Mancini's compassionate gesture towards Romano after midfielder's costly error

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.

Thirteen Roma players have left Trigoria for the November international break, a squad-wide exodus that will see the club's men return to Rome only a few days before the match against Parma. Only Inter, Frosinone and Torino have had more players called up by their national teams (14), while Roma sit level with Milan and Como. The number could have been higher, given the less than ideal condition of Mancini and Koné. Daily work at Trigoria under Gasperini was the reason Koné said no to France. Cristante is also out, as explained by Italy coach Mancini: "I didn't need to test him because I know him." Molina will not be going to Argentina; the full-back had been called up at the last minute by coach Scaloni, but Roma and Gasperini opposed the move. Malen is among the most anticipated players, and on his role with the Netherlands, Xavi was clear: "I see him as a centre-forward." The mood around Trigoria is different, with Gasperini wanting to get all his starters back to fight for the Champions League and the derby. The headline also carries a comment from Francesco Totti on the Scudetto: "Something is missing to win the Scudetto." The break brings a mix of departures and returns for Roma, with the squad's fitness and availability becoming the main focus before the next fixture against Parma.

Roma are working on a contract extension for Mario Hermoso, with talks reportedly already under way for a deal running to 2029 with an option for 2030, according to Angelo Mangiante. Three goals this season and increasingly convincing performances have accelerated the process under Gian Piero Gasperini, with the Spaniard described as a pillar of the side. Elsewhere, Paulo Dybala's future may lie in the United States. Piero Torri reports that Inter Miami have already made contact with the Argentinian's entourage, while New York City are reportedly weighing up an offer. No agreement has been reached, but Dybala's contract, which expires in 2027, is fuelling the speculation. Roma are also looking to the January window, with Gasperini hoping for reinforcements. The club's strategy is to target a quick attacking winger, possibly on loan in the mould of Donyell Malen, while Endrick and Gittens remain under observation and Højbjerg has returned as an option for midfield. On the injury front, Mile Svilar and Dybala are aiming to return for the trip to Parma on 21 November, with Gasperini expected to regain two key players during the international break. Bryan Cristante and Gianluca Mancini are also in good shape, while Devyne Rensch remains in doubt. Lorenzo Pellegrini has decided against surgery on his tendon and will continue with conservative therapy, with his return not expected before January. Roma's Argentina international Nahuel Molina has been kept at Trigoria: the club refused Argentina's call-up after his FIFA suspension was reduced, with the invitation arriving only on Saturday during the Roma-Sassuolo match, too late for a long trip for what could be a single friendly. Lorenzo Dattilo, a left-back born in 2010, has signed a three-year contract, turning down Atletico Madrid. The former Under-17 European champion with Italy is already playing for Roma's Under-18 side. In Serie A, Roma sit third, unbeaten in the league and two points behind leaders Lazio, having scored 31 goals and conceded just ten in eleven matchdays. At Frosinone, the club is preparing a move to keep winger Kvernadze, who is being followed by Roma. According to Tuttomercatoweb, a deal worth one million euros a season, five times his current salary, is ready. Behind it sits a four-million-euro release clause, activatable from next summer, which Frosinone could seek to change.

Roma have kept Mancini at Trigoria and decided not to send Nahuel Molina to Argentina, meaning Italy coach Mancini will be without the Roma defender for the matches against France and Belgium. Mancini returned to the club with problems after Italy's Nations League games in late September and early October, and Gasperini has never had him at full fitness. Before the Sassuolo match, Gasperini decided not to call him up, which left the Italy coach with no option but to forgo his presence against France and Belgium. Molina is still serving a suspension for one match, following the reduction of his ban from seven matchdays to four. Roma's decision on Molina came on Saturday evening. Sending him to Argentina would have meant a long journey for just one of two friendlies, with the first test on Friday in Buenos Aires against Uruguay and the second in Córdoba against Costa Rica. Molina would then have had a long, tiring trip back to Trigoria, due next Thursday, which the club judged unworkable. The Argentine FA accepted the decision and will rely on Balerdi, Soulé and Castro. The international break has long concerned club coaches, who are forced to accept few training sessions and plenty of injuries. Roma's approach reflects that problem: protecting fitness for the club's own schedule rather than releasing players for every national team request.