Soulé’s Roma struggles: From star welcome to role confusion, but Juric defends him

Roma’s European campaign took a hit with a 1-0 loss to Elfsborg in Boras, leaving Ivan Juric’s team with just one point from two matches. Among the underperformers was Matias Soulé, who failed to make an impact once again. The star welcome he received in July now seems a distant memory, as the Friedkins’ €26.5 million investment has yet to yield results, with zero goals and assists to his name.

Soulé struggled to shine on the synthetic pitch, though it posed challenges for all players. Juric gave him another chance after the Venezia match, but the Argentine failed to hit the target with his two attempts. He also squandered a significant counterattack opportunity midway through the first half. Soulé’s performance was marred by imprecise touches and a lack of his trademark dribbling skills. He was substituted after 65 minutes.

Despite the disappointing performance, Juric continues to defend Soulé. The coach stated, “In my opinion, he’s a hardworking boy with quality. It’s his second year in Serie A, and maybe at this moment he can’t express all the talent he has, but he’s constantly in contact with the ball, makes himself visible, and doesn’t hide. He doesn’t suffer from pressure, and I’m convinced he will grow.”

Juric added, “He spent a year at Frosinone and now he’s in Rome. We need to be calm and patient. We need to help him grow physically and in his positioning, where I liked him more today compared to other times. We need to work, but I’m very confident in Soulé.”

Recently, sporting director Ghisolfi commented on Soulé’s versatility, suggesting he could play in both 4-3-3 and 3-4-2-1 formations. However, the tactical shift from De Rossi’s 4-3-3 to Juric’s 3-4-2-1 seems to have disadvantaged Soulé, with the Croatian coach viewing him primarily as a winger.