Balerdi quickly emerging as a leader under Gasperini at Roma

Roma won away at Torino to record four straight victories in the opening weeks of the 2026-27 season. The result sets up a title clash against Inter that could reveal much about the club's genuine ambitions. Gasperini has the squad running smoothly, and the summer transfer activity has equipped Roma with quality depth across the bench to rotate effectively across three competitions. The manager now has high-calibre alternatives capable of stepping in at any position, strengthening the bench with experienced signings made in the current window.

Roma hold first place in Serie A ahead of Saturday's fixture against Inter. The side has conceded only one goal in the league this season—Ederson's effort in Atalanta's limited attempts—a defensive record matched among Europe's top five leagues only by Arsenal, the Europa League runners-up. In Germany, Freiburg lead with one goal conceded in three matches; in Spain, Real Madrid and Barcelona both have four; in France, four clubs have conceded two. Gasperini has overhauled Roma's defence compared to last season. Out are N'Dicka, Wesley and Koné; in are Balerdi, Molina and Pisilli. Balerdi and Molina have just arrived—Argentine internationals of substance, neither a routine acquisition. Balerdi missed the World Cup through injury; Molina was Copa América runner-up alongside Paulo Dybala after winning the World Cup in Qatar. The contrast with last season is stark. A year ago, Gasperini would have replaced N'Dicka and Wesley with Ziolkowski and Tsimikas, neither of whom remain at the club. Similarly, El Aynaoui would have started in place of Koné, but he too was moved on after just one season.

Paulo Dybala gave away his match shirt to a young Roma fan after yesterday's fixture at the Olimpico in Turin, in a gesture that moved the child to tears. Despite a travel ban for residents of the Lazio region, Roma supporters from across Italy filled the stadium. At the final whistle, many fans held up banners asking their heroes for shirts, but only one was fortunate enough to receive Dybala's. The Argentine approached the boy, pointed to him, and handed over his kit. The young supporter then burst into tears, his father standing beside him in disbelief. The moment exemplified Dybala's character both on and off the pitch—a champion in every sense.

Roma hold first place in Serie A ahead of Saturday's fixture against Inter. The side has conceded only one goal in the league this season—Ederson's effort in Atalanta's limited attempts—a defensive record matched among Europe's top five leagues only by Arsenal, the Europa League runners-up. In Germany, Freiburg lead with one goal conceded in three matches; in Spain, Real Madrid and Barcelona both have four; in France, four clubs have conceded two. Gasperini has overhauled Roma's defence compared to last season. Out are N'Dicka, Wesley and Koné; in are Balerdi, Molina and Pisilli. Balerdi and Molina have just arrived—Argentine internationals of substance, neither a routine acquisition. Balerdi missed the World Cup through injury; Molina was Copa América runner-up alongside Paulo Dybala after winning the World Cup in Qatar. The contrast with last season is stark. A year ago, Gasperini would have replaced N'Dicka and Wesley with Ziolkowski and Tsimikas, neither of whom remain at the club. Similarly, El Aynaoui would have started in place of Koné, but he too was moved on after just one season.

Roma's evolution under coach Gian Piero Gasperini has taken shape across two decisive fixtures—the Champions League debut against Fenerbahce in Istanbul on Thursday and a four-day-later trip to Turin against Torino—that showcase the impact of the summer transfer market overhaul steered by new sporting director D'Amico. In the first match, Roma's return to Europe's elite competition after a seven-year absence saw Gasperini field performers who had earned third place in Serie A. Against Torino, however, two summer signings started, with three more introduced during play as Roma secured a fourth consecutive league win. Despite missing three key players—Evan N'Dicka, Wesley, and Manu Koné—Roma maintained tactical identity and attacking threat at Turin, underlining how the summer reinforcements have strengthened the squad's reliability compared to the previous season. The shift in personnel tells the story plainly. A year ago, Gasperini would have replaced N'Dicka and Wesley with Kostas Tsimikas and Jan Ziółkowski; neither remains at Trigoria. Manu Koné's role would have gone to Neil El Aynaoui, who has been moved on after one season, as have Tsimikas and Ziółkowski. In their place came Leonardo Balerdi and Nahuel Molina, both Argentine internationals—Balerdi absent from last year's World Cup only through injury, Molina a Qatar winner alongside Paulo Dybala and recently a World Cup runner-up. Niccolò Pisilli, grown into his role at the start of 2026 and a national team player, has inherited Koné's midfield spot. Gasperini paired Balerdi immediately with Marten de Roon, who arrived from Bergamo in the final moments of the window and played more than half the second half against Torino. Lorenzo Pellegrini, called up after five months out, extended Gasperini's roster of captains—the coach has made clear he possesses multiple leaders beyond Bryan Cristante and Gianluca Mancini. Gasperini operates what he calls the "law of sixteen," seeking to deploy the same core of players in every match to guarantee brilliance, intensity and competitive edge. He refuses publicly to divide his squad into starters and substitutes; there is no difference between a player who begins and one who enters in progress. New sporting director D'Amico's tenure has produced a squad numerically smaller than its predecessor, as D'Amico himself acknowledged, yet Gasperini presented it at full strength in Turin. The article notes that one or two adjustments in January may be needed to perfect the squad further.

Roma produced a commanding tactical display to defeat Torino, with Leonardo Balerdi marshalling the defence throughout a performance that saw Gasperini's side control proceedings from the opening exchanges. Four changes from Roma's midweek Champions League fixture—Balerdi, Pisilli, Lulli and Molina—maintained the team's standard, with Pisilli closing out the match in a critical moment despite one of his less polished displays, while Lulli and Molina remained creative and showed clear room for improvement. The victory came as Roma prepare for their next major test against the Serie A champions in the coming days. Roma's suffocating press set the tone immediately. Gasperini's team opened with an aggressive 3-4-2-1 that targeted Torino's attempts at possession-based build-up, with Cristante pressing Mandragora, Pisilli tracking Fitz-Jim, and the three centre-backs—Balerdi on Simeone, Mancini on Vlašić, and Hermoso dealing with Gineitis—marking tightly in advanced positions. The giallorossi dominated territory and possession early, disrupting Torino's passing rhythm through relentless pressure and recovering the ball high upfield for dangerous breaks. Although Roma failed to convert their early superiority into goals, a key moment came at the thirty-minute mark when Soulé and Dybala swapped positions; the fluency of Roma's football through the middle improved when these adjustments allowed Dybala to move closer to support Malen. The breakthrough arrived late in the first half when Mancini's recovery from Torino's loose build-up released Dybala, whose through-ball found Malen. The Dutch forward's lethal instinct from a low position gave Roma the lead. Torino emerged from half-time with tactical adjustments—Abate raised Mandragora and Vlašić wider alongside Simeone, introduced the excellent Bragança to midfield control in place of Gineitis, and switched Cacciamani for Belghali—but around the hour mark, Bragança began threading meaningful patterns that loosened Roma's pressing intensity. Gasperini countered by withdrawing Soulé and Malen for Mora and Castro, shifting Roma to a 5-3-2 shape with Koné and De Roon replacing Cristante and Dybala in a conservative but decisive adjustment. Torino's momentum faded as Balerdi, alongside De Roon—who dominated through recoveries, interceptions, dangerous passing line disruptions, and decisive individual pressure—ensured Roma's back line remained unbreakable. The match closed with Mancini orchestrating the final attacking phase, his calmness in possession setting up Pisilli's finishing touch. Gasperini later described the imminent big fixture against the defending champions as merely "an opportunity to measure ourselves," words the coach framed as releasing unnecessary tension and a reminder that a match played at the end of September cannot carry ultimate significance.