Giannini ranks Roma's greatest number 10s: Totti first, then himself, Dybala fifth

Giuseppe Giannini, Roma legend and former captain, has ranked Francesco Totti as the greatest number 10 in the club's history by statistical measure, followed by Agostino Di Bartolomei and De Sisti. Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport's SportWeek supplement, Giannini placed himself fourth on merit of his Roman identity, and positioned Paulo Dybala fifth among the club's greatest number 10s—despite Dybala wearing the number 21 on his back. Giannini praised Dybala's playing style and artistry at length. "The fact that he plays with great simplicity," Giannini said. "He always manages to escape from every game situation, even the most complicated ones. Even when surrounded by two or three opponents he's able to manage somehow and come out of it with the ball at his feet. He's a player who has fantasy, moments of genius. And you can see that when he plays, he enjoys himself. When a champion can play while enjoying it, he also carries the fans with him, who identify with him. I would steal his left foot, but I'd give him my right one." Giannini reflected on his early encounters with Totti, whom his own father brought from Lodigiani to Roma. Before an away match, an unwell teammate was withdrawn from the squad list at the last moment and Totti was called up instead. With no single rooms available at the hotel, Giannini offered to share his double room with the young player. "I didn't make him feel the weight of my captain's role, but he watched me without speaking. He was shy," Giannini recalled. "We played cards and went to sleep. He told me later that night he didn't sleep a wink, but I couldn't swear to it because I slept peacefully." On his own career highlights, Giannini identified 20 March 1994 at Foggia as his proudest moment wearing the giallorosso. Roma had arrived on the back of poor results against Zeman's Foggia side. "We went down by a goal, I scored the equaliser. The 1–1 final gave us confidence, we put together four wins in a row and by the end of the season we came within a whisker of qualifying for the UEFA Cup," he said. His most difficult moment as captain came when president Dino Viola passed away and Giannini was tasked with laying flowers on his empty seat at the Olimpico before the first match held without him.

Roma radio commentators have praised Paulo Dybala and Mile Svilar as central to the club's prospects under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini this season. Carina told Radio Radio that Dybala represents Gasperini's main gamble and is succeeding in it. "The big difference compared to the past is exactly Dybala," Carina said. "If he continues like this, at these high levels, I would sign off on it. It's clear that at Roma it can change important targets. Gasperini is right: Dybala doesn't miss a training session, he has found the key to extend Dybala's career, who is a champion of Italian football." Carina also noted that Bryan Cristante has a knee inflammation that, while not serious, is a concern. Roberto Pruzzo backed goalkeeper Svilar without reservation. "Svilar is world-class for Roma, I have no doubt," Pruzzo said on Radio Radio. "If there is a normal goalkeeper, it is easy then to lose 3–1." Orsi, also speaking on Radio Radio, observed that goalkeepers in Italy are not generally regarded as world-class figures.

Roberto Pruzzo, Roma's most prolific striker before Francesco Totti with 106 goals, has spoken about his ten-year spell at the club, describing it as a family that won a league title, four Coppa Italia trophies and saw him finish as top scorer three times. Yet a single night remains unhealed: the European Cup final lost on penalties to Liverpool in front of an astonished Olimpico. Pruzzo told Il Foglio that the early years brought struggle but the group eventually became granite-like, bound by identity and belonging under president Dino Viola and manager Nils Liedholm. "The Baron was, before anything else, a life teacher. He knew how to turn concepts into action. He'd put something in your head and you'd do it. Roma was a family, a way of being and feeling, and I will remain tied to it forever," Pruzzo said. He recalled teammates including Agostino Di Bartolomei and Aldo Maldera, some of whom are no longer alive. When the old squad reunites in Rome, the atmosphere in the dressing room stays with them forever—one glance between old friends and they return to those shared moments, that hunger to move mountains, the feeling of strength and never being alone. Among his many cherished goals, Pruzzo highlighted an acrobatic overhead kick against Juventus and a double in a semi-final comeback against Dundee, but the one that meant most was at Marassi, the goal that won the Scudetto. "A cross from Ago on the left, me rising above everyone and delivering the final blow. It was a triumphal campaign, with four Coppa Italia wins and the league title sealed. Then came the opposite pain." That accursed night saw the European Cup slip away on penalties before their own fans. "If we had won, every 30 May would have been a celebration. Instead, 42 years later, it is a disappointment we still carry: a grief we have not yet processed." Pruzzo clarified he did not return after half-time because of a blow that knocked him out, not stomach trouble as rumoured—something that had never happened under Liedholm until the worst possible day. "We were convinced we could close the circle, but we lacked the strength to win it on the pitch, and the great Roma we had been ended there."

Roma's travelling supporters will finally return to an away fixture on Sunday 11 October when the team visits Como, ending a nine-month absence from following the squad outside the Olimpico. The reopening of the away section sparked an immediate response: roughly 1,000 tickets sold out within hours. The surge in demand caused technical problems on Como's ticketing portal, with several Roma fans reporting difficulties during the purchase process on social media after sales opened around 15:00 on 2 October. Como–Roma will be the first external Serie A match of the season open to Roma's travelling fans, following bans imposed for away fixtures against Lecce and Torino. Roma supporters' last away attendance dates back to 18 January, when the squad travelled to face Torino. That Turin match also holds a curious footnote: it remains the last occasion on which Paulo Dybala scored a goal for Roma.

Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri appeared on Radio Radio in recent days to discuss the new Roma stadium planned for Pietralata, taking part in a social media game ranking legendary players from the club's history. Gualtieri built his pyramid of greats starting with Falcao, placed in the second tier despite acknowledging how difficult it was to rank him below the top. Roberto Pruzzo followed, with Gualtieri initially wanting to put all legends in top position before reorganising: Falcao and Bruno Conti placed slightly above Pruzzo, with Daniele De Rossi at the same level. Paulo Dybala earned a place in the third tier but, Gualtieri suggested, could rise higher still. Francesco Totti claimed the top spot uncontestably. "The captain goes first—that's beyond discussion. He wins it; he's unique," Gualtieri said. On naming the new stadium after Totti, Gualtieri was clear: "The club will decide that. At the moment it appears to be written 'Roma 1927'," he added with a laugh.

Giuseppe Giannini, Roma legend and former captain, has ranked Francesco Totti as the greatest number 10 in the club's history by statistical measure, followed by Agostino Di Bartolomei and De Sisti. Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport's SportWeek supplement, Giannini placed himself fourth on merit of his Roman identity, and positioned Paulo Dybala fifth among the club's greatest number 10s—despite Dybala wearing the number 21 on his back. Giannini praised Dybala's playing style and artistry at length. "The fact that he plays with great simplicity," Giannini said. "He always manages to escape from every game situation, even the most complicated ones. Even when surrounded by two or three opponents he's able to manage somehow and come out of it with the ball at his feet. He's a player who has fantasy, moments of genius. And you can see that when he plays, he enjoys himself. When a champion can play while enjoying it, he also carries the fans with him, who identify with him. I would steal his left foot, but I'd give him my right one." Giannini reflected on his early encounters with Totti, whom his own father brought from Lodigiani to Roma. Before an away match, an unwell teammate was withdrawn from the squad list at the last moment and Totti was called up instead. With no single rooms available at the hotel, Giannini offered to share his double room with the young player. "I didn't make him feel the weight of my captain's role, but he watched me without speaking. He was shy," Giannini recalled. "We played cards and went to sleep. He told me later that night he didn't sleep a wink, but I couldn't swear to it because I slept peacefully." On his own career highlights, Giannini identified 20 March 1994 at Foggia as his proudest moment wearing the giallorosso. Roma had arrived on the back of poor results against Zeman's Foggia side. "We went down by a goal, I scored the equaliser. The 1–1 final gave us confidence, we put together four wins in a row and by the end of the season we came within a whisker of qualifying for the UEFA Cup," he said. His most difficult moment as captain came when president Dino Viola passed away and Giannini was tasked with laying flowers on his empty seat at the Olimpico before the first match held without him.

Roma's international break will conclude this weekend, with the Serie A campaign resuming on Sunday 11 October at Como (12:30 CET, Stadio Sinigaglia). The Giallorossi arrive on the back of a 2–2 draw against Inter, a result that underlined their strong start to the season and their ability to compete with title contenders. The timing of the break is awkward—Roma must immediately shift mental gears for a relentless schedule that will see them play nine times in 27 days, a fixture run that will define their seasonal ambitions under Gasperini. The stretch begins at Como and continues without respite. Three days after the Lombard trip, on Wednesday 14 October, the Champions League returns to the Olimpico after seven years; Real Madrid, managed by José Mourinho, are the visitors. Saturday 17 brings Genoa to Rome, followed by Slovan Bratislava at home on Tuesday 20 in the Champions League league phase. Roma then travel to Napoli on Saturday 24 October, a fixture described as capable of revealing much about the Giallorossi's capacity to compete. There is no time to celebrate or recover: Tuesday 27 sees Cagliari at home in a midweek fixture. Saturday 31 brings a trip to Udinese, followed by a journey to England on 3 November to face Manchester United. The run concludes on 7 November with Sassuolo at home, the ninth and final match of the month-long cycle before the second international break of the season. The injury to Bryan Cristante is poorly timed, depriving the midfield of one of its key equilibrating figures at the start of this critical period. However, his absence opens a tactical opportunity: Marten de Roon is primed to take over the midfield and make his Roma debut from the start, likely already at Como. De Roon brings his customary aggression, solidity and experience. Niccolò Pisilli will offer freshness and enthusiasm, though he is more likely to deputise for Manu Koné than for Cristante. Lorenzo Pellegrini's return, even in a different role—more attacking midfielder than central midfielder in a two-man midfield—is the best possible news for Gasperini. The coach has made clear that there are no hierarchies at Trigoria: "those who are in better form play, for Roma's benefit." Roma's squad training resumes on Tuesday afternoon before the Como trip. The fixture list over the next month presents no respite and no room for fluctuation, with injury risk a constant concern as the team aims to navigate this pivotal stretch.

Roma radio commentators have praised Paulo Dybala and Mile Svilar as central to the club's prospects under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini this season. Carina told Radio Radio that Dybala represents Gasperini's main gamble and is succeeding in it. "The big difference compared to the past is exactly Dybala," Carina said. "If he continues like this, at these high levels, I would sign off on it. It's clear that at Roma it can change important targets. Gasperini is right: Dybala doesn't miss a training session, he has found the key to extend Dybala's career, who is a champion of Italian football." Carina also noted that Bryan Cristante has a knee inflammation that, while not serious, is a concern. Roberto Pruzzo backed goalkeeper Svilar without reservation. "Svilar is world-class for Roma, I have no doubt," Pruzzo said on Radio Radio. "If there is a normal goalkeeper, it is easy then to lose 3–1." Orsi, also speaking on Radio Radio, observed that goalkeepers in Italy are not generally regarded as world-class figures.

Bryan Cristante's absence through injury poses Roma's first serious tactical problem of the season, forcing Gian Piero Gasperini to decide not just who replaces him but how the midfield will function without him. Cristante has been one of the squad's most-used players and, as Gasperini described him at the Festival dello Sport, operates as the team's "control room"—providing positioning, reading, coverage and defensive balance that allows Manu Koné to focus on breaking lines and driving forward. Simply inserting the next midfielder from the bench will not replicate those functions. Gasperini has three principal options. Marten de Roon, familiar with the coach's system from their time together, would offer the most conservative approach: changing the player while preserving the team's on-field balance. Niccolò Pisilli, a product of Roma's academy, brings running power, aggression and attacking thrust, but would require Koné to shoulder greater responsibility in defensive positioning. A third path would shift Koné lower into the holding role he has played for France, giving Pisilli more freedom. The choice carries extra weight because Como, managed by Cesc Fabregas, will build from the back and draw out opposition pressure—exactly where Cristante's absence could prove most costly. Gasperini has already stated he expects both teams to play to win, demanding both aggression in winning the ball back and composure once the initial press breaks. The fixture at Como represents more than three points. Until now, Gasperini has established clearly defined hierarchies within his squad; now he must demonstrate multiple ways to maintain the same equilibrium. With nine matches in 28 days ahead, Gasperini will need to confirm that his "control room" can function through different circuits. De Roon guarantees continuity, Pisilli raises tempo and vertical play, Koné can shift roles. The solution chosen will signal what kind of Roma the coach envisions when real rotation begins.

Roma's international break will conclude this weekend, with the Serie A campaign resuming on Sunday 11 October at Como (12:30 CET, Stadio Sinigaglia). The Giallorossi arrive on the back of a 2–2 draw against Inter, a result that underlined their strong start to the season and their ability to compete with title contenders. The timing of the break is awkward—Roma must immediately shift mental gears for a relentless schedule that will see them play nine times in 27 days, a fixture run that will define their seasonal ambitions under Gasperini. The stretch begins at Como and continues without respite. Three days after the Lombard trip, on Wednesday 14 October, the Champions League returns to the Olimpico after seven years; Real Madrid, managed by José Mourinho, are the visitors. Saturday 17 brings Genoa to Rome, followed by Slovan Bratislava at home on Tuesday 20 in the Champions League league phase. Roma then travel to Napoli on Saturday 24 October, a fixture described as capable of revealing much about the Giallorossi's capacity to compete. There is no time to celebrate or recover: Tuesday 27 sees Cagliari at home in a midweek fixture. Saturday 31 brings a trip to Udinese, followed by a journey to England on 3 November to face Manchester United. The run concludes on 7 November with Sassuolo at home, the ninth and final match of the month-long cycle before the second international break of the season. The injury to Bryan Cristante is poorly timed, depriving the midfield of one of its key equilibrating figures at the start of this critical period. However, his absence opens a tactical opportunity: Marten de Roon is primed to take over the midfield and make his Roma debut from the start, likely already at Como. De Roon brings his customary aggression, solidity and experience. Niccolò Pisilli will offer freshness and enthusiasm, though he is more likely to deputise for Manu Koné than for Cristante. Lorenzo Pellegrini's return, even in a different role—more attacking midfielder than central midfielder in a two-man midfield—is the best possible news for Gasperini. The coach has made clear that there are no hierarchies at Trigoria: "those who are in better form play, for Roma's benefit." Roma's squad training resumes on Tuesday afternoon before the Como trip. The fixture list over the next month presents no respite and no room for fluctuation, with injury risk a constant concern as the team aims to navigate this pivotal stretch.

Lorenzo Pellegrini is ready to reclaim a leading role at Roma after 184 days out. The midfielder has recovered from a long injury, signed a contract renewal on 8 August, and is now pushing for a starting place when Roma face Como. He returns with leadership, technical quality and work completed during the international break at Trigoria. A social media post — "True happiness is being at peace with the people around you" — reflects the calm with which he approaches his comeback after a previous season that yielded seven goals and four assists. Pellegrini's injury began on 10 April. Despite Gasperini assigning the captaincy based on appearances, Pellegrini remains the natural reference point in the dressing room, confirmed by his contract extension and his choice to stay despite several offers from Italian and foreign clubs. His lengthy absence and dedicated rehabilitation put him in fresher condition than squad-mates returning from international duty, including Soulé and Mora. In Gasperini's 3–4–1–2 system, Pellegrini can operate on the attacking midfield line behind Dybala and Malen, providing quality in the final third and pressing intensity. Gasperini is seriously considering starting him, with Pellegrini estimated to have an autonomy of around sixty minutes but ready to begin the match and definitively reclaim his place.

Lorenzo Pellegrini is on the verge of his first competitive appearance in 184 days, with the trip to Como offering the chance to mark his official return. The midfielder finds a Roma squad transformed from the one he left behind: a new system, fresh hierarchies, and a captain's armband assigned under different criteria. Rather than stepping straight back into a pre-established role, Pellegrini must essentially start over—but this fresh start gives Gasperini scope to deploy him in a way no other attacking option in the squad can replicate. In the current 3-4-1-2 formation, Pellegrini can operate behind the two forwards without functioning as a purely classical playmaker. He can drop deeper to supply a passing option to midfielders, press high, make off-the-ball runs, and serve Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen in the final metres. This versatility could transform the system into something more fluid—oscillating between a three-man midfield and a genuine three-man attacking line. Against Como, where Gasperini wants to press the opening possession of Fabregas's side, Pellegrini could shield the first phase of opposition build-up before becoming the man for the final pass once possession is regained. This dual function differs sharply from what Rodrigo Mora and Matías Soulé offer and could prove crucial in matches requiring greater central density. Pellegrini has a practical advantage: while teammates traversed the globe with their national squads, he used the international break to work uninterrupted at Trigoria. His recovery is complete, with his match fitness estimated at around one hour of play. Gasperini can now genuinely consider him a starting option rather than merely a player to integrate gradually. The timing suits Roma well. After Como comes a sequence of nine matches in 28 days, making it impossible to rely on the same players constantly. Pellegrini need not displace anyone; he can allow Gasperini to reshape the squad's character without overturning it, alternating with other attacking players and offering control when needed in midfield. Pellegrini's real challenge differs from his past burden. He no longer must prove himself as captain or symbol of Roma; he must earn his space within a team that has found balance without him. That liberation from the weight of recent years could free him to become exactly what Gasperini is asking—not the project's centre, but an additional weapon in a squad that from October will need everyone available.