The away loss to Genoa was the trigger for Ranieri's sacking. Counting this incredible comeback, Roma had suffered four consecutive defeats across all competitions and were winless in five matches. The seeds of Ranieri’s departure could be traced back to the home draw against Brescia. Before that game, Roma was tied with Inter Milan in fourth place, trailing league-leader AC Milan by only six points. In other words, Roma still harbored hopes of winning the title. Subsequently, Roma drew with Brescia, lost to Inter Milan, Napoli, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Genoa. In less than a month, the situation reversed dramatically, and under immense pressure, Ranieri resigned quietly. From this perspective, Edy Reja Elia's (Montella's) debut victory held special significance as it marked the first win for Roma in their last six games. This victory would greatly boost the morale of the Giallorossi.
In his first match in charge of Roma, Montella led the team to a win over Bologna. This match not only ended Roma's embarrassing streak of four consecutive losses across all competitions but also reignited their hope of returning to the top four. Moreover, keeping 26-goal Di Vaio off the scoresheet meant Roma kept a clean sheet for the first time in their last six games, a result sure to bolster the confidence of the defensive players. During the four-match losing streak, the defense manned by Mexes, Burdisso, and Juan conceded 14 goals. Players like Sergio, Juan, and Riise made multiple mistakes. In the 24th round of Serie A, when Roma played away against Inter Milan, Simplicio, Vucinic, and Lori scored three times, but Sergio's net was breached five times. In this match, the usually reliable Sergio made an uncommon low-level mistake, both of Roma's conceded goals being related to him. In the home loss to Napoli, Juan, who was in poor form, gave away a penalty. In the Champions League home defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk, Riise made a fatal error. Across these four matches, Roma conceded a total of 14 goals. In the away challenge against Bologna, Roma kept a clean sheet, marking the first time in their last six games they did not concede. This victory will undoubtedly enhance the confidence of the defensive players, given that Bologna has no weak offensive power and boasts Di Vaio, who has scored 14 goals in 26 games.