Since leaving Chelsea in August 2021, Tammy Abraham has found incredible goalscoring form and is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career. Despite successful loan spells at Aston Villa and Swansea, many doubted his ability to excel in a foreign league. Under José Mourinho, Abraham has established himself as the club’s starting center-forward, taking over from Edin Džeko, and has been the difference in tight games when Roma struggles to create chances.
With a $44.2 million price tag, expectations were high for the Englishman who has responded with consistency and has helped restore a winning culture at the club. With 15 goals in the league, Abraham is undoubtedly one of Serie A’s most lethal strikers. In the Roma derby against Lazio, Abraham opened the scoring with just 56 seconds on the clock and would double his tally in the 22nd minute. The 3–0 victory put Roma in fifth, now two points clear of their bitter rivals and in prime position to qualify for next year’s Europa League.
Despite slotting in game-winning goals, Abraham’s style and tactical play have equally helped Roma become a hard team to compete against. Spearheading Roma’s press, Abraham helps win back possession and mount dangerous counter attacks from virtually anywhere on the field. In terms of tackles, Abraham is winning more than 50% of those in his penultimate season at Chelsea.
In the attack, Abraham’s strength lies in his off-ball movement and chance creation. As a target-man, the 24-year-old often finds himself moving between opposition center-backs and often finds a way to draw them in before switching direction with his explosive acceleration. A constant threat to opposing defenders, Abraham receives 20% of his passes in the box. Within the box, however, Abraham mostly takes shots from the danger zone, the smaller 12-yard box surrounding the goal, from where most strikers are expected to score.
Mourinho has applauded Abraham’s impressive run of form but still expects more from the player. The Portuguese manager, notorious for his brutal honesty, has said he wants the striker to carry his game-winning attitude into every game. Roma fans often chant “Tre Punti Tammy” — which translates to “Tammy Three Points” — to pay tribute to Abraham’s game-winning performances and some call him the “Gladiator of Mourinho’s Rome.”
Upcoming fixtures against Napoli and Inter Milan are crucial in Roma’s hopes of challenging for the top four Champions League spots. Roma also has to play the second leg of its Conference League quarterfinal against Norwegian side FK Bodø/Glimt, which shockingly defeated the Italian side 2–1 in the first leg. Just five points behind Juventus, Roma will expect Abraham to continue his dazzling form into the final stretch of the season alongside an experienced squad that includes the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Stephan El Shaarawy and Lorenzo Pellegrini. With the World Cup on the horizon, Abraham’s performances could land him a ticket to Qatar to represent his nation on the biggest stage of all, and his debut season at Roma has given him the spotlight to do so.
