De Roon seeks advice from former Roma midfielder Strootman in social media moment

Former Roma Primavera coach Gianluca Falsini has spoken about the rise of Emanuele Lulli, explaining how he moved the defender into the position he plays for Roma today. Speaking to Sky Sport, Falsini said: "At first he played as a midfielder inside the pitch, not as a winger, and with us he played as a right-back. When we played with three at the back he played as the fifth, as he is doing now with Gasperini." Falsini, now head coach of Como Primavera, worked with Lulli for two and a half years in the youth set-up. He said he had not expected Lulli to have this impact. The former Roma youth coach also praised the player's character and his background. Falsini said: "With Emanuele I had two and a half years of work, and my merit, which remains there, is having moved him into the position where he plays now at Roma. He is a boy with incredible moral qualities, and credit must be given to the family for doing a magnificent job with this boy. He used to come to the training ground knowing he was not among the best, but he had incredible potential. What he is doing well now is all down to him and to Gasperini, who has valued him."

Roma have named their squad for the big match at the Maradona against Napoli, which takes place less than 24 hours after the list was released. Gian Piero Gasperini's side will be without Paulo Dybala, Manu Koné, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Mile Svilar, who are all out. The club's list includes two Primavera players, Di Nunzio and Camara. Gasperini's only selection doubt is in the attacking midfield, where Bryan Cristante, Rodrigo Mora and Niccolò Pisilli are competing for a place. Pisilli is considered the likeliest to get the nod to play alongside Matías Soulé, not least because of his current form. Napoli, for their part, are getting back Rrahmani and Vergara, but will have to do without Neres, Favasuli, Buongiorno and Alisson Santos. Roma also want to end a long run against Allegri's side. They have not won away against Napoli since 2010, a wait of 16 years. That last win came on 18 December, when the decisive goal was scored by Borriello.

Cristante is in Roma's squad for the trip to Napoli, according to the squad list published by Il Messaggero. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini is short in the final third, with Pellegrini, Dybala, Svilar and Koné all sidelined. He has only Mora and Soulé behind Malen, and is considering playing Cristante further forward. The squad list names Balerdi, Ghilardi, Hermoso, Koulierakis, Lulli, Mancini, Molina, N'Dicka, Rensch and Wesley in defence; Cristante, De Roon, Mora and Pisilli in midfield; and Malen, Soulé and Castro in attack. Camara and Di Nunzio are also listed. The situation is serious enough that Roma are expected to act in the January transfer window. The club must spend to give Gasperini at least two reinforcements between attack and the flanks. Gittens and Leweling remain on the list, and the club has not ruled out the complicated pursuit of Endrick. A new left-back name has emerged: Alejandro Balde of Barcelona, who is finding few minutes under Flick and has been offered by Jorge Mendes. His name joins that of Oosterwolde. Sky Sport reports that Roma are close to the final details of a contract renewal for Lulli, which would run to 2031. The deal has not yet been officially announced, and the last points must be settled before it is formalised. Speaking to Corriere dello Sport at the Amsterdam stop of the EA7 World Legends Padel Tour, Stekelenburg was asked about Svilar. He said: "If I had to put him in the top five... no, not yet. After all, there are Courtois, Neuer and others. But he is a young lad and he is doing an excellent job. He just has to keep growing." Asked to choose between Højlund and Malen if he were a sporting director, Graziani said: "Malen without thinking twice. Hojlund I like a lot, and sometimes he looks to me like a 'little Lukaku' the way he leads the attack and the physical battles he takes on, and he has a great sense of goal; but Malen is my ideal striker, for the way he attacks space, for his dribbling, for the acceleration he has in the last twenty metres and because he can roam across the whole attacking front."

Cristante is in Roma's squad for the trip to Napoli, according to the squad list published by Il Messaggero. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini is short in the final third, with Pellegrini, Dybala, Svilar and Koné all sidelined. He has only Mora and Soulé behind Malen, and is considering playing Cristante further forward. The squad list names Balerdi, Ghilardi, Hermoso, Koulierakis, Lulli, Mancini, Molina, N'Dicka, Rensch and Wesley in defence; Cristante, De Roon, Mora and Pisilli in midfield; and Malen, Soulé and Castro in attack. Camara and Di Nunzio are also listed. The situation is serious enough that Roma are expected to act in the January transfer window. The club must spend to give Gasperini at least two reinforcements between attack and the flanks. Gittens and Leweling remain on the list, and the club has not ruled out the complicated pursuit of Endrick. A new left-back name has emerged: Alejandro Balde of Barcelona, who is finding few minutes under Flick and has been offered by Jorge Mendes. His name joins that of Oosterwolde. Sky Sport reports that Roma are close to the final details of a contract renewal for Lulli, which would run to 2031. The deal has not yet been officially announced, and the last points must be settled before it is formalised. Speaking to Corriere dello Sport at the Amsterdam stop of the EA7 World Legends Padel Tour, Stekelenburg was asked about Svilar. He said: "If I had to put him in the top five... no, not yet. After all, there are Courtois, Neuer and others. But he is a young lad and he is doing an excellent job. He just has to keep growing." Asked to choose between Højlund and Malen if he were a sporting director, Graziani said: "Malen without thinking twice. Hojlund I like a lot, and sometimes he looks to me like a 'little Lukaku' the way he leads the attack and the physical battles he takes on, and he has a great sense of goal; but Malen is my ideal striker, for the way he attacks space, for his dribbling, for the acceleration he has in the last twenty metres and because he can roam across the whole attacking front."

Roma have named their squad for the Napoli fixture at the Maradona, with the match less than 24 hours away. Gian Piero Gasperini's list was released shortly after Napoli's own squad announcement by Allegri. Paulo Dybala is out, though he hopes to be back in contention against Cagliari. Manu Koné, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Mile Svilar are also unavailable. Bryan Cristante could return to the starting line-up. Two Primavera players feature in the squad. Di Nunzio made his debut against Genoa last weekend, and Mandjou Camara, a 2009-born striker, was already named in the squad for the game against the Rossoblù. The full squad is: goalkeepers Vásquez, De Marzi and Gollini; defenders Rensch, Koulierakis, N'Dicka, Molina, Hermoso, Mancini, Balerdi, Wesley, Lulli and Ghilardi; midfielders Cristante, De Roon, Pisilli, Di Nunzio and Mora; and forwards Castro, Malen, Soulé and Camara. The selection gives Gasperini a largely established back line, with Cristante's availability a boost in midfield as Roma travel to face Napoli.

Gian Piero Gasperini has named Roma's squad for the big match against Napoli, the eighth matchday fixture of Serie A, at the Stadio "Diego Armando Maradona". The Roma boss has to contend with several heavy absences through injury and suspension, but he regains valuable midfield options. Bryan Cristante is back in the squad, while Lorenzo Pellegrini and Paulo Dybala are absent. The coach has a pool of defenders to choose from: Balerdi, Ghilardi, Hermoso, Koulierakis, Lulli, Mancini, Molina, N'Dicka, Rensch and Wesley. In midfield, Gasperini can call on Cristante, De Roon, Di Nunzio, Mora and Pisilli. The attacking options are Camara, Castro, Malen and Soulé.

Neil El Aynaoui has impressed at RB Leipzig, and a permanent move to the German club in June is looking increasingly likely. The midfielder had asked to leave Roma towards the end of the summer transfer window, having not fully convinced Gasperini to give him a leading role at the club. Player and coach spoke calmly with each other and found a solution in the final week of the window, which allowed the Moroccan to win a place in the Leipzig starting line-up. He has made 9 appearances this season, with one assist and three consecutive starts in the Champions League. According to the latest information from Germany, Leipzig are satisfied with the Moroccan's performances, and the obligation to buy is looking more and more probable in June. Leipzig have already paid 3 million plus 1 million in bonuses for his loan. They hold an option to buy for 25 million plus 3 million, up to a maximum of 28 million. Roma could therefore make a useful profit on a sale in June. The club also holds a 20% sell-on clause, which it could collect in the future should Leipzig increase his value further.

Robinio Vaz's injury scare has eased, with the Roma loanee back in training after tests ruled out significant damage, while Neil El Aynaoui endured a bruising week in Europe and Bundesliga. Vaz, on loan at Hull City, came on in the 68th minute of their Premier League trip to Fulham, a 1-0 defeat decided by a goal from Iwobi. In stoppage time, at the 94th minute, he was hit hard by Ryan Sessegnon in the Achilles area. Sessegnon was sent off with a straight red card, and Vaz had to leave the pitch accompanied by medical staff. Initial impressions were worrying, but the subsequent checks were far more reassuring: the MRI scan showed no significant injury and Vaz returned to training on Tuesday 20 October. He recorded no goals or assists in the minutes he played against Fulham. Whether he will be available for the next game against Brentford remains to be confirmed. El Aynaoui, on loan at RB Leipzig, played three matches in a few days with mixed results. Leipzig beat PSV Eindhoven 1-0 in the Champions League thanks to a goal from Gruda, and El Aynaoui started and played the full 90 minutes. The Moroccan midfielder then started the Bundesliga trip to Bayern Munich, who thrashed Leipzig 6-1. He stayed on the pitch from start to finish but could not turn the game, which Bayern dominated. On 21 October Leipzig suffered another European defeat, losing 4-1 at the Bernabéu to Real Madrid. El Aynaoui again started alongside Seiwald but was replaced in the 63rd minute by Rocco Reitz, with Leipzig already two goals down. He recorded no goals or assists across the three matches, but he logged significant minutes that confirm his place in Demichelis's rotation. The heavy defeats to Bayern and Real Madrid left the team with a very negative overall record. Anass Salah-Eddine, on loan at Panathinaikos, is showing encouraging signs as the Moroccan wing-back fights for a place in the Greek side. He was not in the squad for the 2-1 win over Borac Banja Luka in the first matchday of the Conference League League Phase on 15 October. Three days later he started and played all 90 minutes of a comprehensive 5-1 league win over Asteras Tripolis. In the 47th minute he surged down the left flank and delivered a precise ball to Taborda, whose header was cleared off the line by Papakanellos. It was a good move that could have brought an assist but did not appear on the scoresheet. Salah-Eddine recorded no goal, official assist or card, but gave positive indications of his ability to support the attack. Panathinaikos return to Conference League action today against Kairat Almaty. Filippo Reale continues his good form at Carrarese, where he is increasingly picked by Guido Pagliuca. The centre-back, born in 2006, started and played the full 90 minutes in Carrarese's 2-1 home win over Modena, with goals from Abiuso and Rubino before Belotti replied for the visitors. He helped protect the lead in the closing stages as part of the back three. The most unusual moment came in the 96th minute, when Reale embarked on a long run from his own half, covered the entire left flank and shot into the box, only to send his diagonal effort wide. Carrarese have now won consecutive matches. Radoslaw Zelezny was also impressive for Perugia, starting in their 5-1 win at Campobasso. He played the entire game and conceded only Stoppa's equaliser in the 35th minute, before Perugia pulled clear in the second half. He was not held responsible for the goal, and SportPerugia gave him a 6 for his precise handling and his lack of blame. Marco Litti came off the bench for Lecco in their 5-0 win over Pro Vercelli, replacing Manetti in the 59th minute, when Manetti had scored the goal that made it 3-0. Litti took up position on the flank and helped manage the lead over the final half hour. He recorded no goal, assist or booking. Mohamed Seck, meanwhile, remains in a difficult spell with Foggia, who lost 3-1 at Giugliano in the Monday 19 October fixture. Seck was named in the back three by Gaetano Auteri and played the full game. Ravasio gave Foggia the lead in the 16th minute, but Baldé and De Rosa turned the match around before the break, and Esposito added the final goal after the restart. Seck was booked in the 21st minute. Foggia have conceded six goals in their last two league games. Luigi Cherubini, on loan at Benevento, was on the bench for their 2-2 home draw with Vicenza, having scored against Cesena. He came on for Lamesta in the 65th minute, with Benevento ahead 2-0 through Siatounis and Kouan. In the second half Benevento gradually lost control and were pegged back by goals from Corazza and Caferri.

Roma's loan contingent produced mixed results across European and domestic competitions this week, with midfielder Luigi Cherubini and midfielder Neil El Aynaoui delivering attacking contributions while others awaited their chance. Cherubini, on loan at Benevento with a right of option and obligation to buy, scored in the 93rd minute of Benevento's 2–0 win over Cesena. Introduced from the bench in the 79th minute, the 2004-born winger capitalized on a defensive error by Ilic, rounded the goalkeeper and finished to seal victory. He was booked in the 81st minute and initially had a goal ruled out for offside before his late winner. The performance earned him a rating of 7 from BeneventoNews24 and PianetaSerieB as Benevento secured a third consecutive victory. El Aynaoui, a midfielder on loan at RB Lipsia with a right of rescission, provided the assist for Banzuzi's opening goal after just one minute in a 6–0 Bundesliga demolition of Eintracht Frankfurt. Deployed in the starting lineup by Demichelis, El Aynaoui contributed to a dominant first half that saw Lipsia lead 4–0 at the interval, including a hat-trick from Nkunku. He was booked in the 27th minute and substituted in the 58th when the scoreline already stood at 5–0. Elsewhere, defender Filippo Reale (Carrarese, on loan with option and counter-option) played the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 away win over Padova, maintaining a clean sheet. Young defender Mohamed Seck (Foggia, on loan) completed all 90 minutes in a 3–1 home defeat to Potenza and received a rating of 5, criticized for poor positioning during the opposition's counter-attacks. Forward Artem Dovbyk (Bologna, on loan with right of rescission) returned to the squad after a muscular injury to his flexors but remained unused on the bench in Bologna's 2–1 away win at Lecce. Forward Robinio Vaz (Hull City) was named in the squad for a 2–2 Premier League draw against Everton but played no part, remaining on the bench for the full 90 minutes.