Road to Champions: Roma sees the finish line as Juve and Como stumble

Giuseppe Conte, leader of the Five Star Movement, has marked the 25th anniversary of AS Roma's third Serie A title, won on 17 June 2001. Speaking to AdnKronos, Conte expressed optimism about Roma's prospects under current management, saying: "Today we celebrate 25 years from that wonderful date. An explosion of joy, a great party that lasted so long. I urge us not to wait another 25 years but we are on the right path, I have great confidence in Gasperini and in the current ownership." Roma's 2001 championship remains their most recent Scudetto. The title was secured with a 3–1 victory against Parma at the Olimpico, with goals from Totti, Batistuta, and Montella. The club has endured a quarter-century without a league title since then, a period that has tested the patience of supporters across Rome. Head coach Gasperini has made qualification for the Champions League a priority this season—a target already achieved—with the ultimate ambition of returning Roma to the summit of Italian football. Conte's remarks underscore the weight of expectation surrounding the current project, as fans and club figures alike hope the combination of Gasperini's management and the Friedkin Group's ownership can finally end the extended championship drought.

A retrospective piece examines AS Roma's 2000–01 campaign, highlighting the club's strong statistical output that season. Roma accumulated 75 points from 22 victories, 9 draws, and 3 defeats, scoring 68 goals while conceding 33. This was the season Roma claimed their third Serie A title in 1942, 1983, and 2001.

Gian Piero Gasperini will be the oldest head coach in Serie A next season as the league's average coaching age drops to 49.2 years—down from 51.7 four years earlier. Several clubs have appointed younger or less established managers, including Aquilani (Sassuolo), Abate (Torino), Tedesco (Bologna), and Rubén Amorim (Milan). Roma has chosen to maintain continuity with Gasperini, who left Atalanta Bergamo convinced he can achieve significant success at the capital club. Gasperini has declared he will give himself three years to accomplish something major at Roma and believes the club can compete for the title with proper investment. His appointment represents a contrasting strategy in a league increasingly turning to younger, less proven coaches. The signing of new sporting director D'Amico reunites a partnership that achieved excellent results at Bergamo. D'Amico will have until 30 June to manage player sales required by financial fair play regulations and negotiate contract renewals for Paulo Dybala, Çetin Çelik, and Lorenzo Pellegrini—all strongly requested by Gasperini. Following that deadline, the focus will shift to inbound transfers, with the goal of building a squad matching Gasperini's ambitions and hunger for results.