Player Focus: Francesco Totti - Rome's Gladiatorial Creator

AS Roma talisman Francesco Totti often goes by many a differing nickname: The Golden Boy, The King of Rome or The Gladiator, to name three. Fitting for a player that is currently Serie A’s second all-time leading goalscorer with 227 goals. 47 goals behind Silvio Piola, and at 36 years of age, the Italian is unlikely to break the record before he calls time on his career, which could come sooner than many would like to hope.

At i Giallorossi’s 2013/14 kit unveiling this week, Totti hinted that he could bring the curtain down on his time as a footballer once his contracts expires next summer, much to the dismay of the Roma faithful. While the club are yet to open negotiations surrounding a new deal, there are many a supporter that will be hopeful of seeing the forward extend his stay at the Stadio Olimpico.

They will be understandably keen to see their captain prolong his career, if only by another year, with the player one of only two players to haved reached double figures for both goals (12) and assists (12) last season - the other being Napoli’s Marek Hamsik, with 11 goals and 14 assists to his name. The assist figure from Totti was also only surpassed by the Slovakia international last season, while his overall goal contribution to the Italian capital side (33.8%) highlights both his goalscoring and creative capabilities. 

Such were his performances over the campaign that the Italian garnered an average WhoScored.com rating of 7.54 - only Erik Lamela (7.58) attained a higher score for Roma. In turn it would be understandable to see the club strive to secure the player on a new deal prior to next summer. His ability to set up his teammates for goalscoring opportunities is further accentuated in that Totti created the most clear cut chances (22) in Serie A last season. 

As far as number 10’s are concerned, Totti is essentially the perfect performer in the role. On a regular basis throughout the season, the club turned to the Italian veteran and rightly so. His creative endowment within the Roma squad is often unparalleled, and many would, naturally, be demanding of the club to tie him down to a new deal, especially following the latest PR gaffe concerning Daniele De Rossi and Pablo Osvaldo.

It’s his creative talents that will surely be the biggest loss to the capital side, with Totti executing 48 accurate through balls, which was another league high in Serie A last season.

Moreover, in playing a key pass every 27.7 minutes, only Inter Milan’s Antonio Cassano (26.6) bettered the seasoned professional in that respect of every player to have made 10+ appearances in Italy’s top tier last year. It must be said, however, that in making 102 key passes over the duration of the campaign, Totti’s figure was the highest of every player, further exhibiting the expansive, inventive side of his game.

A dead ball specialist, only Andrea Pirlo (32) and Francesco Lodi (30) played more key passes from set pieces than Totti (29) in Italy last year, while the pairing - both 5 - were the only players to score more goals from direct free kicks than the Roma star (2). Meanwhile his average shots per game figure (3.6) was the highest at Roma, with only Edinson Cavani (4.6), Antonio Di Natale (4), Diamanti (3.9) and Fabrizio Miccoli (3.8) bettering Totti in Serie A as a whole.

With a shot accuracy of 38.7%, Totti’s figures may not have been overly impressive, especially when compared to a number of striking rivals, but his 12 goals all season - only Osvaldo (16) and Lamela (15) netted more for Roma - certainly aided in seeing the club secure a sixth placed finish. While European football won’t be played by 'The Wolves' next season following their Coppa Italia defeat at the hands of Lazio, securing the long-term services of the Italian veteran will be of vital importance to the club.

As the club gear up for its first season under recently appointed head coach Rudi Garcia, fresh from his five-year spell with Ligue 1 side Lille, the Frenchman can be expected to bring the best out of Totti for the upcoming campaign, especially if he, as expected, ensures the Italian is instated as the creative fulcrum in the 4-3-3 he used on 25 seperate with Les Dogues last season. As for the Roma captain, if he is to call time on his illustrious career in 12 months, then it’s likely the club will struggle to ever replace him in terms of his impact in the Italian capital.