Massa to referee Roma–Inter as Cesari questions Orsato's 'conservative' choice

Spanish referee Gil Manzano has been named to officiate Manchester United against Roma at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening, in the Champions League. The appointment was confirmed two days before kick-off, as is customary. Gil Manzano will be assisted by linesmen Ayuso and Barbero. Munuera is the fourth official, while Del Cerro Grande will work in the VAR booth with Fernandez as AVAR. The referee has already overseen Roma's opening match of this Champions League campaign, a 1-1 draw away at Fenerbahce. Roma head to Manchester for their next fixture in the competition, with Tuesday's match at Old Trafford the immediate focus for the squad.

Roma's 5-2 win at Udine is more than another victory for Gian Piero Gasperini's side, with the numbers showing a team that is growing and remarkably consistent. After ten matchday rounds, Roma have scored 28 goals, the best attack in Serie A, and have a goal difference of +18. Their last league defeat came as far back as last April, away to Inter. Against the same opponents they faced last season, Roma have also collected seven more points. ForzaRoma.info highlights one of the most significant statistics: 14 different players have already scored. Donyell Malen remains the standout, reaching 11 goals in 12 appearances and 811 minutes played across the league and cup competitions. Roma effectively settled the match in the first half, going into the interval 4-0 up at the Bluenergy Stadium. That control allowed them to drop the tempo after the break, perhaps too much. Goals from Zaniolo and Palma did irritate Gasperini, especially when Unai Gomez came close to making it 3-4. After several counterattacks went unexploited, Ghilardi sealed the result deep into stoppage time, scoring his first goal in the giallorossi shirt. Gasperini said: "Mi rivedo completamente nei concetti di gioco della mia squadra. Questo è un gruppo fantastico che ha grande voglia di migliorarsi." Roma's next test is a significant step up: Manchester United at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening.

Donyell Malen's scoring run continues, with his goal on Sunday taking him to 22 in 27 matches, more than any other player in the top five European leagues and ahead of Harry Kane, the newly crowned Ballon d'Or winner. Yet Roma's 24 points from 10 matches owe more than that to the Dutchman alone, as he has failed to score in five of the club's league games, roughly half of them. Others have stepped up, including players Gasperini and others had expected more from compared with last season, and the coach has been satisfied so far. The two starters on Sunday, Rodrigo Mora and Matías Soulé, were central to the win. Mora, who is Portuguese and a former Porto youngster, scored his first goal while starting a match and has been taking on an increasingly important role. In 59 minutes he completed 85% of his passes, won back 6 balls, created a big chance and completed 100% of his dribbles. Those numbers, together with two goals in five days, are clear signs of growth that is pleasing everyone, especially with Paulo Dybala currently out. Soulé has done the most to drive the team forward, returning from the physical problems that had limited him for months. The difference is clear: the Argentine has been involved in 8 goals in 13 matches, with 3 goals and 5 assists, while Malen has been involved in 14 goals overall. With Ndicka and Ghilardi, 14 different players have now scored since the start of the season, a true goalscoring cooperative. Some heavyweight names are still missing from the scoresheet, including Wesley, Mancini, Pellegrini and above all Dybala. Even so, all of these players, each in his own role, have a clear feel for goal, and that will only add to the firepower of a Roma side full of scorers.

Donyell Malen's scoring run continues, with his goal on Sunday taking him to 22 in 27 matches, more than any other player in the top five European leagues and ahead of Harry Kane, the newly crowned Ballon d'Or winner. Yet Roma's 24 points from 10 matches owe more than that to the Dutchman alone, as he has failed to score in five of the club's league games, roughly half of them. Others have stepped up, including players Gasperini and others had expected more from compared with last season, and the coach has been satisfied so far. The two starters on Sunday, Rodrigo Mora and Matías Soulé, were central to the win. Mora, who is Portuguese and a former Porto youngster, scored his first goal while starting a match and has been taking on an increasingly important role. In 59 minutes he completed 85% of his passes, won back 6 balls, created a big chance and completed 100% of his dribbles. Those numbers, together with two goals in five days, are clear signs of growth that is pleasing everyone, especially with Paulo Dybala currently out. Soulé has done the most to drive the team forward, returning from the physical problems that had limited him for months. The difference is clear: the Argentine has been involved in 8 goals in 13 matches, with 3 goals and 5 assists, while Malen has been involved in 14 goals overall. With Ndicka and Ghilardi, 14 different players have now scored since the start of the season, a true goalscoring cooperative. Some heavyweight names are still missing from the scoresheet, including Wesley, Mancini, Pellegrini and above all Dybala. Even so, all of these players, each in his own role, have a clear feel for goal, and that will only add to the firepower of a Roma side full of scorers.

Roma routed Udinese at the Bluenergy Stadium with an authoritative performance that left Runjaic's side well beaten, and the Italian sports dailies rewarded almost the entire squad with high marks. Molina was the exception, rated among the least impressive players on the Friulian side. In the ratings from Corriere dello Sport, Cristante earned an 8, the highest mark on the Roma side, while Ghilardi and N'Dicka both received 7.5. Mora and Soulé were also given 7.5, and Malen 7.5, with Gasperini awarded 7.5 as coach. Il Messaggero, Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica and Tuttosport all also gave Cristante an 8 or 7.5 and Ghilardi and N'Dicka solid marks of 6.5 to 7, with Mora and Malen praised in several papers. Molina was marked 6 by most dailies, and 6.5 by La Repubblica, while Wesley's ratings ranged from 6 to 7. Gasperini received 7.5 from most papers, and 7 from Tuttosport. Gollini, Hermoso and De Roon were rated more moderately, with Gollini getting a 6 across the board. Substitutes were also assessed. Pisilli came on for Mora and was given 6.5 by Corriere dello Sport and 6 by the other papers, while Castro was rated 6.5 or 6 after replacing Malen. Mancini's cameo earned a 6 from Il Messaggero and Tuttosport, and Koulierakis and Rensch were left unrated.

Roma routed Udinese at the Bluenergy Stadium, with Ghilardi adding his name to the list of scorers in the eighth match in twenty days, a sign of a side that spreads its goals across the squad. Gasperini's team, lining up in their usual 3-4-2-1, were far too strong for an Udinese side on a sixth consecutive defeat and struggling badly for both results and performance. The win also brings a small record: 28 goals in the first 10 rounds of Serie A, which shifts the focus onto Roma's attack, even though until two matches ago they had boasted the best defence in Europe. Runjaić set his Udinese side up in a 5-3-2, with Ekkelenkamp as the anchor man. Roma controlled the game from the start, with Cristante and De Roon dropping in turn to build alongside Ndicka, the two wing-backs pushing wide, and Wesley and Molina pushing into attack. The left-hand channel of Mora and Wesley, with Hermoso in support, was especially active, and Roma found space mainly out wide. Possession, however, did not initially produce many chances. Roma were slow to move the ball, allowing Udinese's physical approach to disrupt their build-up. Their problem was failing to recognise the need to speed up circulation, playing quick two-touch combinations to cut down the time Udinese had to press and avoiding the physical duels that slowed or muddied the game. Once Roma raised the tempo, they moved the ball from right to left and found Wesley, whose cross reached Cristante at the centre of the box to open the scoring. The first two goals, which settled the match, came from faster ball movement and two deadly runs by Cristante into the box: the first with him as the direct scorer, the second as the provider of an assist for Mora. With both sides lined up in mirror image, switches of play became less useful, making it essential to work well in the areas around the ball, move it quickly and keep avoiding physical duels. Wesley and Malen were still caught out by this, with Kabasele closing them down in a series of tight physical challenges. Roma kept up their pace after going two goals ahead, forced Udinese into errors and hit two posts through mistimed efforts by Soulé and Malen. Malen then made amends, escaping Kabasele to make it 3-0. Ndicka added the fourth with a header that was not especially convincing, at the stadium where he had previously endured a difficult time, with Okoye again looking uncertain, as he had on the first goal. It was 4-0 after 33 minutes of ruthless finishing from a big side against an Udinese team whose league position speaks for itself. Gollini, who has been flawless in Serie A so far, twice stopped sporadic counter-attacks by the hosts before half-time. The second half was important for managing energy ahead of the trip to Manchester. Gasperini made no changes at the restart, avoiding sending the message that the match was over and that it should not be played out in full. Roma continued to move the ball quickly while keeping possession and exploiting the space available. From a corner won by Udinese, the same pattern as in the first half saw Miller given room to shoot from distance after De Roon had moved away to pick up a pointless run inside the box; Ndicka and his team were slow to react to the short rebound from Gollini, and Udinese pulled one back to 1-4. After an hour Chakvetadze and Unay Gómez came on for Davis and Ekkelenkamp. Runjaić stayed with a 3-5-2, to which Gasperini responded by bringing on Pisilli as anchor man in place of Mora and Castro for Malen. Late on came a series of changes: Piotrowski replaced Zaniolo, Mancini and Rensch came on for Wesley and Soulé, with Ghilardi pushing up as fifth man on the right and Molina high ahead of him. In the final minutes a late lapse by Roma from an Udinese corner allowed Palma to reduce the deficit further. Jovanovic and Arizala came on for Karlström and Kamara, giving Runjaić a breather as he watched his side respond, and Koulierakis replaced Hermoso. Ghilardi had the last word, collecting a delightful, soft assist from Castro to fire home his first Serie A goal, the same technical touch with which he had already made his mark in the Champions League.