Edin Dzeko cemented his place in Roma history after becoming the club’s top seasonal goal scorer on Saturday, surpassing the likes of Francesco Totti, Rodolfo Volk, and Pedro Manfredini. Dzeko’s brace in a 2-0 victory over Empoli brings his total to 33 in all competitions with over a month left to play. 

 

Dzeko’s record is well-deserved in what continues to be a remarkable turnaround in his first full season under manager Luciano Spalletti. Brought to the club on-loan with an option to buy in the summer of 2015, Dzeko was expected to give the Giallorossi a new dimension in their quest to end Juventus’ reign at the top of Italian football. However, the Bosnian failed to meet expectations and had a campaign to forget, scoring only 8 goals in Serie A and 10 in all competitions. 

 

The striker’s campaign was highlighted by an array of poor first touches, misplaced balls, and multiple misses on what looked to be certain goals. Although Roma recorded a 5-0 victory on the day, Dzeko provided the miss of the season against Palermo in February when Maicon’s pass found him open in front of an empty net and he was unable to convert. Dzeko was ultimately named the top flop of the season by The Gazzetta Dello Sport for his ineptitude in front of goal. 

 

The 2016/17 has been an entirely different story for Roma’s new record holder. Dzeko started off strong in pre-season, finding the back of the net on five occasions, but many dismissed his early form by citing his struggles in the previous year. The doubters were proved wrong when he netted 17 goals in the side’s first 20 matches, and the second half of the season has been just as kind. Dzeko’s notable performances this season include two hat tricks in the Europa League, the first coming in a 4-1 victory against Viktoria Plzen and the latter in a 4-0 dismantling of Villareal in the first leg of their knockout tie. Dzeko remains tied for Europa League top scorer with 8 goals, although he will not have a chance to increase his tally after Lyon kicked Roma out of the competition in March.

 

Dzeko has flourished under Spalletti, and the Roma boss remains high on the Bosnian’s contributions in all aspects of the game. Following a 4-1 victory over Torino, Spalletti stated, “He’s a smashing lad, loves the dressing room banter and trains well. He shows willing and he’s humble, polite. He needed to discover his form. I told him that I had confidence in him and even flattered him a bit-that’s necessary too.”

 

Spalletti will hope that his in-form striker can help overturn a 2-0 deficit to Lazio in the Coppa Italia and lead one last charge to catch Juventus after Roma drew within six points over the weekend. 



Wesley Davidson