Lulli's seven-match start already matches Celik's goal tally at Roma, and Gasperini's faith looks justified

Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini is calling on Emanuele Lulli, Niccolò Pisilli and Rodrigo Mora to cover a squad emergency. The three young players are drawn from the bench and the Trigoria academy. Pisilli is a Roma academy product. Gasperini has consistently found the right options from both the bench and the youth ranks to meet the crisis.

Manu Koné is the player Roma cannot do without, according to the article, ahead of even Mile Svilar and Paulo Dybala. The French midfielder is described as Gasperini's man of balance, an element who seems impossible to replace. The numbers back this up: with Koné on the pitch, Roma have conceded 4 goals in 7 matches; without him, they have conceded 9 in just 5. His withdrawal against Real Madrid, with a mask on his face and pain visible in his eyes, had already set off alarm bells. From that moment, Roma's defensive phase appeared to lose its certainties. The article argues that Koné is not a player of spectacular moments but of balance, which allows others to shine. In Gasperini's side, Roma take considerable risks when attacking: the full-backs push forward, the attacking midfielders move close to Malen, and the team pushes up to win the ball back immediately. When the press is beaten or opponents counter, Koné steps in. His contribution, the article says, is measured not only by tackles won but by the dangerous moves that never develop. According to StatsNext, he averages 5.3 balls recovered, 1.75 tackles and around 0.9 interceptions per 90 minutes. Team data is also highlighted: with him on the pitch Roma conceded 0.57 goals per match, against 1.8 without him. The article acknowledges that this figure alone does not prove a direct link between his absence and the defensive difficulties, but says it merits attention. Against Cagliari the difference was evident, the article states. Pisacane's side passed through with ease, transitions flowed, and Roma left gaps. De Roon was struggling and Cristante was not at his best. The midfield needed a Manu, the player Roma have held on to for years and whom Gasperini never wants to lose. The article concludes that the data supports this view, though it was evident even without the numbers. The immediate goal is to have Koné back for the match against Sassuolo. Gasperini is waiting for him, and so is Roma.

Emanuele Lulli has gone from a young player to be assessed to a concrete solution on the flank in just seven appearances, and Gian Piero Gasperini had seen this coming before anyone else. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the full-back, born in 2007, has scored two goals for the first team, the same number Zeki Celik scored in 151 matches for Roma. Gasperini had pushed to keep Lulli at the club last summer and give him space. The article notes that Lulli runs, supports the attack, defends, gets into the box and above all produces numbers. Gasperini has long built a significant part of his success on wide players, including during his years at Bergamo. He wanted players capable of covering the whole flank and contributing in both phases, and Lulli is offering exactly that, while also adding a finishing ability in that position that had been missing in recent seasons. Celik's move to Juventus initially looked hard to compensate for. A few weeks on, that decision looks very different. Roma have opened a door for a player raised in their own youth sector, and Gasperini has found a solution that could become far more than an alternative. Lulli, from Palestrina, is still only 19 and has an entire career ahead of him.

Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini is calling on Emanuele Lulli, Niccolò Pisilli and Rodrigo Mora to cover a squad emergency. The three young players are drawn from the bench and the Trigoria academy. Pisilli is a Roma academy product. Gasperini has consistently found the right options from both the bench and the youth ranks to meet the crisis.

Roma have turned a long-standing weakness into a strength: when they fall behind, they now fight back rather than fold. Writing after the Cagliari match, the commentary argues the side is hungry and no longer accepts defeat, with a fierce pressing approach now a clear instruction. Roma were below their best in the latest game, which the piece puts down to a natural dip after six matches in sixteen days. The real point, it argues, is how the team responded when it went behind. The same pattern was seen against Atalanta and confirmed against Napoli and Cagliari. As soon as they concede, Roma change their approach, refusing to accept the deficit, running, creating and above all scoring. Last season the points tally was the same, but the team was open to criticism for its almost helpless reaction to going behind. Under Gian Piero Gasperini, the side no longer fears falling behind; instead it becomes more determined, pressing, creating and turning games around within minutes. Last season the only Roma win from a losing position came at the Franchi against Fiorentina, where Soulé and Cristante overturned Kean's opening goal. Otherwise there was little: in Serie A only two draws, against Atalanta and Milan, and in the Europa League two more, against Panathinaikos and Bologna. That was too little for a side aiming at the top, and the problem was more mental than physical. Gasperini has taken that weakness and turned it into a strength. This time Nzola's goal could have hurt Roma, but it did not. Within ten minutes Lulli and Pisilli had erased it and restored the smile that Gasperini shows when he sees his side play. So far this season Roma have earned seven points from losing positions, against Atalanta, Cagliari and Napoli, matching their entire total from last season. They have played only 12 matches in that situation, and the piece concludes that the best is yet to come.

Jorge Mendes is working to arrange the departure of his client Alejandro Balde from Barcelona, who is not playing as much as he would like, and has offered the left-back to Roma in recent days. The Giallorossi were keen on the player in the summer and did not reject the suggestion, Il Messaggero reports, via AllFootball. Roma are missing a left-footed specialist, but their wing-backs have been solid so far. Emanuele Lulli has been an early revelation and recently extended his contract until 2031. Balde has featured just three times this campaign. Juventus are also close to Mendes and tracked Balde in the past, but Barcelona placed a €40/50M price tag on him and the Bianconeri did not proceed. That price could be significantly lower a few months later, but Balde is under contract until 2029, so the Catalans still hold plenty of leverage. The negotiation could be eased by including Andrea Cambiaso in the deal. He is far from untouchable for Juventus, but they still value him highly, at about €30M. Juventus would rather part ways with Juan Cabal, but would pull the trigger on Cambiaso's sale for a worthy offer. January often presents this kind of opportunity, but Balde's price tag is out of reach for Italian sides unless the parties get creative. Roma can comfortably stay as they are on the flanks. Their move would be to part ways with Devyne Rensch and bring in a left-footer. Juventus have struggled to find destinations Cambiaso might like after Manchester City approached him in the past, and Barcelona would offer an excellent escape route.

Roma lost Celik in the transfer market, a departure that many considered painful, but the positive side has been the emergence of Pierluigi Lulli, who has moved from the Primavera to scoring his first Serie A goal. The development has been described as the defining 'sliding door' of the window. The Italian coverage frames Lulli's breakthrough as the positive counterweight to losing Zeki Çelik, whose exit was widely viewed as a painful one for the club. Lulli's first league goal marks a significant step for a player who has come through the youth ranks to the first team. The report was published on 19 October 2026 and is headlined around the idea that Lulli is the key figure to emerge from the market, as Roma look to build on his progress.

Roma's full-backs have become a cornerstone of Gian Piero Gasperini's push to the top of Serie A, a marked shift from last season when they proved problematic. Wesley and Nahuel Molina are now among the club's key strengths, and both will start when Roma resume the league campaign against Como, where they will face manager Fabregas. The turnaround reflects Gasperini's tactical evolution since arriving at the club: in his first season, Wesley was the only defender fully convincing on the flanks, while Zeki Çelik had to make do elsewhere. Now the picture is entirely different. Gasperini has uncovered Emanuele Lulli in the course of the season, and Molina has gradually built his fitness, delivering quality and assists to Roma's attacking phase. For the Como fixture, Gasperini plans to deploy Molina on the right and Wesley on the left. The selection reflects not just Roma's attacking ambitions but also Gasperini's defensive strategy: by using two attacking full-backs, he aims to stretch Como's wide players—Baturina on one flank and Diao on the other—and occupy them throughout the match. Wesley, the more naturally offensive of the pair, will be tasked with driving forward and supporting the build-up play. Molina is likely to carry greater defensive responsibility, balancing his own contributions with the need to contain Como's threats on the wing.

Gian Piero Gasperini will deploy Nahuel Molina and Wesley as twin wingers in Roma's visit to Como, harnessing simultaneous attacking thrust down both flanks to counter Cesc Fabregas's side. With Molina fully recovered and Wesley in continued form, Roma will field two genuine wide operators capable of delivering width, high pressing and chances for the attacking midfielders. The tactical choice targets Como's possession-based play built around Baturina and Diao's unpredictability; Molina and Wesley are instructed to close down Como's wide references and attacking midfielders immediately, forcing them away from build-up play into long balls. In possession, the overlapping runs of Molina and Wesley will create lateral chains with Paulo Dybala and Matías Soulé, opening space for crosses and inside passes. Last season Roma's right wing relied solely on Wesley alongside the converted Zeki Çelik, but the club now possesses one of Serie A's strongest selections of wide midfielders. Gasperini's side has already created thirteen goalscoring actions from wide midfielders this season—second in the league behind Inter's fourteen. Wesley leads with seven goal contributions, followed by Molina on four and eighteen-year-old Emanuele Lulli, an academy product promoted to the first team, who has added two decisive contributions and demonstrates the depth of alternatives available on the flanks. A key feature of Gasperini's system is the tactical flexibility of both players. Wesley and Molina can interchange wings during matches without loss of effectiveness, alternating deep play and crosses with cuts inside on their stronger foot to link with the attacking midfielders. This constant switching prevents opposing defences from finding fixed reference points and allows Roma to vary attacking approaches throughout the game.