Gasperini's Roma shows something different after perfect start to season

Donyell Malen scored twice as Roma thrashed Lecce 4–0 away, extending his tally to five goals in two matches and reinforcing his point that he is the team's primary goalscorer this season. Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora also netted in the rout, which mirrored Roma's opening-day 4–0 victory over Fiorentina at the Olimpico. Across both matches, Roma have scored eight goals and conceded none—record-setting form under Gasperini. Yet transfer uncertainty clouds Roma's otherwise flawless start. Manu Koné remains the prize asset at risk, with Chelsea now joining Manchester United in pursuing the French midfielder. Marco Juric of La Repubblica writes that while Gasperini is determined to keep Koné, the final decision rests with owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin. The Texas-based proprietors, who have spent heavily on transfers, may now choose to finance the summer window through a significant departure. Chelsea's sale of Enzo Fernandez and their oversize squad make them capable of tabling an offer Roma cannot easily refuse—a bid in the Premier League mould. The truth will emerge in the coming 24 hours, the article concludes, leaving Roma fans to wait with bated breath.

Donyell Malen scored twice as Roma demolished Lecce 4–0 to match their 4–0 victory over Fiorentina in the opening round, extending their perfect start to the 2026–27 season. Malen struck after four minutes and again after 23, adding to his hat-trick against Fiorentina to give him five goals in Roma's first two matches—a club record for any player in the opening two games over the past 65 years. Gianluca Montella had previously managed four in the opening two fixtures during the 2004–05 season. With 19 goals in his first 20 Serie A appearances, Malen now ranks behind only Gunnar Nordahl and Alfredo Altafini in the competition's annals. Roma's dominance extends beyond Malen's output. The club have never before won their opening two matches with a four-goal margin, and this is only the second time in their history they have achieved a goal difference of +8 across two games—the previous occasion was in 1960–61. Matías Soulé added Roma's third goal, while Rodrigo Mora sealed the result with Roma's fourth, marking his first goal in Italian football. Gasperini named an unchanged starting eleven, fielding no summer signings except Emanuele Lulli, a youth graduate, whose selection reflects the coach's proven eye for young talent.

Roma defeated Lecce 4-0 in Serie A's second matchday, extending their perfect start to the season with a dominant display. Donyell Malen scored twice in the opening 23 minutes, capitalising on defensive lapses from the hosts to put the contest beyond doubt early on. Matías Soulé added a third before half-time, while Rodrigo Mora completed the rout in the second half with his first Serie A goal. The victory follows Roma's 4-0 win over Fiorentina in their opening fixture. Gasperini's side now sit level on points with Inter, Juventus, Milan and Lazio at the top of the table with perfect records, but lead the standings on goal difference with 8 goals scored and none conceded. Malen has now signed five goals across the opening two league matches. The midfielder's contribution has been central to Roma's attacking prowess in these opening fixtures, with the attacking unit functioning at a high level across both matches.

Donyell Malen has joined an elite group of Serie A strikers after scoring twice against Lecce to reach 19 goals in his first 20 competitive appearances for Roma. The Dutch forward's record places him behind only two legendary figures in the single round-robin era of Italian football: Gunnar Nordahl in 1949 and José Altafini between 1958 and 1959, both of whom scored 20 goals in their opening 20 matches. Malen has established himself as a cornerstone of Roma's attack under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini this season. His prolific form ranks among the most significant impacts recorded by any newcomer to Italian football in recent history, confirming his status as a defining attacking weapon for the club.

Donyell Malen scored twice as Roma thrashed Lecce 4–0 away, extending his tally to five goals in two matches and reinforcing his point that he is the team's primary goalscorer this season. Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora also netted in the rout, which mirrored Roma's opening-day 4–0 victory over Fiorentina at the Olimpico. Across both matches, Roma have scored eight goals and conceded none—record-setting form under Gasperini. Yet transfer uncertainty clouds Roma's otherwise flawless start. Manu Koné remains the prize asset at risk, with Chelsea now joining Manchester United in pursuing the French midfielder. Marco Juric of La Repubblica writes that while Gasperini is determined to keep Koné, the final decision rests with owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin. The Texas-based proprietors, who have spent heavily on transfers, may now choose to finance the summer window through a significant departure. Chelsea's sale of Enzo Fernandez and their oversize squad make them capable of tabling an offer Roma cannot easily refuse—a bid in the Premier League mould. The truth will emerge in the coming 24 hours, the article concludes, leaving Roma fans to wait with bated breath.

Donyell Malen scored twice as Roma demolished Lecce 4–0 to match their 4–0 victory over Fiorentina in the opening round, extending their perfect start to the 2026–27 season. Malen struck after four minutes and again after 23, adding to his hat-trick against Fiorentina to give him five goals in Roma's first two matches—a club record for any player in the opening two games over the past 65 years. Gianluca Montella had previously managed four in the opening two fixtures during the 2004–05 season. With 19 goals in his first 20 Serie A appearances, Malen now ranks behind only Gunnar Nordahl and Alfredo Altafini in the competition's annals. Roma's dominance extends beyond Malen's output. The club have never before won their opening two matches with a four-goal margin, and this is only the second time in their history they have achieved a goal difference of +8 across two games—the previous occasion was in 1960–61. Matías Soulé added Roma's third goal, while Rodrigo Mora sealed the result with Roma's fourth, marking his first goal in Italian football. Gasperini named an unchanged starting eleven, fielding no summer signings except Emanuele Lulli, a youth graduate, whose selection reflects the coach's proven eye for young talent.

Roma defeated Lecce 4-0 on 31 August, with Manu Koné starting and playing a key role, hours after Chelsea were reported as potential suitors for the midfielder. Koné has been linked with several English clubs and was seen as a possible replacement for Enzo Fernandez, who could move to Manchester City. At his post-match press conference, head coach Gian Piero Gasperini firmly shut down the speculation. He stated: "Absolutely not, it's a media thing. No one has ever spoken to me about departures, not Koné or anyone else. Especially now, with just 24 hours to go before the transfer window closes." Gasperini also addressed the club's position, saying: "I also know that the owners aren't in favor of any sales. I don't know who has come forward because we've never received any official offers there either, so this too must be denied." Gasperini used the occasion to highlight Roma's current squad depth issues. He explained: "You can't always have Dybala and Malen. Today we only had two players on the bench in attack. We'll have Pellegrini and Rensch back. But you have to remember that there's always someone out. Today we lost Ndicka suddenly." He added: "Anyone who plays in the Champions League, in particular, must have a strong squad with players who don't feel the impact so severely when you lose someone, as happened last year at a certain point in the season. The owners are certainly putting in the effort, within what they can do, in cutting the number of signings they can achieve." With 24 hours remaining in the transfer window, Gasperini's comments reflected both the club's unwillingness to sell and Roma's continued need for reinforcements in attacking areas.

Eusebio Di Francesco, Lecce's manager, acknowledged his side's poor performance in their 2–0 defeat to Roma at the Via del Mare in the second round of Serie A on 31 August. Donyell Malen opened the scoring, and Lecce offered little resistance. Di Francesco said: "We didn't even get into the match, we fell short in every aspect, especially mentality. Today we gave the impression of an empty squad with no desire to react. I take responsibility for this poor first half. Beyond the choices I made, it's the players who need to show the ability to win duels and suffer. I didn't see the aggression of a team fighting for survival. We conceded too much — Roma could have done even more damage in the first half. The squad wasn't mentally in the match." Roma's attacking prowess exposed Lecce's defensive frailty throughout. Di Francesco had prepared his team in a 5–3–2 formation from the start of the week to arrive faster on Roma's attacking midfielders, but the system backfired. He explained: "We stayed too deep with a line of five. We should have pressed harder on Dybala and Soulé. This game plan didn't work, but the responsibility is the manager's. I didn't want to give them space, but the idea didn't bear fruit." The Lecce boss added: "Consider the quality of the opponent, but I didn't expect this performance. We could have gone down to Roma, but we were passive. I work intensely on this. Defensively, they attacked spaces we knew about well, but we always arrived late. This lack of unity bothered me."

Rodrigo Mora scored his first Roma goal in the second half of the 2–1 victory at Lecce on matchday two, and spoke to journalists after the final whistle about the significance of the moment and his early impression of the club. "I want to continue like this. Starting this way was my dream. I'm very happy," Mora said of his debut strike. He expressed particular emotion at sharing the pitch with Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen. "It's a dream for me to play with Dybala—I followed him since I was a child. I tried to give him an assist. For me it's marvellous to play with a champion like him and Malen." Mora credited head coach Gian Piero Gasperini with engineering his arrival: "For me the manager was decisive. He wanted a player with my characteristics. I want to continue with him." The midfielder acknowledged the physical demands of Gasperini's methods. "At first the training sessions were very hard, it cost me a bit to adapt, but the results are already showing," he said, adding that Gasperini frequently corrects his decision-making on the ball: "He corrects me often when I receive the ball—to open up, to take on the opponent, to play face-on, vertically." Mora is still in the process of settling into Rome. "I've had little time so far to visit such a special city. I had special treatment from the Porto fans and I'm getting the same from Roma fans," he said. He expressed hope of meeting Francesco Totti soon: "I haven't yet had the chance to get to know the city—I'm still finishing my move. I hope to meet Totti soon. He was an idol for an entire generation."

Donyell Malen scored twice as Roma demolished Lecce 4–0 to match their 4–0 victory over Fiorentina in the opening round, extending their perfect start to the 2026–27 season. Malen struck after four minutes and again after 23, adding to his hat-trick against Fiorentina to give him five goals in Roma's first two matches—a club record for any player in the opening two games over the past 65 years. Gianluca Montella had previously managed four in the opening two fixtures during the 2004–05 season. With 19 goals in his first 20 Serie A appearances, Malen now ranks behind only Gunnar Nordahl and Alfredo Altafini in the competition's annals. Roma's dominance extends beyond Malen's output. The club have never before won their opening two matches with a four-goal margin, and this is only the second time in their history they have achieved a goal difference of +8 across two games—the previous occasion was in 1960–61. Matías Soulé added Roma's third goal, while Rodrigo Mora sealed the result with Roma's fourth, marking his first goal in Italian football. Gasperini named an unchanged starting eleven, fielding no summer signings except Emanuele Lulli, a youth graduate, whose selection reflects the coach's proven eye for young talent.

Emanuele Lulli spoke to journalists after Roma's match against Lecce in the second round of the Serie A season at the Via del Mare stadium. The 19-year-old class of 2007 reflected on his breakthrough moment with the club, crediting his teammates and head coach Gian Piero Gasperini for their support. Lulli expressed gratitude for the opportunity to play at Roma, acknowledging the significant moment in his career. He highlighted the immediate impact of his teammates' guidance and the manager's faith in him. The defender also praised Paulo Dybala, saying: "It's very easy playing with Dybala. He always gives me the ball at the right moment, gives me advice, pushes me to go at the opponent. I'm grateful!" Reflecting on his recent weeks, Lulli recalled his time at Fiorentina: "At first I didn't believe it. With Fiorentina I was living a dream – I was completely in my comfort zone. But after the first training sessions I put myself out there and said this is only the beginning. I have a lot to improve, but I'm happy and I thank the squad and the manager for their trust." He concluded with an optimistic outlook: "I've been working for this my whole life. I'm finally fulfilling my dream. I have to thank my teammates who give me advice and the manager who trusts me. I'm certain this is only the beginning of the dream!"

Donyell Malen spoke to reporters after Roma's match at Lecce in the second matchday of the Serie A season at the Stadio Via del Mare. The forward acknowledged he could have scored more: "Today I could have scored a few more goals, I'm a bit disappointed about that," he said, despite his impressive record of 19 goals in 20 matches. "I'm very proud, but every match is its own story and I have to say I'm playing well," Malen added when asked about his performances. When asked about the Scudetto, Malen urged caution. "It's still too early to talk about it…there are too many matches left," he explained. However, he acknowledged the team's ambitions: "Everyone is allowed to dream. But we go match after match." Malen also praised teammates, saying of Emanuele Lulli: "He's a fantastic player, we're proud of him. It's fun and pleasant to have him as a teammate."