Even if Emerson is held in reserve and Francesco Totti isn't even on the bench, getting to watch Roma play is always a special treat. Serie A coverage is difficult to find in Canada and so I have to rely on the TPTB of sports broadcasting to treat me to a European clash involving my beloved Giallorossi. Playing on the ground of Turkish underdogs Gaziantepspor, Roma manager Fabio Capello started Jonh Carew and Marco Delvecchio up front in a reworked giallorossi side. Yet, Capello's strategy was clear: flight the ball onto the head of either towering forward and grab a goal through some forceful finishing. Sadly, the plan didn't work. De Rossi and Mancini had some success advancing the ball on the right side of the field, but it was Gaizentespor that scored first after a clever buildup on Roma's right. Yusef scraped through Roma's usually solid central defence and slid a simple finish past backup keeper Carlo Zotti. Having never seriously threatened the Turkish net before that goal, Roma never managed to threaten after it either. Star midfielder Emerson was sent on in the second half as Capello bid to steal a precious away goal. However, Roma still didn't threaten and were for the large part forced to prevent Gaziantepspor from scoring another goal that could have made a second leg comeback fro Roma untenable. But a one goal defeat after playing the away match in a two-leg tie is not so bad. Turkish stadia are notoriously difficult venues for visiting teams to succeed in and Roma are very much alive going into the return match at Rome. In fact, I do believe it will be a different story next week, when a stronger Roma will play the ball along the ground of the Olimpicco and force Gaziantepspor to deal with a technically superior attack. Obviously Capello's bomb it into the box tactic didn't work out in Gaziantep, but either Totti or Cassano should add enough attacking flair to unbalance the Turkish defence h3. The Future Looks Bright Despite the loss, it was quite pleasing to see Roma's new additions for this season. Whereas the average age of teams like Juventus keeps getting older, Roma has made some choice decisions in its move to introduce fresh blood into the team's long-term future. Foremost, Alessandro Faiolhe Amantino--understandably referred to by most as Amantino or by his nickname, Mancini--is a superb replacement for Cafu down the right flank. You don't see a wingbacks used very much these days and thats probably because there are very few flankers as talented as the young Brazilian out there. Lazio already nows how deadly he can be in the attacking third--[insert gloating from the last Roman derby here]--and he's a pleasure to watch dribbling down the field at breakneck speeds. The jury is still out on Gaetano D'Agostino. He's said to have excelled while on loan with Bari. But whether the attacking midfielder can cut it beyond Serie B, we must still wait and see. Central defender Christian Chivu has adapted fantastically after transfering from Ajax. He's not a giant or speedster, but he manages to make most defensive plays look routine. I'm still unsure what his permanent status with Roma is--he's reported to be on loan with a view to a permanent transfer. Hopefully once the business of Roma president Franco Sensi retiring from the club is resolved, Chivu's future with il lupi will be ensured as well. Daniele De Rossi is another addition that bodes well for Roma's future. He may not be an attacker like Francesco Totti, but the Rome born midfielder looks to be another great player to emerge from Roma's strong youth system. Allowed to slowly wet his feet in the first team, De Rossi's energetic play in recovering midfield balls has anointed him to soon replace Damiano Tommasi in Roma's engine room.