Aldo Maldera: A gentleman champion

Gian Piero Gasperini deflected questions about Inter's struggles during his post-match press conference following Roma's victory against Torino. When a journalist opened with the message "Inter are losing, boss", Gasperini responded with humour: "But what time is it?" He then stood to leave, before clarifying with a smile: "2-2, not 0-2"—a reference to Udinese's scoreline—making clear he has no interest in discussing the scudetto at this stage of the season. Roma arrive at Saturday's clash against Inter at the Olimpico unbeaten, having won all four of their opening league fixtures: victories over Fiorentina, Lecce, Atalanta and Torino. The fixture kicks off at 18:00 and represents Roma's first direct clash of the campaign against Chivu's Inter side. The meeting comes as Roma continue their strong start to the 2026-27 season with maximum points from four matches.

Walter Sabatini, the former sporting director who built Roma into title contenders, has returned to football as a consultant at Pro Patria, the Serie D club where he ended his playing career 43 years ago. Speaking to Corriere della Sera, Sabatini reflected on his life in the game and offered observations on current Italian football, including pointed comments about his former club and its rivals. Sabatini left Roma's hierarchy years ago and has now chosen to restart in a modest setting, describing it as "a sort of catharsis" and "entering the starting box once more". He acknowledged struggling in an environment that does not accommodate his ideas: "I need agility and speed. I don't hide that I'm finding myself uncomfortable and I don't want to waste my final years. I'm entering perhaps the third or fourth age of my life." Yet he retains the fighting spirit of his early career, when he began working for Triestina at 39. He still relies on instinct over data analysis: "When I see a player I must feel something immediately at first meeting. He must strike me like lightning. The only yardstick of evaluation I conceive is the eye, sensitivity, passion." On Roma specifically, Sabatini was emphatic: "Roma. It's my life, don't make me say anything else because I've developed a complex about being a boring man." He praised Paulo Dybala as "a residual champion of our championship", the only player of the calibre that graced Serie A in the 1990s—when Ronaldo, Platini and Rummenigge competed in Italy. Of Gian Piero Gasperini, Roma's current head coach, Sabatini said: "I have great admiration for his work as a technician but I would have entered into a collision course." He also expressed regret over his spell at Inter, calling himself "a meteor" that earthlings barely noticed pass. On the current league standings, Sabatini noted "great euphoria" within Roma's environment and "spiritual cohesion that makes everyone feel unbeatable", but judged Inter superior: "For the quality of the squad and depth of choices, Inter are a step above everyone." Sabatini watches every match in Serie A and finds inspiration in each one. He remains characteristically combative about his career and health, describing himself as "bulimic for life" and comparing his condition to Kafka's protagonist: "Guilty but no one knows of what crime."

Francesco Totti has announced a new book titled 'Oltre', written with journalist Alessandro Alciato, following his 2018 autobiography 'Un Capitano'. The former Roma captain revealed the news via social media, with pre-orders beginning today and the book arriving in bookshops on 22 September. Totti said of the project: "Much has always been known about me. But not everything. In 'Oltre' I have told what I had kept to myself until now—my truths, without filters." The new volume marks Totti's latest project as he remains in discussions about a potential return to the club for its 2027 centenary celebrations.