Capello crowns Roma title contenders alongside Inter

Roma enter the international break level on points with Inter and Lazio at the top of Serie A, a position they will hold for three weeks until their away fixture at Como on 11 October. The club has built an identity under Gian Piero Gasperini that combines tactical definition with the confidence to compete with any opponent, underlined by a 2–2 draw against Inter at the Olimpico and strong showings against Fiorentina, Lecce, Atalanta, Torino and Fenerbahçe. Gasperini has already delivered Roma's return to the UEFA Champions League and laid the foundation for a genuine push for the Serie A title. The current trajectory marks a sharp turn from both the recent past and the José Mourinho era. Under Mourinho, Roma never came as close to sensing a real chance to fight for the top. This squad has shown it can energise the environment and compete on equal terms in continental football. The manager's achievement has been to establish tactical clarity and maturity while demonstrating that Roma belong among the league's heavyweights. The draw with Inter, despite being between the two strongest teams in the season so far, showed Roma at the level required to sustain a title challenge. The international break will allow Gasperini's staff to prepare the next block of fixtures, beginning with the Como trip. The three-week gap until that match gives the coaching team time to work on the squad's development and maintain the momentum that has characterised Roma's opening to the 2026–27 campaign.

Nahuel Molina has emerged as a key figure in Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma side, playing on the left flank—a position he had rarely occupied in his career. After an initial trial at Torino, Gasperini deployed the Argentine right-back on the opposite flank against Inter, a role Molina has played only nine times overall. The experiment paid off: Molina delivered the assist for Manu Koné's opening goal and impressed enough to convince his manager that the system works. The fullback has since regained ground on his positional rivals, closing a physical gap that had left him sidelined at the start of the season. Gasperini's tactical flexibility is his trademark—the previous season he had shifted Wesley to the left with similar success. Molina possesses greater attacking instinct than Zeki Çelik, and his contributions came through continuous overlaps, off-the-ball movement and crosses from the byline. According to reporting by Niccolò Maurelli in La Repubblica, the Argentine has found the right notes to satisfy Gasperini's demands. Training resumed today with the full squad and continues through Friday, followed by two rest days over the weekend. In the three weeks before Roma face Como, Gasperini plans to arrange friendly matches, possibly against the club's Primavera side, to restore match fitness for those still awaiting playing time. Lorenzo Pellegrini is among those available again after returning from an injury sustained in the final league matches of last season.

Nahuel Molina has emerged as one of Gian Piero Gasperini's shrewdest tactical decisions in the opening weeks of the season, deployed on the left side of Roma's defence—a position unfamiliar to the Argentine defender throughout his career. Molina has responded with a commanding display, contributing an assist for Manu Koné's opening goal in the match against Inter. The positional experiment is yielding the intended results, with Molina declaring his comfort in the new role: "I feel very good on the left." The former Atlético Madrid player, who arrived at the end of August without participating in the summer's pre-season training alongside his teammates, has earned public praise from Gasperini, who said: "Molina is a solid and mature world champion; the coach saw it right." His versatility will allow Gasperini to rotate him and Wesley across both flanks. While Roma prepare for their next Serie A fixture on 11 October against Como, the squad will train at Trigoria with a reduced group. Beyond the international players scattered worldwide, injured players Wesley (muscular strain) and Bryan Cristante (lower back pain) will remain in Rome. The staff has received positive news regarding Lorenzo Pellegrini's full recovery. The Roma captain, returning to availability after a physical problem, will use the two-week break to regain match fitness and arrive at full capacity for the resumption of official matches.