Dovbyk to undergo ultrasound to determine return date

Lorenzo Pellegrini has decided against surgery on his fresh muscle injury, choosing to risk a further setback in order to try to be available for the second half of the season. The midfielder suffered the injury only two days after his last football post, which came on 18 October following Roma's win over Genoa, in which he wrote: "Vittoria importante per il nostro cammino e...minuti fondamentali in campo per il mio cammino." The setback came with the Slovan fixture, and it halts a comeback that had been building. The injury is more serious than his previous muscle problem. Pellegrini faced two options: recovery, which would take around three months and would not protect him from relapses, or surgery, which might solve the problem but would effectively end his season. He has opted against the operation. Roma's midfielder has been without fresh public comment, and the silence reflects his disappointment at stopping again at the start of his road back to fitness. Pellegrini has played 72 minutes in Serie A and 78 in the Champions League this season. His contract expires again in June, and this time there are very few chances of a renewal. He accepted a one-year deal with a sharply reduced salary, and he is keen to help silence critics and to convince the Friedkin Group that he can still be useful in the future. Reports suggest a move away at the end of the year is highly likely, and Besiktas and Juventus knocked on the door last summer, but he did not entertain those offers then and is not considering them now. For now, he will cheer on his team before making one last attempt to return.

Former Roma player Vincent Candela has urged the club not to settle for less, backing Gian Piero Gasperini's approach and insisting the side can push Inter until the end of the Serie A title race. Speaking to Il Messaggero, Candela praised Gasperini's work, the progress of Matías Soulé and the solidity of the midfield, while also highlighting the impact of Donyell Malen. He also sent a message to the transfer market: "If a couple of missing pieces arrive, we can have even more fun." Roma return to training at Trigoria tomorrow afternoon, and Gasperini is set to gradually bring back Paulo Dybala and Mile Svilar. Svilar, recovering from a stress fracture in the fifth toe of his foot, will undergo a new check-up. Koné and Nahuel Molina will remain at Trigoria during the break. Molina's recall to the national squad has been halted by the club, a call-up that would have meant returning to the capital just two days before the league resumes. Gasperini's side have set a new record in the club's history, scoring 31 goals in the first 11 Serie A matchdays, a figure never previously reached. The previous best was 28 goals in the 1960-61 season. Roma remain unbeaten in Serie A, as are Lazio, and among the top five European leagues they share this record only with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Roma have also not lost at the Stadio Olimpico for over a year.

Gian Piero Gasperini can count on the return of Mile Svilar and Paulo Dybala for Roma's Serie A trip to Parma on 21 November, barring setbacks. The international break gives the coach a welcome boost as Roma aim to stay near the top of Serie A and climb the table in the Champions League. After two rest days granted by Gasperini, Roma reconvene at Trigoria tomorrow afternoon and train until Saturday morning. Dybala and Svilar will gradually rejoin the group. Svilar is due a further check-up after recovering from a stress fracture to the fifth toe of his foot. His rehabilitation, carried out between Belgium and Italy, has gone well, and he is set to be in goal against Parma on 21 November. Manu Koné and Nahuel Molina will also remain at Trigoria. Molina's omission has been decided by Roma; Scaloni has accepted the situation, making do with Balerdi, Soulé and Castro. La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the break comes at the right moment to recover Dybala, the Joya, who is one of the key players for the squad. Roma are looking to stay in contention at the top of Serie A while working their way back up the Champions League standings.

Fidelis Castro's goal and assist, earned in two starts at home to Genoa and Cagliari, have revived debate over the striker's place in the Roma squad and the money spent on him. The Argentine, fresh from a call-up to the national team, has once again drawn criticism from those who question whether Roma needed him at all, and whether he is worth the reported €35 million outlay. Some critics said last summer that Roma should have targeted Robinio Vaz instead, and that the money spent on Castro was wasted. The article notes that Vaz, who is described as a well-paid bit-part player at Hull City, would have been a better investment, and suggests that Dovbyk, who after just three months had worn out much of Bologna's patience, could have been kept. Against this, the writer argues that Castro has the hardest job among Roma's forwards. He plays almost exclusively in place of Malen, and when he comes on, the team is often more tired and less composed than when Malen is leading the line, leaving Castro to chase the ball alone and run down opponents mounting comebacks. Castro made his first start against Genoa, where he scored the first goal, decisive for the win, with a moment of magic. In his second start, against Cagliari, he struggled, as did the whole side, which came from behind to win and only really hit form in the closing stages. The writer contends that this was enough to revive the criticism seen over the summer, when the transfer market was labelled a disaster partly because the backup striker had cost so much. The article argues that it is too complicated for critics to consider that Malen is a cannibal who leaves his backup only a few minutes, and only when he has no energy left. The writer draws a comparison with the 1985-86 season, when Eriksson's Roma came close to the Scudetto. Pruzzo was the prolific starter, with Bruno Conti and Boniek alongside him, while Graziani and the young Tovalieri provided cover. Tovalieri was a key figure in the Coppa Italia that season and scored three goals in 22 appearances in the league, the writer notes, because Pruzzo left few scraps. The point is that Roma have an outstanding striker and a very good deputy, and that critics should be grateful rather than anxious. The article adds that last season, Ferguson and Dovbyk were the forwards, and that in January, before Malen arrived, Roma had brought in Vaz and tried to sign Füllkrug.

Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma are scoring far more goals than a year ago, with 19 more in their first eleven matches of the season and 12 different scorers, compared with eight last season. The comparison, drawn during the international break, shows a clear improvement across the board. Last year at this stage Roma sat first in the table alongside Inter, but with fewer points: 24 then, against 27 today. The attack has changed most noticeably, moving from the pairing of Dovbyk and Ferguson to Malen and Castro. Roma are also creating more. They are taking 19.4 shots per game against 13.2 last season, with 6.5 on target against 4.7, and they are getting into the opposition box more often, with 37.2 touches per game against 26.2. Their expected goals (xG) have nearly doubled, rising from 1.32 to 2.38 per match. The one negative is goals conceded, which have risen from 5 to 10. Gasperini is willing to accept that cost. The figure is also affected by the absences of Svilar and Koné. When both are on the pitch, Roma's average is lower than it was a year ago. The numbers point to a team that is both more potent and more consistent than the one that finished last season, with the new attacking set-up at the heart of the gains.

Roma coach Palladino has said Artem Dovbyk is not yet fit enough to play a full 90 minutes, though the striker is available for selection. Palladino said: "We had a discussion and he tried to put my requests into practice. He doesn't have the condition to last ninety minutes but he is available." The striker has struggled to make an impact recently. Over the last two matches Dovbyk has watched from the bench, and across his last four appearances he has played just 14 minutes in total, a meagre return well below expectations. Palladino made clear the problem is not quality but fitness, stating that the Ukrainian is not yet able to guarantee minutes and reliability. There are signs of progress. Palladino admitted: "Artem pushed harder during the week." Roma face Monza today, and Dovbyk is hoping to earn a place in the starting line-up. Should things remain as they are, his return to Rome could come sooner than expected.