Pruzzo says Mora is not ready and calls for another striker; Pes backs Cristante and Pisilli as midfield pairing

Former Roma striker Antonio Cassano has criticised the quality of Serie A and singled out Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen in his latest appearance on Viva el Futbol. Cassano said: "With this Serie A, if I lose two kilos and play in flip-flops I make the difference. And if Nicola Ventola and I played up front together, we would do better than everyone else." He went on to back his own talent, saying: "I was a phenomenon. I played with ten kilos of excess weight, I didn't train, I decided what I wanted to do with my life." Cassano also turned his attention to two current Roma forwards. He said: "Dybala goes to a cylinder and falls over, Malen after eight years on the bench between Dortmund and Aston Villa is the top scorer." The comments are likely to stir debate among Roma supporters, given the contrast Cassano drew between the two attackers. José Mourinho was among the sharpest targets of his criticism, a week after his Real Madrid side beat Gasperini's Roma 4-3 at the Olimpico. Cassano said: "He is finished, he is washed up. He should stop coaching. It has been like this for more than ten years." On the Portuguese's style of play, he added: "A team of phenomena and he makes them play in an unworthy way, outside all logic. I would be ashamed in his place." He continued: "Old football, old football, without ideas. All he has left is the chatter." Cassano also suggested that Mourinho's continued prominence at the top of international football is helped by his relationship with agent Jorge Mendes: "He has the luck of having the best agent in the world, who if he wants will find him a place even on the Moon." In contrast, Cassano praised Gian Piero Gasperini, distinguishing the Roma head coach's work from that of the managers he criticised. The praise fits with his repeated call for proactive, attacking football.

Former Slovakia and Napoli coach Francesco Calzona has spoken to Il Messaggero ahead of Roma's clash with Slovan, saying Roma are much stronger than their opponents but must remain careful. Slovan have won the Slovak title for eight consecutive years, Calzona said, though they have struggled to reach the group stage after qualifying rounds when they face European opposition. He added that the club has considerable potential, pointing to a recent interview in which their president said he wanted to establish the club in European competition, and said it will take time. Slovan have begun rejuvenating their squad, bringing in local talent. Calzona also looked ahead to Saturday's Napoli-Roma fixture, which he believes could be a crossroads for Napoli given the gap in the table. "If they want to get back up, they cannot afford to lose. Ten points would start to be really many, even though there would still be more than 30 games to play, because you can make up ground on one team but it becomes difficult when there are two or three." On Roma, he was confident of a season at the top whatever the final result. "It is a very strong team, it always manages to play with incredible intensity. Watching Roma entertains me, they have a European style of play." Asked which Roma player he would most like to coach, Calzona said the easy answer would be Malen or Dybala, but he chose Koné. "What a player... He is of a very high level, he has everything you could ask of a midfielder." Told that Koné does not score often, he replied: "You will see that Gasperini will manage to get him scoring too."

Roman radio pundits have spelled out what Roma need from Thursday's Champions League clash with Slovan Bratislava, with most agreeing that a heavy win is required. Lorenzo Pes of Teleradiostereo said Pellegrini will start the match from the first minute, alongside Soulé, and described the opponent as modest, adding that a comfortable victory would be important for goal difference and that a goalfest is needed. He also said there will be absences but that Roma have the quality to score many goals. Luigi Ferrajolo of Radio Radio said Roma must play the way they know how and not think about Napoli. He praised Gasperini for fielding the best available eleven and said: "Deve giocare per vincere, il campionato verrà dopo. E' troppo presto per snobbare l'Europa e pensare solo al campionato. E' un'occasione per prendere i tre punti." He added that Pellegrini played a good game against Como and needs to regain serenity and condition, calling tonight the ideal match to get him back on track. Alessandro Vocalelli of Radio Radio was far more critical of Pellegrini, saying he is a good player and nothing more and one of the most overrated players of recent years. He said: "Si è ritrovato ad essere il capitano solo per il momento storico." He also said Pellegrini lacks the pace to play in midfield and the creativity to play as a trequartista. Francesco Balzani of Teleradiostereo, citing sporting director D'Amico, said Roma need to return to the market in January. He argued that two good signings, even on loan, would allow Roma to fight for the Scudetto this season, saying: "La distanza non è siderale, però ti mancano 2/3 pezzi." He said the calendar is not impossible apart from Paris and that the points needed for the playoffs are very achievable, but added that the problem is paying for it in the league. Roberto Pruzzo of Radio Radio Mattino warned that Roma must be careful because Slovan are stronger than Genoa, while noting Gasperini's team has shown it can do well even with rotation. Piero Torri of Radio Manà Manà said 10 points are likely needed to reach the playoffs, noting that last year the last two teams qualified with 9, and that winning tomorrow is fundamental. Pes also said it is impossible for Totti to stay out of the centenary celebrations, while finding it difficult to see him become a director.

Roma's goalscoring spread has become a major talking point after Nicolò Molina's goal against Slovan Bratislava made it 11 different scorers in just ten matches. Donyell Malen leads the way with nine goals, while Pisilli, Koné, Soulé and Hermoso have two each. Lulli, Mora, Cristante, De Roon, Castro and Molina have one apiece. In Serie A, counting cup matches too, Roma have scored from more players than Inter, who are stuck on 10. Gian Piero Gasperini's side are the only Italian club in the top bracket of the Sofascore ranking. Paulo Dybala is the notable absentee from the list and is hoping to return before the international break to add his name to the scoresheet. Every outfield player seems to be getting involved. Ghilardi, who could have been the twelfth man on Tuesday, had a goal ruled out for offside against Castro. Mancini, N'Dicka, Balerdi, Wesley, Rensch, Kouliarakis and Pellegrini are all also looking to get on the scoresheet. The key statistic, according to the article, is the number of chances created and Roma's far greater presence in the opposition box compared with last season. Apart from the match at Como, where Roma played with ten men for more than half an hour, the team have scored in every game in Serie A and the Champions League. They have almost always scored at least twice, the exception being the 1-1 draw with Fenerbahce. Across all European leagues, Brighton lead the way with 15 goals from different scorers, followed by Barcelona, Lyon, Brentford and Real Sociedad with 13. Manchester City, Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid and Freiburg have 12, while Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are on 11.

Manu Koné is continuing his recovery and hopes to return to Roma's squad for the match against Sassuolo, which falls just before the international break. The French midfielder is still unavailable, but Gasperini hopes to have him back soon to strengthen the department, according to Il Tempo. Player ratings from the Italian papers rewarded Pisilli and Wesley (7.28), the best performers in the win over Slovan Bratislava. Hermoso and Malen (7.14) also earned high marks, followed by Ghilardi and Pellegrini (7.07). Mora (5.93) received the lowest rating and was the only player below the average mark. Gasperini was also praised, receiving a 7.36 for his management of the game. Donyell Malen continues to drive Roma forward. Against Slovan Bratislava he scored a penalty and provided an assist for Pisilli, following his brace against Real Madrid and his assist for Cristante against Fenerbahce. The Dutchman has risen to 9 goals this season, 6 in the league and 3 in the Champions League. He is the first Roma player to be involved in a goal in each of the first three matches of a single edition of the competition, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. There were moments of tension at the Olimpico during Roma against Slovan Bratislava. In the away section, several Slovak ultras reportedly attacked police officers who had intervened to restore order, even taking some riot shields. Police responded with charges that forced the fans back. Some supporters were reportedly identified, and further measures are not ruled out, according to Corriere della Sera.

Gian Piero Gasperini is struggling for attacking options with five matches coming up, and Roma have only two fit senior forwards available, Rodrigo Mora and Soulé. Lorenzo Pellegrini was injured on 20 October and will be out for at least twenty days, so he will not return until after the mid-November international break. Gasperini admitted the problem bluntly: "Every match I lose a player, we are short in attack." The coach is hoping to have Paulo Dybala back for the last two games, against United and Sassuolo, but in the meantime he must find alternatives. One option is to push either Niccolò Pisilli or Bryan Cristante into the attacking midfield line and ask Marten de Roon for an extra effort, especially with Manu Koné also injured. The article notes that Roma have used this approach in some matches last season. Gasperini is also considering a double striker pairing of Donyell Malen and Santiago Castro, with either Mora or Soulé behind them. He also has younger players to call on, with Camara, Antonio Arena and Paratici mentioned first. The shortage makes a January transfer market move even more necessary. The alarm was first raised in September, when Roma lost Leweling and Luiz Henrique at the final moment of their pursuit.

Roma's goalscoring spread has become a major talking point after Nicolò Molina's goal against Slovan Bratislava made it 11 different scorers in just ten matches. Donyell Malen leads the way with nine goals, while Pisilli, Koné, Soulé and Hermoso have two each. Lulli, Mora, Cristante, De Roon, Castro and Molina have one apiece. In Serie A, counting cup matches too, Roma have scored from more players than Inter, who are stuck on 10. Gian Piero Gasperini's side are the only Italian club in the top bracket of the Sofascore ranking. Paulo Dybala is the notable absentee from the list and is hoping to return before the international break to add his name to the scoresheet. Every outfield player seems to be getting involved. Ghilardi, who could have been the twelfth man on Tuesday, had a goal ruled out for offside against Castro. Mancini, N'Dicka, Balerdi, Wesley, Rensch, Kouliarakis and Pellegrini are all also looking to get on the scoresheet. The key statistic, according to the article, is the number of chances created and Roma's far greater presence in the opposition box compared with last season. Apart from the match at Como, where Roma played with ten men for more than half an hour, the team have scored in every game in Serie A and the Champions League. They have almost always scored at least twice, the exception being the 1-1 draw with Fenerbahce. Across all European leagues, Brighton lead the way with 15 goals from different scorers, followed by Barcelona, Lyon, Brentford and Real Sociedad with 13. Manchester City, Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid and Freiburg have 12, while Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are on 11.

Roma dominated Slovan Bratislava from start to finish, with Hermoso and Soulé's goals and a sustained attacking display putting the Champions League side in control, and Gasperini getting the answers he was seeking from players who had previously seen less action. Gasperini changed five players from the Genoa match, lining up in a 3-4-2-1, and the Roma side swarmed the Slovan 4-3-3 from the first whistle. Quick build-up play and incisive passing saw the Giallorossi push forward continually, with the left-sided chain of Pellegrini and Wesley particularly active, Hermoso initially supporting them. Slovan struggled to break up the rhythm and pressure, and their only real source of acceleration was Camara, who was looking for long balls. Roma won the ball back immediately, often without needing any particular marking, and the play was constantly played in a 40-metre area around Takac's goal. Roma's attacking play came mainly down the left, where they regularly reached the byline. The breakthrough was slow to come, however, because of poor finishing. Pellegrini shot wide with his left foot from a Malen pass, then Pisilli sent his rebound wide, and shortly afterwards Pisilli also fired over another chance created by switches of play. Pellegrini had three wayward shots in the first 25 minutes, and Malen initially misread the channels of entry, making some poor runs. Molina, still tentative, worked more in width than in depth. The opener came from a set piece: Ghilardi acted as a target man and Hermoso buried the header. Shortly after, Wesley assisted Molina from wide, who first fluffed his effort at the far post but was then ready on Takac's imperfect rebound to make it 2-0. The double lead ended any sign of a Slovan response, with Pellegrini sound defensively and Balerdi at times almost disarming in how easily he defused danger. With the two-goal cushion, the priority became conserving energy ahead of the Napoli match. After the restart, with the same eleven players, at least another 15 minutes of intensity were needed. The change of pace came when Soulé replaced Pellegrini, who had suffered a new injury, and took up position on the left in an already devastating chain. Soon after, Pisilli won the ball from Malen and Soulé finished it off, described as "like a snack taken from a child", closing out a game that, in effect, never began for Slovan. When Malen made it 4-0, managing energy became even more important. De Roon remained surprisingly on the pitch, and Roma controlled possession, avoiding further setbacks after Pellegrini's knock. Castro and Rensch came on for Malen and Wesley, but De Roon stayed on until the 72nd minute, when Mancini replaced him in midfield, a repeat of the Fonseca emergency of 2020. Koulierakis also came on for Hermoso. Three aspects stood out late on. At 4-0, several vigorous ball recoveries by the Giallorossi showed a ferocious mentality. Castro impressed with the quality of his touch and his game management, which was truly top class. Ghilardi scored a textbook goal, a perfectly co-ordinated volley that recalled Totti at Bologna in 2001, but it was ruled out for an obvious offside by two teammates.

Gian Piero Gasperini is struggling for attacking options with five matches coming up, and Roma have only two fit senior forwards available, Rodrigo Mora and Soulé. Lorenzo Pellegrini was injured on 20 October and will be out for at least twenty days, so he will not return until after the mid-November international break. Gasperini admitted the problem bluntly: "Every match I lose a player, we are short in attack." The coach is hoping to have Paulo Dybala back for the last two games, against United and Sassuolo, but in the meantime he must find alternatives. One option is to push either Niccolò Pisilli or Bryan Cristante into the attacking midfield line and ask Marten de Roon for an extra effort, especially with Manu Koné also injured. The article notes that Roma have used this approach in some matches last season. Gasperini is also considering a double striker pairing of Donyell Malen and Santiago Castro, with either Mora or Soulé behind them. He also has younger players to call on, with Camara, Antonio Arena and Paratici mentioned first. The shortage makes a January transfer market move even more necessary. The alarm was first raised in September, when Roma lost Leweling and Luiz Henrique at the final moment of their pursuit.

Manu Koné is continuing his recovery and will try to return to Roma's squad for the match against Sassuolo, which takes place just before the international break, possibly with a place on the bench in the previous fixture against Manchester United to help him readjust. Gasperini hopes to have him back soon to strengthen a department that will also see the return of Bryan Cristante against Napoli. Paulo Dybala also has hopes of returning earlier than expected, but even in his case it will be very difficult to see him back before the trip to Old Trafford. Mile Svilar's rehabilitation continues after a fracture to his fifth toe, and he is likely to return after the international break. Lorenzo Pellegrini is due to undergo tests today.

Roma's goalscoring spread has become a major talking point after Nicolò Molina's goal against Slovan Bratislava made it 11 different scorers in just ten matches. Donyell Malen leads the way with nine goals, while Pisilli, Koné, Soulé and Hermoso have two each. Lulli, Mora, Cristante, De Roon, Castro and Molina have one apiece. In Serie A, counting cup matches too, Roma have scored from more players than Inter, who are stuck on 10. Gian Piero Gasperini's side are the only Italian club in the top bracket of the Sofascore ranking. Paulo Dybala is the notable absentee from the list and is hoping to return before the international break to add his name to the scoresheet. Every outfield player seems to be getting involved. Ghilardi, who could have been the twelfth man on Tuesday, had a goal ruled out for offside against Castro. Mancini, N'Dicka, Balerdi, Wesley, Rensch, Kouliarakis and Pellegrini are all also looking to get on the scoresheet. The key statistic, according to the article, is the number of chances created and Roma's far greater presence in the opposition box compared with last season. Apart from the match at Como, where Roma played with ten men for more than half an hour, the team have scored in every game in Serie A and the Champions League. They have almost always scored at least twice, the exception being the 1-1 draw with Fenerbahce. Across all European leagues, Brighton lead the way with 15 goals from different scorers, followed by Barcelona, Lyon, Brentford and Real Sociedad with 13. Manchester City, Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid and Freiburg have 12, while Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are on 11.

Manu Koné is continuing his recovery and hopes to return to Roma's squad for the match against Sassuolo, which falls just before the international break. The French midfielder is still unavailable, but Gasperini hopes to have him back soon to strengthen the department, according to Il Tempo. Player ratings from the Italian papers rewarded Pisilli and Wesley (7.28), the best performers in the win over Slovan Bratislava. Hermoso and Malen (7.14) also earned high marks, followed by Ghilardi and Pellegrini (7.07). Mora (5.93) received the lowest rating and was the only player below the average mark. Gasperini was also praised, receiving a 7.36 for his management of the game. Donyell Malen continues to drive Roma forward. Against Slovan Bratislava he scored a penalty and provided an assist for Pisilli, following his brace against Real Madrid and his assist for Cristante against Fenerbahce. The Dutchman has risen to 9 goals this season, 6 in the league and 3 in the Champions League. He is the first Roma player to be involved in a goal in each of the first three matches of a single edition of the competition, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. There were moments of tension at the Olimpico during Roma against Slovan Bratislava. In the away section, several Slovak ultras reportedly attacked police officers who had intervened to restore order, even taking some riot shields. Police responded with charges that forced the fans back. Some supporters were reportedly identified, and further measures are not ruled out, according to Corriere della Sera.