Ghilardi Left Out of Mancini's Italy Squad for Belgium Opener

Roma have refused to release Nahuel Molina for Argentina's upcoming friendlies, keeping the defender at Trigoria despite a reduction in his FIFA suspension. The club has informed the Argentine federation (AFA) that it will not authorise the intercontinental trip. According to Il Messaggero, FIFA partially accepted the AFA's appeal and cut Molina's ban from seven matchdays to four. That ruling would have allowed the full-back to take part in one of the two friendlies against Uruguay and Costa Rica. The problem was timing: Argentina's call-up arrived only on Saturday, while Roma were playing Sassuolo at the Olimpico. Roma judged the request too late and will keep Molina in the capital, where he will train under Gian Piero Gasperini during the break rather than make a long trip for, at most, one match. It is not the first time Roma have blocked a departure of this kind. In September the club denied Molina and Paulo Dybala permission to play in the match organised for Lionel Messi's farewell to the national team, citing sporting and logistical reasons. This time, however, the decisive factor was the AFA's late communication. Molina will remain available to Gasperini to prepare for the resumption of Serie A, while Matías Soulé, Leonardo Balerdi and Santiago Castro will travel to join Argentina as scheduled.

Roma midfielder Bryan Cristante has been left out of Italy coach Roberto Mancini's 31-man squad for the Nations League matches against France and Belgium, despite a strong start to the season with Roma. Mancini addressed the decision at a press conference today at Coverciano, where the squad is gathering. Mancini said: "We know Cristante, there is no need to prove him. When we need him, we will call him." He stressed that the decision was not technical. Instead, he said, it was aimed at giving more room to young players who will have the chance to show what they can do in the senior national team shirt. Two Roma players have been called up: Daniele Ghilardi and Niccolò Pisilli.

Thirteen Roma players have been called up by their national teams for the November international break, with Gianluca Mancini forced to withdraw from the Italy squad because of a muscular problem. Manu Koné remains in Rome after recently returning from injury, and he has not been called up by France coach Zidane. The international break sees Trigoria empty as Roma's players travel to their national sides around the world. Mancini's absence is a blow for Italy, and Koné's omission from the France squad means he will spend the break training with the club. The article sets out the fixtures the Giallorossi players will feature in across the two weeks of international football, with each player's match schedule detailed by country.

Roma midfielder Bryan Cristante has been left out of Italy coach Roberto Mancini's 31-man squad for the Nations League matches against France and Belgium, despite a strong start to the season with Roma. Mancini addressed the decision at a press conference today at Coverciano, where the squad is gathering. Mancini said: "We know Cristante, there is no need to prove him. When we need him, we will call him." He stressed that the decision was not technical. Instead, he said, it was aimed at giving more room to young players who will have the chance to show what they can do in the senior national team shirt. Two Roma players have been called up: Daniele Ghilardi and Niccolò Pisilli.

Thirteen Roma players have been called up by their national teams for the November international break, with Gianluca Mancini forced to withdraw from the Italy squad because of a muscular problem. Manu Koné remains in Rome after recently returning from injury, and he has not been called up by France coach Zidane. The international break sees Trigoria empty as Roma's players travel to their national sides around the world. Mancini's absence is a blow for Italy, and Koné's omission from the France squad means he will spend the break training with the club. The article sets out the fixtures the Giallorossi players will feature in across the two weeks of international football, with each player's match schedule detailed by country.

Italy coach Roberto Mancini has explained why Roma midfielder Bryan Cristante was left out of his squad, saying he already knows the player well and does not need to test him. Speaking at a press conference at Coverciano before the official start of Nazionale training, Mancini addressed several aspects of the call-ups, including Cristante's absence from the list. Mancini said: "Cristante lo conosciamo, non c'è bisogno di provarlo. Quando ne avremo bisogno lo chiameremo." In English: "We know Cristante, there is no need to try him out. When we need him, we will call him." The coach made clear these were the reasons behind leaving the Roma midfielder out. The decision means Cristante will remain with Roma during the international break. Gian Piero Gasperini will be pleased to have the number 4 available for the club's training and preparation during the pause.

Roma midfielder Bryan Cristante has been left out of Italy coach Roberto Mancini's 31-man squad for the Nations League matches against France and Belgium, despite a strong start to the season with Roma. Mancini addressed the decision at a press conference today at Coverciano, where the squad is gathering. Mancini said: "We know Cristante, there is no need to prove him. When we need him, we will call him." He stressed that the decision was not technical. Instead, he said, it was aimed at giving more room to young players who will have the chance to show what they can do in the senior national team shirt. Two Roma players have been called up: Daniele Ghilardi and Niccolò Pisilli.

Roma head into the international break with a near-perfect run to protect, and Gian Piero Gasperini has used a demanding stretch of nine matches in 27 days to rotate his squad. Gasperini admitted the schedule had been tough but said it had allowed him to use the whole squad: "We had tough clashes like Como, Napoli, Manchester and Real Madrid. The management was not a problem, and this allowed us to rotate the whole squad." During that intense spell, players who had been on the fringes stepped forward. Rodrigo Mora took advantage of Paulo Dybala's extended absence to win a key role, scoring in three consecutive matches. De Roon showed why Gasperini wanted him in the capital, while Ghilardi, Gollini and Vásquez also got their chances. Gasperini gave everyone a run-out, partly out of necessity. Both the coach and D'Amico have acknowledged that the squad is thin, and with a few injuries it risks becoming very thin indeed. The debate over whether the break is a blessing may therefore be answered by the players Roma get back when the league resumes. Roma are among the clubs that could benefit most from the pause. Their injuries have required fairly long recovery periods, but few players have been affected. The problem is that nearly all of them are key figures in the Giallorossi set-up. Chief among them is Mile Svilar, who has been out since 10 October and has kept training both at Trigoria and in individual sessions with a fitness coach, without managing to speed up his recovery. Tests carried out about ten days ago led the club and the goalkeeper to choose caution. The aim is for him to return against Parma, and then reach peak condition for the highly delicate trip to Paris. Dybala is on the same timetable. The calf injury he suffered against Real Madrid kept him out longer than expected, but the Argentine is now ready to return and make a difference, perhaps also finding a goal he has not scored since 18 January. Manu Koné has already returned, playing 66 excellent minutes against Sassuolo. The Frenchman was not called up by his national team and will use these days to regain his best condition. He will have an extra incentive compared with his team-mates: to impress at the Parc des Princes, a stadium a few kilometres from the home where he grew up. Gasperini hopes to get back the Roma of the "first lines", because he refuses to talk about starters. The coach remains torn about the break: "It interrupts the league again, although this time only for a week. I like international matches when they play for something important. For friendlies or matches of little consequence, it is a pity to lose so many players." Roma face another demanding run: seven matches in 29 days, during which the Giallorossi will play a major part of their season. The fixtures include the already mentioned trip to Paris Saint-Germain, the home match against Sporting, the game against Juventus and, above all, the derby against Lazio on 13 December. The next month will be crucial in measuring Roma's real ambitions, with the January transfer window expected to bring fresh impetus.

Thirteen Roma players have been called up by their national teams for the November international break, a sign of the squad's growing standing at the highest level, according to Il Messaggero's Daniele Aloisi. Trigoria will be almost empty in the early part of the week, with the gates reopening on Wednesday, leaving Gian Piero Gasperini to prepare for the resumption with a heavily reduced group. Gasperini had already made clear his view of the break, calling the upcoming international fixtures "amichevoli o poco più" (friendlies or little more) after the match against Sassuolo. Argentina, the runners-up at the World Cup, begin a new cycle without Lionel Messi and have recalled Matías Soulé, Leonardo Balerdi and Santiago Castro for friendlies against Uruguay and Costa Rica. Wesley faces a much longer trip, travelling to Singapore with Brazil for games against the hosts and Japan. Italy boss Roberto Mancini has opted for youth for the Nations League matches against France and Belgium. Niccolò Pisilli and Daniele Ghilardi will join up at Coverciano, while Bryan Cristante remains at Trigoria. Donyell Malen has also been called up and will meet Xavi, the new Netherlands coach, for the first time. Rodrigo Mora returns to the senior national team a year after his last call-up, which coincided with the campaign that ended in victory in the Nations League.