Bonetti on Roma's near-misses: Liedholm was like a father figure

Jordan Veretout, who left Roma in 2022 after three seasons, has expressed his enduring affection for the club and suggested he would be open to a return if the opportunity arose. Speaking on Retesport, the midfielder reflected on his time in giallorosso from 2019 to 2022, when he made 131 appearances, scored 22 goals and provided 16 assists. "Roma has remained in my heart," Veretout said. "When Roma calls me, I'm there." Veretout departed Rome to join Marseille, describing the move as the right moment after three years at the club. He emphasised the difficulty of leaving, particularly after winning the UEFA Europa Conference League with Roma in 2022. "We won the Conference, it was difficult to leave," he recalled. "For me it was the right moment to return to France—there was an offer from Marseille, a great team in France just as Roma is in Italy, and after three years it was the right time to leave." The midfielder praised current head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's style of play, describing it as "vertical, strong football with constant pressure." He suggested the system would have suited his characteristics. "I would have enjoyed playing under him, and when I was at Roma, Atalanta wanted me, so I believe manager Gasperini wanted me with him," Veretout said. He expressed hope that Roma can win the Serie A title this season and spoke fondly of fellow midfielder Manu Koné, a French compatriot. "I watch him with affection, I'm happy that he is doing well in giallorosso and I wish him success at Roma because it's special." Veretout recalled his finest moment in Roma colours as a penalty against Napoli, struck "under the Sud" with help from teammates Dzeko and Kolarov. He named Radja Nainggolan as his Serie A midfield idol. On his final months at Roma under José Mourinho, Veretout acknowledged a "good relationship" with the Portuguese manager but cited complications over contract renewal and a subsequent Marseille offer. "I had a good relationship with him. I don't know if it was him or the club first that caused me to play less—we talked about a renewal but we didn't reach an agreement, then the Marseille offer came. He was always very close to the players, he is and remains number one," Veretout reflected. Now based in Doha, Veretout stated he is doing well but acknowledged that football remains challenging. He emphasised family as his priority and joked that his wife wants to return to Rome's capital. "I'm not finished, I can still help if Roma wants me, I'm there," he said. Veretout spoke passionately about Roma's 2022 Conference League victory in Tirana, describing the subsequent celebrations at Rome's centre as unforgettable. "When we celebrated in the centre of Rome with thousands of supporters, even today I get chills—I show my son the images," he said. He maintained contact with former teammates including Gianluca Mancini, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Bryan Cristante, and paid tribute to Roma's supporters as "top in Europe for passion and warmth."

Radio pundits across Rome's major stations offered contrasting views on Roma's immediate prospects and Serie A title race as Gian Piero Gasperini's side prepares for a difficult run of fixtures. The central debate centred on Roma's chances against Como in the coming days and their broader credentials this season, with several voices backing the team to succeed despite midfield concerns. Lorenzo Pes argued that Roma has the tools to win both the Como match and later the Real Madrid fixture, though he cautioned against rushing Lorenzo Pellegrini back too soon. "I don't really expect Pellegrini to start, even though the Como match calls more for a trequartista," Pes said. "But putting a player who hasn't played since mid-April into a match that will be very intense doesn't seem wise." Mario Corsi framed Gasperini's anxiety around injury prevention as evidence of the manager's belief in the squad's potential. "Gasperini has a terror of losing players to injury," Corsi explained, "because he is convinced that this Roma with all its full complement can do something frightening. The injury to Cristante is not a tragedy; the tragedies would be injuries to Malen, Dybala or Svilar." Other contributors highlighted the volatility of post-international-break football. Fabio Petruzzi noted that both Como and Roma had individual duels to determine the outcome: "Where is the mismatch? Perhaps the head, how you prepare psychologically. I see Gasperini calm. He is a pain in the neck, in the good sense of the term, but he transmits tranquility to me; he seems like someone who knows he has something important in his hands." Alessio Nardo recalled Roma's poor record returning from breaks, citing defeats to Torino (0–1 in September), Inter (0–1 in October) and a 5–2 loss at San Siro in March of the previous season. On the title race, Roberto Pruzzo held firm to the view that Inter held a structural advantage despite a compressed table. "Despite the league being very tight at the moment, I still think Inter has 10 points of advantage over the others, but then it must put those points together and that isn't easy." Nando Orsi disagreed sharply, countering that Roma had nearly closed the gap and positioning the two teams as the likeliest contenders for the championship, with Como as a dark horse.

Jordan Veretout, the French midfielder who left Roma to join Marseille after winning the UEFA Europa Conference League at Tirana, has offered himself as available should the club require his services again. Speaking to Rete Sport, Veretout reflected on his time in the Giallorossi shirt and expressed admiration for Gian Piero Gasperini's current project, saying: "When I see Roma's defenders arriving to score, it's spectacular. I hope this year the Giallorossi squad can win the Scudetto." During his three seasons at Roma, Veretout made 131 appearances and scored 22 goals with 16 assists. He acknowledged that departing the club was difficult but necessary at the time. "I liked helping the team, running a lot, and I managed to score a lot. I made three spectacular years at Roma, my family felt very good there, I made many friends, it was difficult to leave Roma. We won the Conference, it was difficult to leave after that," he said. He confirmed the move to Marseille came after an offer from "a great team in France like Roma is in Italy" and felt it was the right moment after three years. Regarding Gasperini, Veretout suggested the manager's tactical approach would have suited him: "He's a great coach in Italy and he's proven it in Europe too. I'm entertained watching Roma—it's vertical football, strong, constant pressure. By characteristics I would have enjoyed it, I would surely have improved further. I was trained by Tudor at Marseille who played with a similar system. I would have liked to be trained by him. When I was at Roma, Atalanta wanted me, so I think Gasperini wanted me with him." Veretout recalled his favourite Roma goal as coming against Napoli from the penalty spot, with Dzeko and Kolarov setting him up to score beneath the Curva Sud: "That was a heavy ball, I assure you." He praised Nainggolan as the strongest midfielder in Serie A during his time, and expressed affection for fellow Frenchman Manu Koné, now at Roma: "I watch him with affection, I'm happy he's doing well in Giallorosso and I wish him to win at Roma because it's special." On José Mourinho, with whom he began brightly before playing less in the second half of a season, Veretout said: "He was number one. I had a good relationship with him. I don't know if it was him or the society first that made me play less, we talked about renewal but we didn't find an agreement, then the Marseille offer came. I had a good relationship with Mou, he was always very close to the players, he is and remains a number one." Veretout, now based in Qatar, signalled his readiness to consider a return if Roma came calling, saying his wife wishes to return to the capital. "I'm not finished, I can still give a hand. If Roma wants me, I'm here," he said. He concluded with praise for Roma's fanbase: "Top supporters in Europe for passion and warmth. At Rome you sing, there's a crazy atmosphere, like at Marseille. I wish Roma's fans to win and celebrate a lot—they deserve it for the love they nurture for the Giallorossi colours."