Malen: “Penso solo a segnare e vincere. Fantastico vedere il mio nome affianco a quello di Totti”

Walter Sabatini, the former sporting director who built Roma into title contenders, has returned to football as a consultant at Pro Patria, the Serie D club where he ended his playing career 43 years ago. Speaking to Corriere della Sera, Sabatini reflected on his life in the game and offered observations on current Italian football, including pointed comments about his former club and its rivals. Sabatini left Roma's hierarchy years ago and has now chosen to restart in a modest setting, describing it as "a sort of catharsis" and "entering the starting box once more". He acknowledged struggling in an environment that does not accommodate his ideas: "I need agility and speed. I don't hide that I'm finding myself uncomfortable and I don't want to waste my final years. I'm entering perhaps the third or fourth age of my life." Yet he retains the fighting spirit of his early career, when he began working for Triestina at 39. He still relies on instinct over data analysis: "When I see a player I must feel something immediately at first meeting. He must strike me like lightning. The only yardstick of evaluation I conceive is the eye, sensitivity, passion." On Roma specifically, Sabatini was emphatic: "Roma. It's my life, don't make me say anything else because I've developed a complex about being a boring man." He praised Paulo Dybala as "a residual champion of our championship", the only player of the calibre that graced Serie A in the 1990s—when Ronaldo, Platini and Rummenigge competed in Italy. Of Gian Piero Gasperini, Roma's current head coach, Sabatini said: "I have great admiration for his work as a technician but I would have entered into a collision course." He also expressed regret over his spell at Inter, calling himself "a meteor" that earthlings barely noticed pass. On the current league standings, Sabatini noted "great euphoria" within Roma's environment and "spiritual cohesion that makes everyone feel unbeatable", but judged Inter superior: "For the quality of the squad and depth of choices, Inter are a step above everyone." Sabatini watches every match in Serie A and finds inspiration in each one. He remains characteristically combative about his career and health, describing himself as "bulimic for life" and comparing his condition to Kafka's protagonist: "Guilty but no one knows of what crime."

Francesco Totti has announced a new book titled 'Oltre', written with journalist Alessandro Alciato, following his 2018 autobiography 'Un Capitano'. The former Roma captain revealed the news via social media, with pre-orders beginning today and the book arriving in bookshops on 22 September. Totti said of the project: "Much has always been known about me. But not everything. In 'Oltre' I have told what I had kept to myself until now—my truths, without filters." The new volume marks Totti's latest project as he remains in discussions about a potential return to the club for its 2027 centenary celebrations.

Walter Sabatini, the former Roma executive now working as a consultant for Pro Patria, has reflected on his career at the club in an interview with Corriere della Sera. On his time in the game, Sabatini said: "At Roma. It's my life, don't make me say anything else because I've developed a complex about being a boring man." Sabatini also addressed the current state of Italian football and Roma's standing. Discussing which club has the strongest squad values at present, he observed: "There is great euphoria in the Roma environment. A spiritual cohesion that makes everyone feel unbeatable. But in terms of squad quality and depth of choices, Inter are a step above everyone else." Sabatini commented on the prospect of working alongside Gasperini, the current Roma head coach, though he did not elaborate on the specifics of that assessment beyond the headline suggestion that collaboration between them would have led to friction.

Niccolò Pisilli spoke to reporters after Roma's match against Torino on matchday four, which took place at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino. The midfielder scored but was hampered by cramping during the fixture. When asked about scoring while struggling with cramp, Pisilli said: "I got a cramp. I couldn't stay on my feet." He was also full of praise for teammate Donyell Malen's performance, telling journalists: "He's very strong. Hopefully he continues to score like this."

Roma made it four consecutive Serie A victories without conceding a goal as Donyell Malen's first-half strike and a late Niccolò Pisilli finish secured a 2–0 win at Torino on 14 September 2026. Mile Svilar recorded his third clean sheet in four matches, with Pisilli adding the second goal in deep stoppage time. The result kept Roma on a perfect record of 12 points from four matches with an aggregate score of 12–1. The run marks only the fifth time in the club's history that Roma have started a Serie A campaign with four straight wins, matching 1952–53, 1960–61, 2013–14 and 2014–15. The 1960–61 season stands out as the only previous era before Gasperini in which Roma scored more than ten goals across those four fixtures, recording 14. Roma have now extended their consecutive league wins to nine overall, spanning five matches from the end of last season and the four so far this term. Only twice in club history have Roma recorded longer winning streaks: eleven wins from December 2005 to February 2006, and eleven from May to October 2013. Malen has scored six goals in his first four Serie A matches this season, making him the third player in Roma's history to reach that figure in the opening four games alongside Pedro Manfredini (seven in 1960–61) and Francesco Totti (six in 2001–02). The Dutch forward has also been involved in at least one goal in each of his last five away league matches, registering seven goals and one assist across that run. Gasperini again demonstrated bold selection by withdrawing Malen despite the scoreline remaining in the balance, reinforcing his confidence in the attacking unit. Gasperini deployed Dybala and Matías Soulé in support of Malen, a partnership that originated eight months earlier at Turin and has become a core feature. In midfield, Pisilli partnered Bryan Cristante, producing what the article describes as a dominant display capped by his clinical finish despite cramping. Leonardo Balerdi earned particular praise for a commanding defensive performance, with Gasperini drawing comparison to the great Franco Baresi. Roma host Inter in the next Serie A round, bringing an early test of their title credentials.

Leonardo Balerdi earned praise from head coach Gian Piero Gasperini following Roma's victory over Torino, despite Donyell Malen being named the match MVP. The Argentine defender played all 90 minutes at a high level and made decisive interventions that contributed to the win. Gasperini spoke warmly about Balerdi in his post-match press conference, highlighting his qualities as a modern defender. The coach drew a comparison to one of Italian football's greatest players: "Who does he remind me of? Balerdi is a strong defender, very strong. He is certainly a modern defender, physically strong and quick. I cannot invoke a certain name — a central defender like that was Baresi. But without going there, the way he interprets the role with aggression and speed in recoveries as well as participation in the game... Baresi was number one absolutely, no one touches that, but in terms of characteristics we are there." Gasperini's assessment suggests Balerdi has already won over both his manager and the Roma supporters.