Abate plots 3-5-1-1 setup to shield Torino's defence against Roma

Former Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini has said Roma deserve to be among the title contenders and will fight for the Scudetto until the final match. Speaking to Tuttomercatoweb, Sabatini praised Gian Piero Gasperini's side, which remains in the race just behind Lazio and Inter, after their comeback against Cagliari. Sabatini said: "E lo è meritatamente, sta giocando un calcio entusiasmante, è una squadra molto determinata, solida, monolite. Difficile giocarci contro e difficile soprattutto batterla. Merita quello che ha e credo che il cammino sarà coerente con quello che sta facendo adesso e combatterà certamente fino all'ultima partita per lo scudetto." He described the team as exciting to watch, determined, solid and difficult to play against, and hard to beat. Asked how much Roma's chances depend on the fitness of Paulo Dybala, Sabatini said the availability of injured players in general would be decisive, not only Dybala. He singled out the absence of Manu Koné as the most serious loss for Roma at the moment, describing him as a midfielder who alone determines the composure and completeness of a unit. Sabatini also noted that injuries are affecting many teams, with a worrying wave of muscular problems, though he stressed that this applies to all clubs. Sabatini's comments highlight the balance Roma must find in the league run-in: a side praised for its quality and cohesion, but one that will need its key players back to keep pace at the top of Serie A.

Roma have turned a long-standing weakness into a strength: when they fall behind, they now fight back rather than fold. Writing after the Cagliari match, the commentary argues the side is hungry and no longer accepts defeat, with a fierce pressing approach now a clear instruction. Roma were below their best in the latest game, which the piece puts down to a natural dip after six matches in sixteen days. The real point, it argues, is how the team responded when it went behind. The same pattern was seen against Atalanta and confirmed against Napoli and Cagliari. As soon as they concede, Roma change their approach, refusing to accept the deficit, running, creating and above all scoring. Last season the points tally was the same, but the team was open to criticism for its almost helpless reaction to going behind. Under Gian Piero Gasperini, the side no longer fears falling behind; instead it becomes more determined, pressing, creating and turning games around within minutes. Last season the only Roma win from a losing position came at the Franchi against Fiorentina, where Soulé and Cristante overturned Kean's opening goal. Otherwise there was little: in Serie A only two draws, against Atalanta and Milan, and in the Europa League two more, against Panathinaikos and Bologna. That was too little for a side aiming at the top, and the problem was more mental than physical. Gasperini has taken that weakness and turned it into a strength. This time Nzola's goal could have hurt Roma, but it did not. Within ten minutes Lulli and Pisilli had erased it and restored the smile that Gasperini shows when he sees his side play. So far this season Roma have earned seven points from losing positions, against Atalanta, Cagliari and Napoli, matching their entire total from last season. They have played only 12 matches in that situation, and the piece concludes that the best is yet to come.

Roma climbed the Serie A table after beating Cagliari on Monday night, although the win came with a few more scares than the club would have liked. Former striker Hernan Crespo, a Serie A great who played for Parma, Lazio and Inter, has offered his view on the first months of the new season in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, and he had plenty of praise for Gian Piero Gasperini's side. Crespo said Roma's position near the top was largely expected: "Nel campionato italiano i patemi sono all'ordine del giorno, bisogna saperli affrontare." In English: "Scares are part of everyday life in Italian football, and you have to know how to handle them." He added that Roma had finished well the previous season and that, with a coach of Gasperini's calibre, they were destined to improve further. "La Roma in alto in classifica era comunque una cosa abbastanza preventivabile in estate." In English: "Roma being high in the table was fairly predictable over the summer." Crespo was particularly struck by the team's physical condition. He said: "Mi sorprende la freschezza atletica della Roma: corrono tutti e corrono molto bene. E poi, quando hanno il pallone tra i piedi, sanno che cosa fare. Idee chiare e tanta, tantissima energia." In English: "Roma's athletic freshness surprises me: everyone runs, and they run very well. And then, when they have the ball at their feet, they know what to do. Clear ideas and a lot, a huge amount of energy." Crespo also turned his attention to city rivals Lazio, whom he called the most pleasant surprise of the campaign. He said: "La Lazio è certamente la sorpresa più bella di questo campionato, mentre la Roma ha cominciato a costruire le basi di ciò che si vede oggi già dall'anno passato." In English: "Lazio are certainly the most pleasant surprise of this championship, while Roma began building the foundations of what we see today already last year." He concluded: "Non mi sbilancio, ma ripeto quanto detto prima: questa Lazio può volare." In English: "I won't go too far, but I repeat what I said before: this Lazio can fly."

Manu Koné is the player Roma cannot do without, according to the article, ahead of even Mile Svilar and Paulo Dybala. The French midfielder is described as Gasperini's man of balance, an element who seems impossible to replace. The numbers back this up: with Koné on the pitch, Roma have conceded 4 goals in 7 matches; without him, they have conceded 9 in just 5. His withdrawal against Real Madrid, with a mask on his face and pain visible in his eyes, had already set off alarm bells. From that moment, Roma's defensive phase appeared to lose its certainties. The article argues that Koné is not a player of spectacular moments but of balance, which allows others to shine. In Gasperini's side, Roma take considerable risks when attacking: the full-backs push forward, the attacking midfielders move close to Malen, and the team pushes up to win the ball back immediately. When the press is beaten or opponents counter, Koné steps in. His contribution, the article says, is measured not only by tackles won but by the dangerous moves that never develop. According to StatsNext, he averages 5.3 balls recovered, 1.75 tackles and around 0.9 interceptions per 90 minutes. Team data is also highlighted: with him on the pitch Roma conceded 0.57 goals per match, against 1.8 without him. The article acknowledges that this figure alone does not prove a direct link between his absence and the defensive difficulties, but says it merits attention. Against Cagliari the difference was evident, the article states. Pisacane's side passed through with ease, transitions flowed, and Roma left gaps. De Roon was struggling and Cristante was not at his best. The midfield needed a Manu, the player Roma have held on to for years and whom Gasperini never wants to lose. The article concludes that the data supports this view, though it was evident even without the numbers. The immediate goal is to have Koné back for the match against Sassuolo. Gasperini is waiting for him, and so is Roma.

Rodrigo Mora headed the decisive goal as Roma came from behind to beat Cagliari 4-2, with Donyell Malen scoring the fourth. Mora, who stands 1.68 metres tall, rose to head home the 3-2 goal, a moment that reversed the momentum after the match had seemed to slip away from the hosts. Il Messaggero described the Portuguese forward's header as a moment that brought the young but tired Roma side back into the game. Gian Piero Gasperini was smiling at the final whistle despite a second half that his side played poorly, with many individual and collective errors, Roma conceding more than they should have and creating less than usual. The result came after Roma had shipped five goals in their last two matches, a worrying return even though the fear of conceding appeared to have disappeared against Cagliari. The win came in the style of Inter, with Roma absorbing pressure before striking back, and the Italian paper noted the Giallorossi tend to be pushed back without ever managing to counter seriously. Cagliari had the edge in shots in the closing stages, 9 to 8. Gollini, in the mould of Svilar, made a save to deny Mendy shortly before Maldini's goal put Cagliari in front, which proved to be the moment that woke Roma up for a second time. Mora flew to meet a cross from Ghilardi and headed in, a late development in the match. Malen then sealed the 4-2, collecting another fine piece of play from the Portuguese midfielder, after Mora had again been involved in delivering the ball into the area for the Dutch forward. Gasperini, the paper concluded, once again went beyond the difficulties and errors with his decisions in the closing stages.

Rodrigo Mora turned a difficult evening against Cagliari into a memorable one at the Olimpico, scoring a header that sparked the home crowd and setting up Donyell Malen's winning goal. The Portuguese had struggled in the early stages, as he had in recent matches, and his first-half role did not suit him. Gasperini kept his usual system, with two wide players behind the striker, but Mora found little room on either flank. Playing wide, left or right, does not appear to be his strength. The turning point came when Gasperini moved him to the left, alongside Matías Soulé and behind Malen. As the minutes passed, Mora drifted into the centre, operated as a trequartista and finally found his space. Soulé moved closer to Malen, and Roma took on almost a 3-4-1-2 shape. Mora grew in confidence from there, making runs into the box and giving free rein to his creativity. His header, which brought the Olimpico to its feet, defined his evening, but it does not tell the whole story. Even more significant was the invention that opened the way for Malen's liberating goal, a moment that was worth as much as a signature. It was a night for the young players and for Roma's green-and-yellow youth core. After the match, Mora made his ambitions clear: "Voglio lottare per essere titolare", which translates as "I want to fight to be a starter." He is trying to convince Gasperini to give him more minutes. The coach knows his qualities and, for now, regards him as a 'mina vagante', a dangerous wildcard. Mora is only 19, and time is on his side. That evening against Cagliari could turn out to have been far more than a special night.