Mancini explains why Cristante missed out on Italy squad

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.

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.

Netherlands head coach Xavi Hernandez has made clear that Roma forward Donyell Malen is, in his view, a centre-forward, even though he can also be used on the right. Malen has been recalled to the Dutch squad after missing the nation's most recent fixtures through injury. Speaking at a press conference, Xavi said: "For me Malen is a centre-forward. Of course, he is an option on the right, but he feels more comfortable playing as a striker." The comments appear to settle any doubt about the Dutchman's role. His predecessor Koeman often used him as a right winger, the same position he occupied during his time at Aston Villa. Since arriving in the capital, however, Gian Piero Gasperini has deployed him at the heart of the attack, producing thrilling results and convincing Xavi, the former Barcelona midfielder, of his value in that role. Xavi added: "The best thing we can do is give him confidence. Explain to him what we expect from him as a centre-forward. He knows how to attack the spaces, he understands what is asked of him. He recognises the right moment to be involved in the play. I think he can give the best of himself with the Oranje." Having won over Rome, Malen now wants to make his mark on the national team as well.

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.

Bryan Cristante does not catch the eye, but he steals time from opponents, and that has long been the paradox of the Roma midfielder, who is often judged through an aesthetic prejudice that hides what he really brings to a match. He lacks the explosive burst of Manu Koné, does not live on dribbling and rarely produces a highlight-reel moment. But he knows the game, and he often knows it before anyone else. In this early stage of the Serie A season, Cristante is among the most consistent midfielders in the league, thanks to the rational and emotional order he conveys to the team. Under Gian Piero Gasperini he has returned to centre stage, not only in the pecking order but in the very construction of Roma's play. His quality lies above all in his timing. He knows when to speed up the build-up and when to slow the match down, finds the vertical pass with ease, and rarely forces a action without first having read the risks and rewards. The part of his game that is least visible and most important, however, is what he does without the ball. Cristante covers ground, reads the spaces, supports the press, and judges when to step forward and when to drop back to protect the defensive line. He does not simply chase the action; he tries to anticipate its development. This is also why coaches who are very different from one another have continued to consider him indispensable. Gasperini knows a version of Cristante that has almost disappeared from memory in his Roma years. At Atalanta he also used him as an attacking midfielder, exploiting his ability to make runs into the box and his quality in the area around goal. Today the player is different, more mature and probably less explosive, but that understanding of space has remained intact. Gasperini has simply given him another stretch of the pitch to interpret. Cristante remains a player who is difficult to describe through a single moment, and much easier to understand by watching an entire match. His style does not necessarily seek applause: it creates order, connects the lines and makes the game easier to read for those around him. The real misunderstanding about Cristante may lie precisely here: people keep looking for what he does not show, and forget to watch everything that makes the team work.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Thirteen Roma players have been called up for international duty, leaving Trigoria largely empty during the break, and Gian Piero Gasperini will have to work with the few who remain in Rome. The Italian report notes that the club's form has made it a reservoir for national teams. Midfielder Manu Koné, who has just recovered, was not called up by France, a fortunate outcome for Gasperini. The first players back will be Ghilardi and Pisilli, who finish their commitments with the match against Belgium on 15 November and are expected at Trigoria the following day, giving them five days to prepare for the game against Parma. Malen returns on 17 November, while Gasperini will be reunited with Lulli and Koulierakis on 18 November. Players who travelled overseas will take longer: Balerdi, Soulé and Castro are due back in Rome by 19 November, just two days before the trip to Emilia. Mora, Wesley and Ndicka are also expected close to the match. The report suggests Gasperini may only have his full squad available on the eve of the clash at the Tardini. The timings make management difficult for Gasperini, who risks having the whole group together only the day before the fixture at the Tardini. The schedule leaves a short window for tactical preparation with the full squad.