Gasperini and Fabregas exchange views after Como draw

Roma faced Como at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia in the Serie A sixth round. Paulo Dybala was central to the match, hitting a straightforward chance that went straight to goalkeeper Butez. After Donyell Malen's red card, Dybala took control of Roma's attack and earned Gasperini's confidence, though the coach later revealed he had nearly substituted the Argentine for Santiago Castro before changing his mind. Gasperini had already called Castro to warm up and remove his bib ahead of Malen's dismissal. Once Malen was sent off, the coach reconsidered and kept Dybala on the pitch. Speaking after the match, Gasperini explained: "I believe Dybala was extraordinary once we were down to ten in the second half, clearing difficult situations. He convinced me as we went along: he began to pull in several balls, giving us breathing room and chances to break out. He was the one most penalised because he had to operate between Como's two centre-backs, but he did it with great intelligence and quality as a true footballer." Dybala was substituted in the 88th minute, replaced by Emanuele Lulli to add greater compactness to the side in the closing stages.

Pierluigi Gollini marked his return to Serie A action after two years with a clean sheet, prompting a message on social media reflecting on the team's collective effort. In his post, Gollini wrote: "This match is the fruit of the work we put in every day, the sacrifices and the desire to be ready for the team. This is us, a group of real substance that knows how to play, suffer and fight. Because when your moment comes, everyone's work becomes your strength. Focus on Wednesday for another battle." The goalkeeper's performance drew immediate support from his Roma teammates. Rodrigo Mora commented "Well done," while Lorenzo Pellegrini wrote "Great Gollo." Mario Hermoso, Emanuele Lulli and Marten de Roon also joined in the praise, as did Konstantinos Koulierakis.

Roma drew 0–0 at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia stadium, maintaining third place in the table behind Inter and Lazio. The match was decided by the dismissal of Donyell Malen in the second half following a challenge on Kacik, which the referee judged as a straight red card. After the game, Gasperini and Como manager Fabregas offered starkly different readings of the incident. Gasperini said: "There is a repeated foul on Malen. To say he played violently is hard to sustain. He had a surge after being held and also touched the ball." Fabregas countered: "That's his personal opinion and I respect it. For me there was a clear red for Wesley on Diao, N'Dicka never would have arrived." Both managers lingered outside the Sinigaglia stadium after the final whistle to discuss the matter at length. Pierluigi Gollini emerged as a positive for Roma with an attentive and clean performance. He said: "My performance today is a reward: everything I have had in my career I have earned through daily work. I want to say to Mile to stay calm, recover fully: we are all waiting for him." Lorenzo Pellegrini marked a significant milestone by reaching 350 appearances in all competitions for Roma. The captain is now just one appearance away from matching Damiano Tommasi's 351 total, placing him 12th on Roma's all-time appearance list. The club celebrated the landmark on its official channels with the message "350 times our colours."

Roma faced Como at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia in the Serie A sixth round. Paulo Dybala was central to the match, hitting a straightforward chance that went straight to goalkeeper Butez. After Donyell Malen's red card, Dybala took control of Roma's attack and earned Gasperini's confidence, though the coach later revealed he had nearly substituted the Argentine for Santiago Castro before changing his mind. Gasperini had already called Castro to warm up and remove his bib ahead of Malen's dismissal. Once Malen was sent off, the coach reconsidered and kept Dybala on the pitch. Speaking after the match, Gasperini explained: "I believe Dybala was extraordinary once we were down to ten in the second half, clearing difficult situations. He convinced me as we went along: he began to pull in several balls, giving us breathing room and chances to break out. He was the one most penalised because he had to operate between Como's two centre-backs, but he did it with great intelligence and quality as a true footballer." Dybala was substituted in the 88th minute, replaced by Emanuele Lulli to add greater compactness to the side in the closing stages.

Roma drew 0–0 at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia stadium, maintaining third place in the table behind Inter and Lazio. The match was decided by the dismissal of Donyell Malen in the second half following a challenge on Kacik, which the referee judged as a straight red card. After the game, Gasperini and Como manager Fabregas offered starkly different readings of the incident. Gasperini said: "There is a repeated foul on Malen. To say he played violently is hard to sustain. He had a surge after being held and also touched the ball." Fabregas countered: "That's his personal opinion and I respect it. For me there was a clear red for Wesley on Diao, N'Dicka never would have arrived." Both managers lingered outside the Sinigaglia stadium after the final whistle to discuss the matter at length. Pierluigi Gollini emerged as a positive for Roma with an attentive and clean performance. He said: "My performance today is a reward: everything I have had in my career I have earned through daily work. I want to say to Mile to stay calm, recover fully: we are all waiting for him." Lorenzo Pellegrini marked a significant milestone by reaching 350 appearances in all competitions for Roma. The captain is now just one appearance away from matching Damiano Tommasi's 351 total, placing him 12th on Roma's all-time appearance list. The club celebrated the landmark on its official channels with the message "350 times our colours."

Donyell Malen received his first career red card in Roma's match against Como after a tackle on Kaiki. The Dutch forward protested that a foul had not been called on him moments earlier, but the dismissal stood and was not overturned. He will miss Roma's next fixture against Genoa on Saturday but will be available for the match against Napoli. The suspension stands at one match for serious foul play. Luca Marelli, speaking on DAZN, confirmed the one-game ban and analysed the incident: "It will be one match's suspension for serious foul play. There are all the elements for a red card—the knee is close, there is great speed and the studs are exposed. The fact that Malen did not fully catch Kaiki cannot be a justification; in fact we should be grateful that the Como player was not fully hit by Malen's challenge. There is no doubt about the red card; the referee and VAR made the decision very quickly." Under the laws of the game, "a tackle or challenge that endangers an opponent's safety or is committed with disproportionate force or brutality must be punished as serious foul play. Any player who, when challenging for the ball, strikes an opponent from the front, side or behind using one or both legs with disproportionate force or in a manner that endangers an opponent's safety, is guilty of serious foul play." Malen will return to lead Roma's attack on Wednesday in the fixture against Real Madrid.

Roma drew 0–0 at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia stadium, maintaining third place in the table behind Inter and Lazio. The match was decided by the dismissal of Donyell Malen in the second half following a challenge on Kacik, which the referee judged as a straight red card. After the game, Gasperini and Como manager Fabregas offered starkly different readings of the incident. Gasperini said: "There is a repeated foul on Malen. To say he played violently is hard to sustain. He had a surge after being held and also touched the ball." Fabregas countered: "That's his personal opinion and I respect it. For me there was a clear red for Wesley on Diao, N'Dicka never would have arrived." Both managers lingered outside the Sinigaglia stadium after the final whistle to discuss the matter at length. Pierluigi Gollini emerged as a positive for Roma with an attentive and clean performance. He said: "My performance today is a reward: everything I have had in my career I have earned through daily work. I want to say to Mile to stay calm, recover fully: we are all waiting for him." Lorenzo Pellegrini marked a significant milestone by reaching 350 appearances in all competitions for Roma. The captain is now just one appearance away from matching Damiano Tommasi's 351 total, placing him 12th on Roma's all-time appearance list. The club celebrated the landmark on its official channels with the message "350 times our colours."

Pierluigi Gollini spoke after Como's 0–0 draw with Roma on 11 October, reflecting on his first Serie A appearance in two years. The goalkeeper said he had approached the fixture with focused intensity, aware of the long absence from top-flight football. He praised Mile Svilar's professionalism and their relationship, saying: "I told Mile to stay calm and recover; we are all waiting for him. He is a great professional, we have an excellent relationship." Svilar had encouraged him before the match, telling him: "It is your moment, enjoy it." Gollini's return marks a significant moment for Roma's goalkeeping department. The 29-year-old has built a career worthy of respect, and he framed his opportunity as a reward for years of dedicated work. He acknowledged that doubts were natural after such a lengthy absence from Serie A competition, but insisted his mental preparation had been thorough and his confidence high during the week leading into the fixture. On his performance, Gollini credited mental clarity for his distribution and composure. "When you are in good shape mentally, everything follows," he said. "I felt good in the match. I felt fluid too, despite it being such a long time. Mental state makes the difference." He was questioned about a possible contact between Wesley and Como's Diao but had not seen the incident clearly from his position on the pitch. Regarding his positioning, he reflected: "Of course there would be doubts after two years without playing a Serie A match. I played the match in my head this week. During the match I felt good. This helped me."

Como manager Cesc Fabregas reflected on his side's 0–0 draw against Roma, describing it as an unusual stalemate between two attacking teams. Speaking to DAZN after the match, Fabregas said: "Sometimes football cannot be explained. We are two offensive and propositive teams, a 0–0 is not normal. Perhaps after the red card the match changed, but it was a beautiful game between two teams that respected each other. Both wanted victory. To play against Roma you need plenty of personality, then tactics come in. We had the courage to play, especially 11 against 11 I think it's one of the best performances Como have put in against Roma since I've been here." Fabregas acknowledged regret over Como's failure to capitalise on their numerical advantage late in the contest. "We are in a growth process and did not know how to manage our superiority," he explained. "It required more patience and faster ball circulation. We did not concede any counterattacks with the extra man and that is not a given—when you push forward you risk being exposed defensively and it did not happen." He praised his team's defensive discipline, noting that they created chances for Douvikas, Diao and Nico Paz, though none found the net. On his tactical setup, Fabregas defended his choice to select Caqueret over Baturina. "Sometimes players deserve something. Today Caqueret deserved to play, it was my feeling. I must keep Max in, he is not on the Champions League list. Today was a very important match and I saw him playing very well." Fabregas also drew lessons from Inter's performance against Roma's coach Gasperini: "The best team for me, Inzaghi's Inter, did poorly against Gasperini; from there I must draw conclusions and start preparing matches. In this sense the squad pleased me a lot." On N'Dicka's defensive prowess, Fabregas observed: "N'Dicka is a general. I watch many Roma matches and, always being the last man against strong attackers, if you are not a phenomenon you cannot play like that." He also defended the red card decision as subjective: "It is a personal opinion, I can think different things too, they are points of view. As a player I was sent off in the same manner with a very similar foul; it depends on the dynamic. For me Wesley's red card against Diao was clearer. N'Dicka would never have taken him down, no doubt about it."