Gasperini praises Svilar and Malen with Rocco quote at Verona press conference

Leonardo Balerdi has earned his recall to Argentina's national team after recovering from the injury that forced him to miss the World Cup, and will feature in upcoming friendlies. Intercepted by reporters at the airport before joining the national team's camp, the Roma defender spoke about his opening weeks in giallorosso and his emotion at returning to international football. Bareldi, who joined Roma in the current transfer window, has made a smooth transition to Italian football and credited the club's welcome. He acknowledged the comparison drawn by head coach Gian Piero Gasperini to Franco Baresi, but stressed his own approach: "They changed the meaning of the words a bit. He was referring above all to the characteristics Baresi had. I stay calm, humble and continue my journey. At Roma they welcomed me very well, even the Argentine lads, which helped me greatly. The truth is I'm very happy—I was very keen to play in Serie A." Bareldi said he had not yet spoken with Lionel Messi but was eager to meet him at camp, calling his final international appearance "important for Leo" and "the best thing that could happen to me." He praised Nicolas Otamendi as a role model and reflected on a recent Inter match: "I already knew him, so I knew it would be complicated… and it was! But it was a good match against Inter." On the lingering disappointment of his World Cup absence, he said: "Obviously I was left with a strong desire to wear this shirt again. It's a new challenge."

Roberto Mancini held a press conference at Coverciano on the eve of Italy's Nations League matches, outlining his selection philosophy and squad-building approach. Among the 23 players called up are Roma defenders Gianluca Mancini and Daniele Ghilardi, while Bryan Cristante withdrew due to a physical problem. Mancini opted for an unusually large squad to assess young players and lay foundations for future campaigns. The Italy manager justified broadening his group, saying: "If I had called players who are getting on in years there would have been criticism. I've called young players because it's right to get to know them directly in order to have a strong squad in the future. I've called more players than usual because I want to see them directly on the pitch." He emphasised a blend of experience and youth: "I expect experienced players to help young players settle in. From young players, I expect them to give everything they have—young players often play relaxed and carefree." Mancini outlined his tactical ambitions: "I'm starting out to have a squad that dominates, that plays well, that always gives its maximum. You can't always win but we'll start out to do this, to win. We're all positive." He added that no formation would be treated as untouchable: "We're open to any tactical situation: we can play with two strikers, with a 4-3-3, but also in other ways. The players are capable of doing many things." Mancini addressed the relationship with supporters following his return to the Italy bench: "If a fan feels betrayed they can get angry, it's understandable. To win them back we must do things properly and bring the national team back where it deserves to be, and maybe things will calm down." On his ambitions for this second spell: "I'm here to win as quickly as possible. I'm curious to see the younger lads, to build a squad with these lads. I'm certain we'll have some fine satisfactions. Over the next four years we'll definitely bring something home, I'm sure of it. Some of the players I know—they just need to play." Mancini praised the new refereeing standards in Italy, noting that reduced stoppages for minor fouls would allow faster play. On Kean and Pio Esposito: "They haven't played in the last match but they'll play further on, because they're good. The fact that 0-0 draws have disappeared is more fun for viewers, and those players will come along later too."

Gian Piero Gasperini delivered a nuanced assessment of Roma's performance against Inter the day after their direct clash, balancing disappointment at squandered opportunities against satisfaction at competing evenly with the defending champions. "There is some regret, and it is right that there should be," Gasperini said, "but the satisfaction at having played on equal terms with Inter is greater." The turning point came early in the second half when Lautaro Martinez scored after just one minute. Gasperini was critical of Roma's reaction: "The goal conceded at the start of the second half, after barely a minute, created anxiety and made us take a step back. We conceded it in a way that was a bit too superficial, even presumptuous. But we were always in the match, never giving up on playing. It's a shame, because we also had the chance to make it 3-1 with Malen." He also recalled a light moment with the Inter striker after the final whistle, saying: "I embraced him and told him to stop—he always scores against me. But he is a truly great champion." Gasperini praised Leonardo Balerdi's display before cramps forced the defender off: "Until that moment he played a tremendous match, full of recoveries, anticipation and physical battles with Thuram. Unfortunately he cramped up and couldn't move anymore; his substitution meant we lost that extra physical freshness." He was less satisfied with Manu Koné's showing, which he described as natural given the circumstances: "He was clearly tired; at this moment he doesn't yet have the stamina for ninety minutes. He remains a fundamental player for us, but his sharpness is not yet the same as the first half of last season." Despite the draw extending Gasperini's winless run against Inter since November 2018, Roma achieved an unprecedented milestone: for the first time in the club's history, they have scored at least two goals in ten consecutive Serie A matches. With a demanding fixture schedule ahead after the international break, Gasperini stressed the need for rotation: "The calendar will be terrible and we will need to rotate. We must be good at developing the whole squad and have the courage to throw in the new players from the start—we will play with twenty men."

Roma continued their conditioning work at Trigoria on 22 September, refusing to ease off during the international break. The squad's next match is scheduled for 11 October against Como, but Gasperini kept the players sharp with athletic sessions despite the pause in fixtures. Among those training were Paulo Dybala and Mile Svilar, alongside several players using the stoppage to rebuild match fitness after recent struggles or late arrivals to the squad. Nahuel Molina, Marten de Roon and Lorenzo Pellegrini were the focus of Gasperini's attention during these weeks without competition. Molina, an Argentine midfielder, suffered fatigue from a long World Cup campaign but had recently rediscovered sufficient form; Gasperini aims to have him at peak condition for a demanding run of fixtures in October. De Roon, who joined late in the transfer window after being sidelined in Maurizio Sarri's plans at Atalanta, follows a similar recovery path. Pellegrini, the captain and number 7, earned his first squad call-up this season in the match against Torino and must complete his athletic rehabilitation after missing the summer preparation alongside his teammates. He will use these weeks without matches to conduct a mini pre-season programme. Also training were Pierluigi Gollini, Devyne Rensch, Vasquez and Giorgio De Marzi under Gasperini's close observation. Three players were absent: Bryan Cristante due to lower back pain, Donyell Malen with a knee complaint, and Wesley sidelined by a muscular strain.

Roma resumed training on Tuesday 22 September with a severely reduced squad available to Gasperini. Among outfield players, only Hermoso, Molina, Rensch, Pellegrini, De Roon and Dybala trained fully, while Wesley, Malen and Cristante remained at Trigoria for physiotherapy on their respective problems. All three goalkeepers, including Svilar, were available for selection. The squad will continue work through Friday focused mainly on maintaining fitness before a break. In a separate development, Francesco Totti revealed in his book *Oltre* that he came very close to an unexpected return to professional football with Genoa. After initial jokes about a comeback, the club's hierarchy made a formal approach and the former Roma captain began serious training, including gym work, physiotherapy and a tailored diet. Manager Gilardino also wrote to him to try to persuade him, but ultimately his bond to Roma prevailed. Totti reflected on his decision: "A sporting betrayal has no age limit, whether you are 18 or 48 years old." Forward Antonio Arena has returned to Roma Primavera after recovering from a muscular strain. He featured for a spell on Sunday against Milan, and his introduction coincided with Guaglianone's decisive goal. Although Arena has not yet appeared in the UEFA Youth League, he remains eligible to do so despite being included by Gasperini on the senior squad's UEFA list as number 68. Off the pitch, Roma's Pietralata stadium project advanced significantly. The State Superintendence gave a favourable opinion on the Environmental Impact Assessment, stating it found no "obstacles to releasing the provision". Conditions remain on archaeological protection, a Roman villa, a cistern and landscaping that must be incorporated into the design. The final Conference of Services meeting is scheduled for Monday 28 September.

Roma have shifted from constant squad overhauls to a philosophy of retaining and building around proven players while adding quality reinforcements—a strategic departure that appears to be delivering real strength. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, who took charge in 2025, sought stability rather than permanent revolution: a squad with a solid foundation onto which he could make surgical additions of two to four players at a time, ideally already proven and capable of becoming new cornerstones themselves. The article argues this represents the defining difference between the current Roma and many predecessors, which often leaned too heavily on a handful of elite performers and collapsed when one or two were absent. Mile Svilar has become an absolute certainty in goal. Evan N'Dicka is now a defensive reference point. Gianluca Mancini, despite some early-season errors, remains a squad leader through experience and personality. Wesley has made clear progress. Manu Koné is a player on whom present and future can be built. Paulo Dybala retains the talent to change a match with one moment. Donyell Malen has finally delivered what Roma lacked: a striker who consistently converts offensive output into goals. Alongside these established figures stand young talents with assured ability, to be developed without excessive pressure under Gasperini's direction. The genuine novelty is that Roma are adding fresh certainties to this foundation. Leonardo Balerdi arrived in the final hours of the transfer window and needed little time to explain why Gasperini wanted him: he defends aggressively, works hard off the ball, accepts physical duels, and shows personality in possession. The article cautions that three appearances make no verdict, but the sense is that Roma may have found not simply an alternative but another potential pillar. Nahuel Molina carries the same philosophy from a different angle—not a numerical placeholder but a World Cup winner accustomed to major stages who, after weeks regaining fitness, is demonstrating he can start without being considered an emergency solution. Gasperini has even deployed him on the opposite flank, and he provided an assist for Manu Koné's opening goal against Inter. Marten de Roon similarly represents no attention-grabbing summer window signing, yet he was captain and fundamental leader at Gasperini's Atalanta, understands what the coach demands before explanation, and in a fifty-match season offers another certainty to lean on during fatigue, injury and rotation. The summer transfer window was not flawless. Roma lacked precisely the offensive coup Gasperini pursued for months: a player capable of starting from the left, cutting onto his right foot, creating superiority and adding unpredictability to the attacking third. The club tried until the final moments without closing the deal. That piece remains missing and will likely return as a priority. Yet this itself signals how perspective has changed. There is no longer a squad to rebuild—there is a squad to complete. Future recruitment should consolidate those giving Roma identity, verify whether Balerdi and Molina can sustain that level, and add one or two more of similar calibre: an attacking winger, perhaps later a midfielder, then what the squad's evolution demands. One piece at a time, without dismantling what already holds the structure.