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De Roon and Pellegrini ready to climb the hierarchy during international break
·23 September 2026·45d ago

De Roon and Pellegrini ready to climb the hierarchy during international break

Source: Forza Roma

Gian Piero Gasperini is using the international break strategically at Trigoria, with 12 Roma players away on international duty. Rather than pause, the club's training ground remains the headquarters for squad members to press claims for selection, and two experienced midfielders are positioned to make an impact on their return: Marten de Roon and Lorenzo Pellegrini.

De Roon arrived on 30 August in the final hours of the transfer window with a reputation as "Gasperini's soldier". The 35-year-old Dutch midfielder made his debut the day after in Lecce, appeared briefly against Fenerbahce, and demonstrated his worth against Torino with 4 interceptions in the final 26 minutes as Roma pushed for a second goal. His qualities of interception, intensity and tactical reading vindicated Gasperini's decision to bring him to the capital. De Roon was ready to enter against Inter but had to wait when Balerdi's cramps forced Koulierakis into his debut instead. This break now offers ideal opportunity to build fitness after spending the summer on the fringes at Atalanta. With a demanding October and November schedule of nine matches in 27 days ahead, De Roon will deserve regular midfield time, alternating with Cristante alongside either Koné or Pisilli.

Pellegrini, Roma's number 7, offers versatility as attacking midfielder and box-to-box option given Gasperini's midfielders' constant attacking runs. After signing a contract renewal last summer, his target is to fully recover from the injury that has sidelined him in recent months. Working at Trigoria without international travel fatigue will restore sharpness to his legs ahead of the fixture congestion. Pellegrini's experience and leadership, combined with the attachment to the Roma shirt he has never hidden, will give Gasperini another weapon to rotate the attacking midfield and deeper positions alike.

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This summary was generated by an AI model. Always read the source for complete and accurate information.

Testo Originale / Source Text

“Come ogni anno in questo periodo, Trigoria si è svuotata. Sono tanti infatti, ben 12, i giallorossi in giro per il mondo con le rispettive nazionali. Ma al centro sportivo Fulvio Bernardini la parola "pausa" non esiste, come dimostrato già in questi primi giorni da Gian Piero Gasperini. Per questo…”

Read the full article in Italian at Forza Roma.

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