Cristante: Friedkin presence crucial as Roma target Champions League return

Roberto Mancini held a press conference at Coverciano on the eve of Italy's Nations League matches, outlining his selection philosophy and squad-building approach. Among the 23 players called up are Roma defenders Gianluca Mancini and Daniele Ghilardi, while Bryan Cristante withdrew due to a physical problem. Mancini opted for an unusually large squad to assess young players and lay foundations for future campaigns. The Italy manager justified broadening his group, saying: "If I had called players who are getting on in years there would have been criticism. I've called young players because it's right to get to know them directly in order to have a strong squad in the future. I've called more players than usual because I want to see them directly on the pitch." He emphasised a blend of experience and youth: "I expect experienced players to help young players settle in. From young players, I expect them to give everything they have—young players often play relaxed and carefree." Mancini outlined his tactical ambitions: "I'm starting out to have a squad that dominates, that plays well, that always gives its maximum. You can't always win but we'll start out to do this, to win. We're all positive." He added that no formation would be treated as untouchable: "We're open to any tactical situation: we can play with two strikers, with a 4-3-3, but also in other ways. The players are capable of doing many things." Mancini addressed the relationship with supporters following his return to the Italy bench: "If a fan feels betrayed they can get angry, it's understandable. To win them back we must do things properly and bring the national team back where it deserves to be, and maybe things will calm down." On his ambitions for this second spell: "I'm here to win as quickly as possible. I'm curious to see the younger lads, to build a squad with these lads. I'm certain we'll have some fine satisfactions. Over the next four years we'll definitely bring something home, I'm sure of it. Some of the players I know—they just need to play." Mancini praised the new refereeing standards in Italy, noting that reduced stoppages for minor fouls would allow faster play. On Kean and Pio Esposito: "They haven't played in the last match but they'll play further on, because they're good. The fact that 0-0 draws have disappeared is more fun for viewers, and those players will come along later too."

Gian Piero Gasperini delivered a nuanced assessment of Roma's performance against Inter the day after their direct clash, balancing disappointment at squandered opportunities against satisfaction at competing evenly with the defending champions. "There is some regret, and it is right that there should be," Gasperini said, "but the satisfaction at having played on equal terms with Inter is greater." The turning point came early in the second half when Lautaro Martinez scored after just one minute. Gasperini was critical of Roma's reaction: "The goal conceded at the start of the second half, after barely a minute, created anxiety and made us take a step back. We conceded it in a way that was a bit too superficial, even presumptuous. But we were always in the match, never giving up on playing. It's a shame, because we also had the chance to make it 3-1 with Malen." He also recalled a light moment with the Inter striker after the final whistle, saying: "I embraced him and told him to stop—he always scores against me. But he is a truly great champion." Gasperini praised Leonardo Balerdi's display before cramps forced the defender off: "Until that moment he played a tremendous match, full of recoveries, anticipation and physical battles with Thuram. Unfortunately he cramped up and couldn't move anymore; his substitution meant we lost that extra physical freshness." He was less satisfied with Manu Koné's showing, which he described as natural given the circumstances: "He was clearly tired; at this moment he doesn't yet have the stamina for ninety minutes. He remains a fundamental player for us, but his sharpness is not yet the same as the first half of last season." Despite the draw extending Gasperini's winless run against Inter since November 2018, Roma achieved an unprecedented milestone: for the first time in the club's history, they have scored at least two goals in ten consecutive Serie A matches. With a demanding fixture schedule ahead after the international break, Gasperini stressed the need for rotation: "The calendar will be terrible and we will need to rotate. We must be good at developing the whole squad and have the courage to throw in the new players from the start—we will play with twenty men."

Wesley spoke to Sky Sport after Roma's draw with Inter, reflecting on a performance where his side started well but lost focus after the break. "We knew it would be tough against this Inter side—they're one of Europe's best teams and you can't afford mistakes, which unfortunately happened," the Brazilian left-back said. "We managed to execute our game plan and I'm happy with that. In the second half, though, we came out distracted, conceded two goals, and both we and they had chances to win it. We've shown we deserve to be in this league position. After the break we can't make the same mistakes again—now we need to rest." Roma drew level with Inter's attacking quality but surrendered control after half-time, conceding twice before the match finished level. Wesley stressed the squad's underlying merit despite the lapse in concentration, a concern Gian Piero Gasperini will address during the international break ahead of Roma's next fixture.

Donyell Malen, Wesley and Bryan Cristante will remain at Trigoria during the international break after withdrawing from their national team commitments due to minor injuries, with no serious alarm felt over their condition. Malen has been ruled out of the Netherlands squad with a physical problem that emerged in recent days, Wesley has suffered a right thigh muscle strain that forced him to withdraw from Brazil's call-up, and Cristante is unavailable for Italy's fixtures. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini aims to have all three available again when the league resumes. Roma have released twelve players to their respective national teams following the 2–2 draw against Inter. The departing squad members, including youth representatives, are Gianluca Mancini, Daniele Ghilardi, Evan N'Dicka, Emanuele Lulli, Niccolò Pisilli, Manu Koné, Leonardo Balerdi, Santiago Castro, Matías Soulé, Konstantinos Koulierakis, Rodrigo Mora and Giorgio De Marzi. A fixture to watch closely is France versus Italy in the Nations League on 2 October, which will pit Koné against squad-mates Mancini and Ghilardi. Off the pitch, Jason Morrow has departed his position as Chief Financial Officer of AS Roma to return to the United States within the Friedkin Group, as previously agreed with the ownership. The club has decided not to appoint an immediate replacement, with a successor arriving later. John Galantic will consolidate his role as a point of reference for both the administrative and technical spheres, maintaining the strong working relationship he has built with Gasperini and D'Amico.

Donyell Malen has withdrawn from the Netherlands squad during the international break due to a minor left knee issue sustained in Roma's match against Inter, though head coach Gasperini will retain him, Paulo Dybala, Bryan Cristante and Wesley at Trigoria. Over 20 days, 12 Roma players will scatter across the globe for international duty. Malen's injury is not considered serious. Netherlands coach Xavi commented: "It's a shame because Donyell is in excellent form. I think he's fine, I don't know how long it will take him to recover, but the injury is not serious." The decision to rest him was precautionary. Argentine players Santiago Castro, Matías Soulé and Leonardo Balerdi will feature in friendlies against Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Benin respectively. The Benin match doubles as a farewell appearance for Lionel Messi, to which Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina have also been invited.

Roberto Mancini held a press conference at Coverciano on the eve of Italy's Nations League matches, outlining his selection philosophy and squad-building approach. Among the 23 players called up are Roma defenders Gianluca Mancini and Daniele Ghilardi, while Bryan Cristante withdrew due to a physical problem. Mancini opted for an unusually large squad to assess young players and lay foundations for future campaigns. The Italy manager justified broadening his group, saying: "If I had called players who are getting on in years there would have been criticism. I've called young players because it's right to get to know them directly in order to have a strong squad in the future. I've called more players than usual because I want to see them directly on the pitch." He emphasised a blend of experience and youth: "I expect experienced players to help young players settle in. From young players, I expect them to give everything they have—young players often play relaxed and carefree." Mancini outlined his tactical ambitions: "I'm starting out to have a squad that dominates, that plays well, that always gives its maximum. You can't always win but we'll start out to do this, to win. We're all positive." He added that no formation would be treated as untouchable: "We're open to any tactical situation: we can play with two strikers, with a 4-3-3, but also in other ways. The players are capable of doing many things." Mancini addressed the relationship with supporters following his return to the Italy bench: "If a fan feels betrayed they can get angry, it's understandable. To win them back we must do things properly and bring the national team back where it deserves to be, and maybe things will calm down." On his ambitions for this second spell: "I'm here to win as quickly as possible. I'm curious to see the younger lads, to build a squad with these lads. I'm certain we'll have some fine satisfactions. Over the next four years we'll definitely bring something home, I'm sure of it. Some of the players I know—they just need to play." Mancini praised the new refereeing standards in Italy, noting that reduced stoppages for minor fouls would allow faster play. On Kean and Pio Esposito: "They haven't played in the last match but they'll play further on, because they're good. The fact that 0-0 draws have disappeared is more fun for viewers, and those players will come along later too."