Dybala's Renaissance: Fatherhood, Gasperini's Faith and the Role of Pilati

Lorenzo Pellegrini is fit to return to competitive action after 184 days out, with the away fixture at Como set to mark his comeback in an official match. However, his reintegration into Gian Piero Gasperini's squad is far more complex than a simple recovery from injury. Pellegrini finds a Roma transformed since his absence: a new head coach, a different tactical system, reshaped hierarchies, and a captaincy distributed by fresh criteria. He must, in many respects, start almost from zero. Gasperini is not merely reintroducing a predetermined starter but can deploy a player with attacking attributes no other option currently offers in the same form. Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen have rapidly become the team's primary references up front. Behind them, Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora press for minutes—players more offensively inclined and geared toward dribbling and one-on-one play. Pellegrini offers a different interpretation of the role. In the 3-4-1-2, the number 7 can operate behind the two forwards without functioning solely as a classical attacking midfielder. He can drop deeper to provide an extra passing line for the midfielders, accompany pressing, make unmarked runs, and crucially serve Dybala and Malen in the final third. He can, in theory, transform the 3-4-1-2 into something more fluid—at times a three-man midfield, at times a genuine three-forward attacking line. Against Como, this characteristic may carry particular weight. Gasperini wants to press the opposition's opening possession, and Pellegrini, starting behind the forwards, could help screen the initial build-up before immediately becoming the final-pass architect once possession is regained. It is a function neither Mora nor Soulé guarantees and could prove invaluable in matches requiring greater central density. Pellegrini has also used the international break to train without interruption at Trigoria while teammates traveled with their national teams. His recovery is complete, and autonomy is estimated at around one hour of play. He may not start at the Sinigaglia, but Gasperini can now genuinely consider him a solution from the outset rather than a player to be reintroduced gradually. After Como, a sequence of nine matches in 28 days begins—a run where relying always on the same personnel will prove impossible. Pellegrini need not displace anyone permanently; he allows Gasperini to alter the team's shape without dismantling it, alternating with other attacking options and offering control in midfield when required. His true challenge differs from the past. He must carve out space within a squad that has already found equilibrium without him, but this new standing may free him from the weight that has accompanied him in recent years. Gasperini does not ask him to be the project's centre. He asks him to become an extra weapon. In a Roma that will need practically everyone from October onward, that could prove far more valuable than it appears.

Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has given Roma's squad three days off before recalling them to Trigoria on Tuesday afternoon to prepare for the match against Como. Bryan Cristante will not be available for training as he continues to recover from a knee collateral problem. The goal is to have the captain fit for Roma's fixture at Napoli on 24 October. Gasperini will begin reintegrating the players involved in the international break from Tuesday onwards. Evan N'Dicka will be among the first to return after completing Ivory Coast's final match of the international window today. The last players to report back will be the Argentines Leonardo Balerdi, Santiago Castro and Matías Soulé, who are expected at Trigoria on Thursday.

Bryan Cristante has been ruled out with inflammation of his right knee and will miss at least the upcoming matches against Como and Real Madrid, forcing Gasperini to reshuffle his midfield options. Gasperini had previously avoided discussing his squad's fitness in detail, but the injury to Cristante leaves Roma without one of their key players at a critical moment in the season. Two paths lie open to fill the void: Niccolò Pisilli's pace and youth, or the experience of Marten de Roon, who was signed to bolster the squad and previously worked with Gasperini during important years at Atalanta. The situation will ease slightly soon, as Lorenzo Pellegrini is expected to return to availability, giving Gasperini another midfield option despite playing a different role.

Giuseppe Giannini, Roma's historic captain, has ranked the club's greatest number 10s in an interview reflecting on his career and what it means to represent the Giallorossi. Giannini placed Francesco Totti at the top "for numbers", followed by Agostino Di Bartolomei and Giuseppe De Sisti, with himself in fourth place "for Roman identity". Paulo Dybala, despite wearing number 21, ranks fifth in Giannini's assessment. "The fact that he plays with great simplicity," Giannini said of Dybala. "He always manages to escape from every game situation, even the most complicated one. Even when surrounded by two or three opponents, he's capable of getting out of it somehow and coming away with the ball at his feet. He's a player with imagination, moments of genius. And you can see that when he plays, he enjoys himself. When a champion can play while enjoying himself, he drags the fans along too, who identify with him." On his own captaincy and the weight of wearing the armband, Giannini emphasised the character required. "Above all to wear the armband, you need special character and personality. Very strong ones," he said. "The character and personality that Di Bartolomei, Bruno Conti, De Rossi and Totti showed, and that I see today in Cristante and Pellegrini. The shirt and everything else represent a great responsibility, and precisely because of that you have to give something more. And if you can't manage it on the technical side, it touches you on the behaviour side." Giannini recalled his formative years, saying that as a child he had "understood I had something more than others, because I took on responsibilities that maybe didn't fall to me, like taking a penalty instead of a teammate who didn't feel up to it." His childhood idol was the Argentine Mario Kempes, chosen both for his playing style and his long hair, which Giannini copied. After Kempes, Agostino Di Bartolomei became his model. When asked what he would steal from Dybala and what he would give in return, Giannini replied: "I'd steal his left foot, but I'd give him my right foot." Giannini also shared a poignant memory from his time as captain involving president Dino Viola. When Viola died, Giannini was tasked with placing flowers on the president's chair at the Olimpico before the first home match without him. "That was a very complicated moment from an emotional point of view," Giannini said. "I was very close to the president and his family, particularly to his wife Flora. I felt full of pain and worried about not getting any gesture wrong. It was the only time I would have preferred not to be captain." His proudest moment came on 20 March 1994 at Foggia, when Roma came from behind to draw 1–1 against Zeman's high-pressing side. Giannini scored the equaliser, and the result sparked a run of four consecutive victories that nearly secured UEFA Cup qualification by season's end.

Lorenzo Pellegrini is fit to return to competitive action after 184 days out, with the away fixture at Como set to mark his comeback in an official match. However, his reintegration into Gian Piero Gasperini's squad is far more complex than a simple recovery from injury. Pellegrini finds a Roma transformed since his absence: a new head coach, a different tactical system, reshaped hierarchies, and a captaincy distributed by fresh criteria. He must, in many respects, start almost from zero. Gasperini is not merely reintroducing a predetermined starter but can deploy a player with attacking attributes no other option currently offers in the same form. Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen have rapidly become the team's primary references up front. Behind them, Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora press for minutes—players more offensively inclined and geared toward dribbling and one-on-one play. Pellegrini offers a different interpretation of the role. In the 3-4-1-2, the number 7 can operate behind the two forwards without functioning solely as a classical attacking midfielder. He can drop deeper to provide an extra passing line for the midfielders, accompany pressing, make unmarked runs, and crucially serve Dybala and Malen in the final third. He can, in theory, transform the 3-4-1-2 into something more fluid—at times a three-man midfield, at times a genuine three-forward attacking line. Against Como, this characteristic may carry particular weight. Gasperini wants to press the opposition's opening possession, and Pellegrini, starting behind the forwards, could help screen the initial build-up before immediately becoming the final-pass architect once possession is regained. It is a function neither Mora nor Soulé guarantees and could prove invaluable in matches requiring greater central density. Pellegrini has also used the international break to train without interruption at Trigoria while teammates traveled with their national teams. His recovery is complete, and autonomy is estimated at around one hour of play. He may not start at the Sinigaglia, but Gasperini can now genuinely consider him a solution from the outset rather than a player to be reintroduced gradually. After Como, a sequence of nine matches in 28 days begins—a run where relying always on the same personnel will prove impossible. Pellegrini need not displace anyone permanently; he allows Gasperini to alter the team's shape without dismantling it, alternating with other attacking options and offering control in midfield when required. His true challenge differs from the past. He must carve out space within a squad that has already found equilibrium without him, but this new standing may free him from the weight that has accompanied him in recent years. Gasperini does not ask him to be the project's centre. He asks him to become an extra weapon. In a Roma that will need practically everyone from October onward, that could prove far more valuable than it appears.

Giuseppe Giannini, Roma's legendary captain, has discussed what it means to represent the club in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport's SportWeek magazine, reflecting on the greatest number 10s in the club's history and his admiration for Paulo Dybala. Giannini ranked the standout playmakers to wear the shirt, placing Francesco Totti at the top by virtue of his goal tally. "For numbers, Totti," Giannini said. "Then Di Bartolomei and De Sisti. I put myself in fourth place, for the Romanità, and I place Dybala in fifth, even though he wears 21 on his back." Giannini emphasised what it means to be Roma's symbol: "Being a romanista means representing the Capital, and no one, even in the most remote place in the world, can say they don't know the Capital and, as a consequence, AS Roma." On Dybala's qualities as a footballer, Giannini was effusive. "What I like about Paulo is the fact that he plays with great simplicity. He always manages to get out of every game situation, even the most complicated one. Even when surrounded by two or three opponents he is capable of managing somehow and coming out of it with the ball at his feet. He is a player who has imagination, moments of genius. And you can see that when he plays, he enjoys himself. When a champion manages to play while enjoying himself, he also carries the fans with him, who identify with him. I would steal his left foot, but I would give him my right." Giannini also recalled his early encounters with Totti, saying he once shared a hotel room with the young player before a trip, an experience the future legend apparently never forgot. "After some time, he told me that that night he hadn't slept a wink, but I couldn't swear to it because I slept peacefully instead." Giannini named Mario Kempes, the Argentine forward, as his childhood idol, drawn to his technical ability and long hair, which Giannini emulated. He later looked to Agostino Di Bartolomei as his model. Among his proudest moments wearing the giallorossi was 20 March 1994 at Foggia, when Roma came from behind to draw 1–1 under his leadership, a result that sparked four consecutive wins and a late push for UEFA Cup qualification.