AS Roma's five best players this season

AS Roma have made an amazing start to the 2013/14 Serie A. Strengthened by the arrival of quite a few quality players during the summer as well as the appointment of Rudi Garcia, Roma have won all of their first 9 games in the League and currently sit atop the Serie A standings with 27 points. What’s even more amazing is that they have only conceded one goal so far this season while scoring twenty-three.

Their good results have come about as a result of the team working well. However, there have been some stand-out performers. Let’s take a look at Roma’s best players so far this season:

Francesco Totti

1) Francesco Totti – Roma’s veteran captain may no longer have age on his side, but he is a perfect example of the fact that class is indeed permanent. Under Garcia, Totti has more often than not been deployed as a false 9 and it is one he is flourishing in given his all-round ability both on the ball and off it. He has managed to contribute both in terms of goals and assists, scoring three goals and creating four of them. Italy manager Cesare Prandelli has already said he might select Totti for the 2014 World Cup; if he can carry on playing like this, he would thoroughly deserve it.

Miralem Pjanic

2) Miralem Pjanic – The Bosnian midfielder spent some time on the bench during the 2012/13 season but eventually became a regular and has carried on his fine form into this season. Playing in a central midfield role, Pjanic has scored three goals and notched up three assists. His best match so far this season was against Napoli when he scored a brace to give Roma a 2-0 win over potential title rivals Napoli. He may be only 23 years old but his talent is evident and he has successfully established himself as a key player for Roma.

Daniele De Rossi

3) Daniele De Rossi – The veteran midfielder was linked with a move away from Roma throughout the summer but he decided to stay on. Roma fans will be glad he did for his impact in the middle of the park is still quality. He does most of the defensive dirty work: intercepting passes, putting in blocks, breaking up opposition attacks. His ball distribution and offensive play also cannot be faulted, even though his end product is minimal; he has only scored one Serie A goal this season. But his game isn’t about scoring goals or notching up assists. It’s about doing the defensive work in midfield; and he has done that perfectly.

Mehdi Benatia

4) Mehdi Benatia – The Moroccan defender was brought in during the the summer transfer window and has proved to be an excellent signing. Roma have only conceded one goal in nine games so far this season and a lot of that is down to the displays that Benatia has put in at the heart of their defence. His excellent reading of the game as well as his ability to put in tackles as well as winning balls in the air have seen him quickly become an important player for Roma.

Gervinho

5) Gervinho – Admittedly the surprise of the season. The Ivory Coast international was labelled a flop at Arsenal, but has rediscovered some of his form that he exhibited at Lille under Rudi Garcia. Many expected him to be a squad player at Roman but he has established himself as a regular, playing primarily as an inverted winger down the left side. He has managed to score three goals and get an assist in six Serie A appearances, which is not bad at all. The move away from Arsenal seems to have done him a world of good.