Gasperini II: Roma restart at Trigoria

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 earned a valuable point at Como despite being affected by a refereeing error, with Gasperini keeping his side compact and organized. For more than 85 minutes, the coach kept Paulo Dybala on the pitch as the focal point of the attack. Shortly after Donyell Malen was sent off, Santiago Castro removed his bib, ready to enter the match in what appeared to be Dybala's replacement. Gasperini changed his mind. "He was attracting the ball, helping us breathe," Gasperini explained after the match. "It was him who convinced me to keep him on." Dybala's ability to win possession cleanly and help Roma escape the press proved crucial at that moment, and the coach recognized the tactical need. Castro will have his opportunity coming up against Genoa, partly due to Malen's absence.

Roma earned a hard-fought point on the road at Como, holding a 0–0 draw on 11 October despite playing most of the second half with ten men after Donyell Malen's dismissal. The Dutch winger was sent off early in the second half by referee Fabbri, a decision the raters found excessive given the overall nature of the play, though Malen was noted as somewhat reckless in the challenge. The result counted toward the sixth matchday of the Serie A season. Pierluigi Gollini deputised in goal and drew particular praise for his work on distribution and his alertness to Como's limited chances, keeping the bench-warmer tag away from Mile Svilar. At centre-back, Gianluca Mancini and Evan N'Dicka formed an imposing partnership; Mancini earned a 7 rating for his battling quality and composure in the tackle despite rare lapses, while N'Dicka dominated a physical duel with Como's Douvikas. Mario Hermoso supported the backline with careful defending before Leonardo Balerdi replaced him in the 60th minute. Marten de Roon covered ground reliably in midfield, earning a 7 for consistency with Gasperini's system. Paulo Dybala was handed a 6, his performance marred by a glaring early miss that could have altered the match entirely. Lorenzo Pellegrini made his return to the pitch and was credited with important work and technical quality, including a shot that struck the post from the edge of the area, though his fitness remained not yet sharp. He gave way to Matías Soulé at the 46th minute. Manu Koné was not at his sharpest, rated 6, while defender Nahuel Molina (5.5) struggled with precision; Devyne Rensch entered in the 81st minute and impressed on arrival. Gasperini himself earned a 6.5, praised for keeping Roma organised and tactically sharp after numerical disadvantage forced him to abandon attacking ambitions and deploy personnel with calculated precision through his substitutions. With parity in numbers, Roma had appeared the superior side and more threatening side before the dismissal.

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."

Lorenzo Pellegrini marked his 350th appearance for Roma in the match against Como on 11 October 2026, a milestone that places him among an elite group in the club's history. The midfielder returned to action after a lengthy absence and nearly marked his seasonal debut with a goal, only to be denied by the post. Roma celebrated the achievement on social media, posting: "350 times with our colours". The landmark comes at a significant moment as Pellegrini rebuilds match fitness following his injury layoff. His return strengthens Roma's midfield for the upcoming fixtures. Pellegrini shared his own post-match reflection: "Pride and love: grateful for having contributed to write 350 times the history of this shirt! Sweat and character. Let's take this point home: Wednesday awaits another battle." The midfielder's continued presence underpins Roma's ambitions as the season progresses.

Roma's full-backs have become a cornerstone of Gian Piero Gasperini's push to the top of Serie A, a marked shift from last season when they proved problematic. Wesley and Nahuel Molina are now among the club's key strengths, and both will start when Roma resume the league campaign against Como, where they will face manager Fabregas. The turnaround reflects Gasperini's tactical evolution since arriving at the club: in his first season, Wesley was the only defender fully convincing on the flanks, while Zeki Çelik had to make do elsewhere. Now the picture is entirely different. Gasperini has uncovered Emanuele Lulli in the course of the season, and Molina has gradually built his fitness, delivering quality and assists to Roma's attacking phase. For the Como fixture, Gasperini plans to deploy Molina on the right and Wesley on the left. The selection reflects not just Roma's attacking ambitions but also Gasperini's defensive strategy: by using two attacking full-backs, he aims to stretch Como's wide players—Baturina on one flank and Diao on the other—and occupy them throughout the match. Wesley, the more naturally offensive of the pair, will be tasked with driving forward and supporting the build-up play. Molina is likely to carry greater defensive responsibility, balancing his own contributions with the need to contain Como's threats on the wing.

Gian Piero Gasperini will deploy Nahuel Molina and Wesley as twin wingers in Roma's visit to Como, harnessing simultaneous attacking thrust down both flanks to counter Cesc Fabregas's side. With Molina fully recovered and Wesley in continued form, Roma will field two genuine wide operators capable of delivering width, high pressing and chances for the attacking midfielders. The tactical choice targets Como's possession-based play built around Baturina and Diao's unpredictability; Molina and Wesley are instructed to close down Como's wide references and attacking midfielders immediately, forcing them away from build-up play into long balls. In possession, the overlapping runs of Molina and Wesley will create lateral chains with Paulo Dybala and Matías Soulé, opening space for crosses and inside passes. Last season Roma's right wing relied solely on Wesley alongside the converted Zeki Çelik, but the club now possesses one of Serie A's strongest selections of wide midfielders. Gasperini's side has already created thirteen goalscoring actions from wide midfielders this season—second in the league behind Inter's fourteen. Wesley leads with seven goal contributions, followed by Molina on four and eighteen-year-old Emanuele Lulli, an academy product promoted to the first team, who has added two decisive contributions and demonstrates the depth of alternatives available on the flanks. A key feature of Gasperini's system is the tactical flexibility of both players. Wesley and Molina can interchange wings during matches without loss of effectiveness, alternating deep play and crosses with cuts inside on their stronger foot to link with the attacking midfielders. This constant switching prevents opposing defences from finding fixed reference points and allows Roma to vary attacking approaches throughout the game.

Zeki Çelik produced a costly error in Turkey's match against Italy in Bursa, clearing a corner kick directly to Alessandro Bastoni, who opened the scoring for the Azzurri. Italy dominated the fixture in a redemptive performance after losing to Belgium on Friday. Çelik's mistake was immediately seized upon by social media users, with Roma supporters among those criticising the defender's display. One Roma fan wrote: "La spazza Celik" (Çelik the sweeper), while others joked about whether a 'Çelik-cam' video would emerge—a reference to footage released by DAZN following Çelik's first friendly for Juventus. The Turkish international has endured a difficult start to his spell in Serie A, facing criticism not only from Roma fans but also from his country's supporters.