Inter–Roma match under investigation in Milan arbitration probe

Roma have scored 31 goals in their first 11 Serie A matches, a tally the club has never reached before at this stage of a league season. The previous best was 28, in 1960/61. Last season the side averaged one goal a game (12 in the same period), a sharp contrast with the current team, which is scoring freely against every kind of opponent. Last season Roma reached 31 goals only in matchday 25. This year's total is also the club's best start since 2013/14, when Garcia's side won 10 consecutive matches. Roma have 27 points in the league. They are second in Serie A for big chances created (49) and have the second-best defence (10 goals conceded). They also average the most successful dribbles per game (9.3) and have the most clean sheets (6). Roma remain unbeaten in the league, a record they share with Lazio. Across the top five European leagues, the two Roman clubs are joined in this feat only by Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. The figures were reported by Stefano Carina in Il Messaggero, who credits the turnaround to the arrival of a coach from Grugliasco, Gian Piero Gasperini, who has transformed the side into a team that scores everywhere and against everyone.

Rodrigo Mora's time has arrived, with the Portuguese teenager scoring in a third consecutive Serie A match against Sassuolo, following earlier goals against Cagliari and Udinese. In the past few hours he has also earned his first call-up to the Portugal senior national team, in the post-Cristiano Ronaldo era. The Corriere della Sera's Simone Valdarchi writes that there is no crown to inherit and no blasphemous comparison to make; this is simply the story of a teenager who has handled the normal difficulties of arriving in Italian football with brilliance, in an important city like Rome and in a season when Gasperini wants to aim for the top of the league. For weeks, things were not going so well for Mora, but he has kept working and waiting for his moment. In recent weeks, with Dybala out and set to return after the international break in Parma, Mora has found space in the trequartista role, adding flair to matches with his touches in the final 30 metres. Alongside his three consecutive Serie A goals, he produced the assist for Soulé's opening goal for Roma against Manchester United at Old Trafford last Tuesday. It was his second assist of the season, after the one against Real Madrid for Malen. Those were not ordinary fixtures. With the goal against Sassuolo, the Portuguese now has four goals, making him the club's second-highest scorer alongside Pisilli and Soulé, behind Malen, who is on 12. Valdarchi's point is that Mora is a teenager, born in 2007, who is adjusting to a new league and a demanding city. Mora's first senior call-up with Portugal marks a further step in a rapid rise, and the youngster now combines international recognition with a growing role in Gasperini's attacking options.

Roma have scored 31 goals in their first 11 matches of the season, a total that puts Gian Piero Gasperini's side among the most prolific attacks in the club's history and in recent Serie A decades. The tally was completed by a hat-trick in the win over Sassuolo, which took Roma past the 1928-29 season, the second-best scoring campaign in the club's history. Il Romanista describes the figure as a historic landmark. To find similar numbers, one has to go back to Luciano Spalletti's Roma of 2016-17, which stopped at 26 goals, or to the Garcia and Fonseca sides, which managed no more than 24-25 in the same number of matches. The contrast with last season is even starker: Roma scored just 12 goals in their first 11 matchdays, relying more on defensive solidity than on attack. Under Gasperini, the team has adopted a total attacking mentality and is averaging almost three goals per game. The only match without a goal was the 0-0 draw at Como, played with a numerical disadvantage for almost half the game. Otherwise Roma have found the net in every fixture, often more than once. Over the last 65 years of Serie A, only Juventus under Allegri (33 goals) and Napoli under Sarri (32 goals) have scored more after 11 matchdays, while Roma have matched Lazio's total from that season. All of this has come despite the long absence of Paulo Dybala, a sign of how completely the collective is now built around attack and entertainment.

Roma have 13 players called up by their national teams for the November break, a total that places them level with AC Milan and Como in the chasing pack behind Inter, Torino and Frosinone, who lead on 14. The squad list was drawn from the official call-ups for the November fixtures and is subject to changes before the matches. The Roma contingent includes goalkeepers Devis Vásquez and Giorgio De Marzi; forwards Santiago Castro, Donyell Malen, Rodrigo Mora and Matías Soulé; defenders Leonardo Balerdi, Daniele Ghilardi, Konstantinos Koulierakis, Emanuele Lulli, Evan N'Dicka and Wesley; and midfielder Niccolò Pisilli. Behind the leaders, Atalanta and Udinese are on 12, Juventus have 11, and Napoli and Lazio have eight, with the two Lazio absentees excluded from that count. The total could have been higher, potentially reaching or exceeding 17, had several physical issues or technical decisions by the national coaches gone differently. Gianluca Mancini was initially called up by Italy but had to withdraw with a muscle problem that has also kept him out of the recent match against Sassuolo. Italy coach also left Bryan Cristante out of the squad, although the coach explained he had no need to test him at this stage. Manu Koné, who returned and started against Sassuolo, was left out of France's squad by coach Zidane to avoid a possible physical setback. Nahuel Molina had been called up late by Argentina, but a one-match suspension still to be served, together with opposition from Roma and Gian Piero Gasperini, blocked his departure.

Roma's strength lies less in individual numbers than in a group that has fully absorbed Gian Piero Gasperini's football, according to Il Messaggero. Using intelligent management and constant rotation, the coach has got value from almost the entire squad during a recent run of nine matches in 27 days. Every player has become useful, and every piece has found its place. The secret, as Il Messaggero reports, is total involvement. Gasperini does not talk about turnover; for him, "everyone plays", and the numbers back that up. Around a core of solid starters such as Evan N'Dicka and Wesley, the coach has a reliable group ready to answer the call. The clearest example is Niccolò Pisilli. A year ago he had played just six minutes and came close to a loan move to Genoa; today he has almost 700 minutes, four goals, and has become the club's second-highest scorer behind Donyell Malen. Injuries, paradoxically, have accelerated the process, opening the door for many others. De Roon has brought continuity, Rodrigo Mora and Emanuele Lulli have brought freshness, and Leonardo Balerdi has regained his solidity in a defence that can count on four high-level centre-backs and the reliability of Daniele Ghilardi. In goal, Pierluigi Gollini and Devis Vásquez have also answered the call. Even Santiago Castro, who seemed destined for little playing time, has carved out his own role. With Paulo Dybala and Mile Svilar set to return when the season resumes, the group will be more complete still. Despite this, Gasperini has stressed that to keep growing the squad will need to be widened further in January. That view is shared by sporting director D'Amico, who says the club is united, has clear ideas, and wants to plan every step without limits.

Gian Piero Gasperini has built a squad that takes turns in the spotlight, and Roma's rotation now touches almost every player, the club's football reporting notes. Six players form a strong core, ranging from 923 minutes for N'Dicka to 1,063 for Wesley, but there is room for everyone further down the squad. Niccolò Pisilli is the clearest example. Last season, before he became a regular starter at Lecce, he had been used for just 6 minutes, and a loan move to Genoa was almost agreed. Today he has already logged 697 minutes and scored 4 goals, behind only the unreachable Malen in the club's scoring charts. Gasperini does not favour talk of turnover. His usual answer is "Giocano tutti" (everyone plays). He makes no distinction between players who stay on the pitch for 60 or 70 minutes and those who come off the bench for 30, 20 or 10. The rotation excludes nobody, and sooner or later every player gets his chance, though no one should be under any illusions. After the recent match against Genoa, Gasperini made his point clear: "Ormai è evidente che la rosa della Roma è competitiva così, ma non numericamente, serve più volume" (It is now clear that Roma's squad is competitive as it is, but not numerically, it needs more volume). In practical terms, that means at least a couple of new players. Sporting director D'Amico agrees and has confirmed this publicly. Now the club's approval is all that is needed. The analysis, written by Stefano Carino for Il Messaggero, sets out the squad's workload in a table that accompanies the piece. It shows that the transformation from last season's approach has seen rotations that are continuous and involve, to a greater or lesser extent, almost every player. The combination of this depth and Gasperini's ability to extend the squad is central to the side's new identity, which has also brought an almost unnatural knack for finding the net.