Roma owner believes 'big guy' Dzeko is key to winning title

ROME (AP) Roma owner James Pallotta believes striker Edin Dzeko holds the key to winning Serie A again.

After finishing second in Serie A to Juventus for the past two seasons, Roma has already recorded a victory over the Turin team this season.

The 2-1 victory over Juve was clinched by the 29-year-old Dzeko, who has just joined on a season-long loan from Manchester City costing Roma 4 million euros ($4.5 million). Roma has an option to make his stay in the Italian capital permanent for an 11 million-euro fee.

''A big guy in the middle, it's a striker we have not had for 10 to 12 years,'' Pallotta told The Associated Press. ''We have someone great like (Francesco) Totti but having a big striker is different.''

Having spent his entire professional career at Roma, Totti's latest contract expires at the end of the season. The captain is 39 next week.

''He is still in great shape,'' Pallotta said. ''He will be with us hopefully for the rest of his life as a significant part of Roma. He's never talked about wanting to be a manager. It's probably not the easiest thing going from player to manager.''

Roma won the last of its three Serie A titles in 2011 before four consecutive triumphs by Juventus.

Roma's Champions League campaign opens at home to Barcelona on Wednesday.

''Over the last three years we have continually been trying to evolve and get better,'' Pallotta said. ''It's almost impossible to do things in the short run ... and if you have the tactics pretty well (good) you can beat a team like Barcelona.''

It is four years since a group of American investors, including Pallotta, became the first foreign majority owners of a Serie A club.