Divergent Paths: Gasperini to Stay at Roma, Vanoli and Viola Part Ways

Manu Koné impressed for France in yesterday's 1–0 Nations League victory over Turkey, playing as a central midfielder in Zinedine Zidane's 4-3-3 formation alongside Rabiot and Cherki—a position outside his usual remit. The Roma midfielder delivered a strong performance that caught the attention of France's new head coach. Koné continues to be a key figure both at Roma and for the French national team. His ability to adapt tactically and maintain balance in an unfamiliar position has made him a valuable asset for club and country. Zidane commented on the display after the match: "Manu is not used to playing in that position, I wanted to see this side of him and he was very good in terms of balance." The midfielder's versatility and quality in execution have proven decisive performances for both the Giallorossi and France.

Roma's international contingent made an impact during the first round of matches across their respective national teams. Rodrigo Mora, representing Portugal's Under-21 side, delivered an assist and created multiple chances in a 90-minute display against Bulgaria that drew praise. Manu Koné continued his strong form for France, deployed as a defensive midfielder against Turkey in a different role than his usual positioning, yet still ranked first for successful dribbles and maintained his stellar start to the season. Koné has now established himself as a cornerstone of the French setup under Zinedine Zidane. Roma sent 12 players on international duty during this break, giving head coach Gian Piero Gasperini a chance to recharge ahead of a strong start to the 2026-27 campaign while maintaining focus on rhythm and fitness. Rodrigo's performance underlined the club's expectations following a €50 million investment, with his growth trajectory in a Roma shirt becoming increasingly significant. The break comes at a critical juncture, balancing necessary rest with the imperative to sustain momentum after the club's impressive opening. Gianluca Mancini's display for Italy proved disappointing, marked by an error leading to Belgium's opening goal and imprecision in the first half, though he improved after the break and came close to scoring. Daniele Ghilardi was not selected for Italy and awaits his national team debut. Konstantinos Koulierakis remained unused on the bench in Greece's match against Serbia. Evan N'Dicka returned to action with Ivory Coast, delivering a solid performance in their victory against Ghana. The three Roma players on Argentina duty—Santiago Castro, Matías Soulé and Leonardo Balerdi—face a friendly against Bolivia in four days, followed by Argentina's tribute match to Lionel Messi, a fixture where Nahuel Molina and Paulo Dybala are hoped to appear, though Roma has yet to confirm their release.

Italy's new era under Roberto Mancini began with a defeat at the Stadio Olimpico, Belgium winning 2-0 in the opening Nations League fixture on 25 September. Mika Godts opened the scoring in the first half after a pass from De Bruyne, with Dodi Lukebakio adding a second in the 69th minute from a De Ketelaere assist. Italy struggled to find rhythm and continuity in their play, creating meaningful chances only late in the first half through a Cambiaghi attempt. The home crowd booed when the final whistle sounded. From a Roma perspective, Gianluca Mancini started at centre-back for the Azzurri. Alessandro Romano, an academy product, made his senior international debut from the opening minute but endured a difficult outing, his error leading directly to Belgium's opening goal. Romano was replaced in the 65th minute by Frattesi. Daniele Ghilardi, on his first senior call-up, was not included in the 23-player squad for the match. Mancini returns to the Italy bench aiming to launch a fresh cycle following recent disappointments for the national team. Italy face little time to recover from the result: they travel to Turkey for the second group-stage match on 28 September.

Kevin Strootman has expressed strong confidence in Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma side, highlighting the impact of fellow Dutchman Donyell Malen and midfield reinforcement Marten De Roon. Strootman singled out Malen's quality and adaptation at the club. "I know him well and he is a very strong forward," Strootman said. "He has great quality and spectacular speed. I think Roma is the right team for him—he feels important and is showing it." On De Roon's arrival to strengthen Gasperini's midfield, Strootman stressed his experience and familiarity with Italian football and the coach's methods. "He is someone who always gives his all for the team and can help younger players," Strootman explained, underlining De Roon's presence in the dressing room. Asked about Roma's Scudetto ambitions, Strootman remained cautious: "Maybe… let's see where Roma will be in March."

Kevin Strootman, the former Roma midfielder, has praised the club's strong opening to the season under Gian Piero Gasperini and highlighted the growing presence of Dutch players in the squad. Speaking to Il Tempo, Strootman expressed confidence in the direction of the team and offered particular insight into Donyell Malen's early impact. "Gasperini is working very well," Strootman said. "Roma has had a decidedly important start to the season and I hope it can continue like this. They have played some great matches, playing rather well. What is important now is to continue down this road." On Malen's performances, Strootman believes the winger has found the right environment. "Roma is the right team for him," he stated. "He has had great quality and spectacular speed. He feels important and is demonstrating it. I am not totally surprised by his performances, even if probably an impact like this nobody expected. I wish him to continue like this." Malen has impressed after struggling for consistent starts in Germany and England, but at Roma has benefited from Gasperini's confidence. Strootman also spoke about Marten de Roon's arrival, describing him as a player of great experience who knows both Italian football and Gasperini's methods intimately. "Marten is a real dressing-room man, someone who always gives everything for the team and can help younger players too," Strootman explained. "He doesn't need to feel more important than others or be in the spotlight. Everything he does in training and in matches, he does for the group. This is very important for a team that wants to fight for the top places." Strootman also recalled giving Leonardo Balerdi a Roma shirt as a gift, saying he had "completely forgotten" about it until Balerdi mentioned it on Instagram. He praised the defender's early performances. On Roma's title prospects, Strootman was cautious: "Maybe… let's see where Roma will be in March."

Kevin Strootman has praised Roma's strong start to the season under Gian Piero Gasperini, highlighting the impact of fellow Dutch players Donyell Malen and Marten De Roon. Speaking to Il Tempo, the former Roma midfielder said of Gasperini's work: "Gasperini is working very well. Roma has had a decidedly important start to the season and I hope it can continue like this. The team has played great matches, playing quite well. The important thing now is to continue down this road." On Malen's performances, Strootman said: "I haven't played much together with him, but I've known him for a long time and he is a very strong forward. He did well both in Germany and in England, even though he wasn't always a starter. At Roma, however, he found a lot of confidence, especially thanks to the coach, and he is doing very well. The difference is also noticeable in the national team. He has great quality and spectacular speed. I think Roma is the right team for him; he feels important and is proving it. I'm not totally surprised by his performances, although probably nobody expected such an impact. I hope he continues like this." Strootman described De Roon as "a player of great experience. He knows the Italian league very well and, above all, he knows Gasperini's game. Marten is really a dressing-room man; he's someone who always gives his all for the team and can help younger players too. He doesn't need to feel more important than others or be in the spotlight. Everything he does in training and in matches, he does for the group. This is a very important aspect for a team that wants to fight for the top places." Strootman also recalled giving Leonardo Balerdi a Roma shirt during his Marseille days, saying: "When I read this on Instagram, I thought 'really?'… it's been a while, I'd completely forgotten about it. Leonardo is a really good lad, he has started his Roma adventure in the best way and I hope he can continue like this." On Roma's title prospects, Strootman said: "Maybe… let's see where Roma will be in March. In the meantime, I'll keep playing with my daughters, then we can chat again."

Gian Piero Gasperini is building Roma around a fluid squad model of roughly twenty starting-calibre players, where internal competition remains constant and selection shifts based on form. Konstantinos Koulierakis, Rodrigo Mora and Santiago Castro—costlier than €100 million combined—have accumulated just 323 minutes so far, but retain strategic value in a squad lacking depth for the season's demands. The trio face stiff competition from Roma's in-form performers. Gasperini has prioritised players delivering consistently strong displays: from Mile Svilar in goal to Donyell Malen in attack, and the defensive leaders including Paulo Dybala. The manager is studying Koulierakis, Mora and Castro carefully to find the right moments for insertion. Mora's opportunities depend on competition with Dybala and Matías Soulé, while Castro could complement Malen in a dynamic attack. Koulierakis awaits his opportunity, currently blocked by Leonardo Balerdi's growth and Mario Hermoso's solidity at the back. These represent significant investments reflecting the club's ambition to elevate standards and give Gasperini multiple solutions for a long season filled with commitments.

Mile Svilar holds both Belgian and Serbian passports, yet today he has no national team to call his own. The Roma goalkeeper, now a regular fixture in Italian football's top tier, finds himself trapped by a regulatory paradox born from a decision made in 2021. Svilar rose through Belgium's youth system from Under-15 onwards, but on his father's advice accepted a call-up from Serbia in 2021 and made his senior debut in a friendly against Qatar at Debrecen, entering the match only as a substitute. He believed the friendly nature of the fixture would leave the door open for a future switch back to Belgium. When he later expressed his wish to represent Belgium, however, FIFA intervened. Having completed the entire Belgian youth pathway before choosing Serbia at senior level, the rulebook prevented him from changing federations again. The result: Serbia no longer calls him up, Belgium cannot call him up. So one of Roma's most important players sits out every international break. The timing has never been more acute. Thibaut Courtois recently decided against playing the full Nations League campaign for Belgium, creating a temporary gap in their goalkeeper hierarchy. Under different circumstances, Svilar would have had an enormous opportunity to fight for the position. Instead, he remains at Trigoria. His Roma form has only strengthened. Since Daniele De Rossi promoted him to number one, Svilar has recorded 48 clean sheets, equivalent to 38.4 per cent of the matches he has played. He has developed into a commanding presence through his personality, distribution, and one-on-one reading, and his footwork has improved markedly—attributes that have made him fully compatible with Gian Piero Gasperini's aggressive football. For Roma, the paradox offers a small silver lining: Svilar remains in the capital during international breaks, working with the staff and avoiding travel and fixture fatigue. For the player, though, it remains a painful situation. Two passports, two possible national teams, none available today—all because of a choice made in 2021, when he thought a brief appearance in a friendly would not permanently close a door. That door has stayed firmly shut.

Mile Svilar, Roma's standout goalkeeper, is trapped in a FIFA eligibility deadlock that has permanently blocked him from playing for either Serbia or Belgium. Born in Antwerp to a Serbian family, Svilar progressed through Belgium's youth system before accepting a Serbia call-up in 2021 for a brief appearance in a friendly against Qatar in Debrecen. Under FIFA regulations, that appearance—combined with his previous youth football for another nation—prevents a second change of federation. Belgium's federation attempted a legal challenge to equate his situation to Brahim Diaz's case, but FIFA rejected the appeal. With Serbia unwilling to select him and Belgium unable to, Svilar has lost a significant opportunity, particularly now that Thibaut Courtois has stepped back from international duty under Belgium manager Mark van Bommel. Despit the closed international door, Roma hold firm in their reliance on their defensive cornerstone. Svilar's statistics document consistent growth: since becoming first-choice under former manager Daniele De Rossi, he has registered 48 clean sheets, keeping a clean sheet in 38.4 per cent of matches played. Beyond his shot-stopping and low-range distribution work—decisive this season against attempts from Geubbels, Simeone, Muriqi and Bisseck—the 1999-born goalkeeper has shown marked progress in ball control and organisation of his defence. Without international commitments, Svilar's focus remains entirely on Serie A and Champions League fixtures in giallorossi colours.

Emanuele Lulli is set to enter substantive negotiations over a contract extension with Roma in the coming days, with talks scheduled at the club's Trigoria training ground. The 19-year-old defender, who has emerged as a key option for head coach Gian Piero Gasperini this season after an eventful summer transfer window, will put pen to paper on a new deal that both player and club are keen to conclude. His current contract expires in June. Lulli's rise has come amid Roma's struggles to secure reinforcements on the flanks. The club pursued multiple targets to provide cover and competition at full-back—initially to replace Zeki Çelik, before Nahuel Molina arrived, and then to offer an alternative to Wesley—but settled instead on promoting the academy product into senior football. Gasperini's faith in the youngster has vindicated that decision. During the current international break, Lulli is on duty with Italy's under-21 squad under head coach Baldini. His agent and Roma's sporting director D'Amico have already begun preliminary discussions on the renewal, but the substantive negotiation phase will begin only in the coming days when the parties meet at Trigoria. A positive outcome is not in doubt, with both sides aligned on extending the relationship.

Wesley and Malen, two key players in Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma setup, enjoyed an evening together at a Michelin-starred restaurant overlooking the Colosseum. Both players were absent from their respective national team selections due to physical issues and are working to regain full fitness ahead of the resumption of Serie A. With Gasperini having granted the squad four days of rest, the two Roma players made use of the break to unwind together. The meal was documented and shared by ARoma Restaurant on Instagram.

Wesley and Malen made the most of a rest day granted by head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, enjoying an evening at L'AROMA, a Michelin-starred restaurant with a terrace facing the Colosseum. The pair took advantage of a cancelled training session to share a luxury dinner, with the Roman landmark providing a striking backdrop at night. They posed for a photograph with the restaurant staff, part of what the article describes as an evening marked by relaxation before returning to serious preparation. The outing reflects the strong camaraderie within Roma's squad, both on and off the pitch. Group harmony and positive morale are cited as key ingredients for optimal team performance. Training resumes on Tuesday, when both players will return to Gasperini's orders with a clear objective: to sustain what the article describes as an as-yet-unspoken dream.