roma’s set-piece numbers under De Rossi have improved this season but we are still mid-table for both expected goals from set pieces and expected goals conceded from set pieces. In a final, this is where the margins live.

Specifically:

Defensive corners. Our zonal-marking issues have not been fixed. Ndicka and Mancini cover well but our second-line zonal players are routinely losing first contact. A trained run from a 6’2” forward will threaten us.

Attacking corners. We have stopped using the near-post flick that worked so well in March. I’d bring it back. Cristante’s near-post movement is one of our few genuine set-piece weapons.

Free kicks in advanced areas. Dybala remains our best taker. If we get one in a shooting position in the first half, take it on goal. Don’t overplay.

Substitutions: the late-game shape

Where I think De Rossi has been smartest this season is in late-game substitutions. He’s gone to a 4-4-2 on multiple occasions in the last 20 minutes when chasing a goal, and the underlying numbers in those windows have been excellent.

I’d plan for that here. If we’re behind at 65 minutes, off comes a wing-back, on comes Baldanzi, and we play 4-4-2 with Dybala dropped behind the front two. Our late-game expected goals in this shape this season is genuinely elite.

If we’re ahead at 70 minutes, off comes Dybala (regardless of how he’s playing, his minutes need management), on comes Bove or Pisilli for legs and energy. We finish in the 5-3-2 we know.

The intangibles

This is De Rossi’s first major final as a manager. The pressure on him personally will be heavy. The pressure on the players is real but they’ve handled European nights well this season.

The one thing I’d worry about: our crowd in neutral venues has historically been brilliant but also volatile. If we go behind early, the energy can swing the wrong way fast. The players need to know that and be ready for the first 25 minutes to be nervy.

UEFA’s official pre-match coverage will frame this as a feel-good story for whichever side we play. We need to ignore the narrative entirely. This is a winnable game if we play our shape, take our set pieces seriously, and don’t get drawn into a transition battle.

Forza Roma. See you on the other side.