Radio Debate: Orsi Backs Roma's Title Credentials; Faults Inter's Shortcomings

Roma's early-season form has sparked debate among Rome radio commentators about the club's ability to challenge for the Serie A title. Leonardo Balerdi, the defender who arrived this summer, has made an immediate impact that surprised analysts, though questions remain about the decision to bench Evan N'Dicka and the inconsistency of established players. Mattioli told Radio Radio that Balerdi "is a player of experience, he has played 200 matches in the French league. I'm pleased he came to Italy and is showing what he is worth." Pruzzo added: "I did not expect Balerdi's impact, it is a positive surprise. He is reactive, very practical and does not take risks when there is no need to. On the defensive phase he is numerically sound, he is an added value." Orsi struck a bullish tone about Roma's prospects, saying the squad was built to compete for the title this year and that Roma, alongside Inter, are more ready technically and in terms of squad depth than Juventus, Milan and Napoli, which he described as "too inconsistent." Carina offered a more measured assessment, praising Balerdi's impact but cautioning that benching N'Dicka—"the strongest in one-on-one marking in Serie A"—required courage. He criticised Gianluca Mancini's defending, saying "on the goal conceded by Roma there is his fingerprint," and suggested that with five matches played, it is premature to draw firm conclusions about title contenders, noting that Juventus and Milan remain close in points despite negative talk. Pes on Teleradiostereo highlighted Mile Svilar as a decisive advantage over rivals including Inter and Como, describing him as "a goalkeeper who brings points" and an element that provides security. Pes added that if Roma can increase their goalscoring output beyond the players currently delivering—Donyell Malen, Matías Soulé and Niccolò Pisilli—the team will become genuinely interesting.

Antonio Carlos Zago, who won the Scudetto with Roma in 2001, believes the current side can mount a title challenge against Inter. Speaking after watching Roma's match on Saturday, Zago told Daniele Aloisi at Il Messaggero: "I saw the match on Saturday, Roma played well in the first half but when you lose concentration against a team like Inter you end up paying for it." Zago acknowledged the gap between his 2001 squad and the current team but remains optimistic about their prospects. "That Roma was a very strong team — the 11 starters and the bench were all internationals. It's difficult to compare this squad with that one, Serie A was Europe's best league then. But the Giallorossi can dream of the Scudetto. Inter is the only rival. Roma has a great defensive unit. The attack is strong too — they can compete until the end," he said. The former player, now managing The Strongest in Bolivia, praised Wesley, Roma's defender, calling him one of the strongest full-backs in the world and noting that Real Madrid and Manchester City had wanted him. "There's little to say about him," Zago added. "He may be scoring less but that doesn't mean he's struggling." On Gasperini's appointment as head coach, Zago offered strong backing: "If he's not the best of the last ten years he's certainly in the top three. In Serie A he's the best. The team must follow him and can aim for great results."

Roma radio stations have dissected the team's opening weeks of the 2026-27 season, focusing on attacking output, midfield deployment, and the defensive lapses that cost them against Inter. Gianluca Piacentini noted that while the team has impressed overall, Santiago Castro has yet to score despite solid performances, and the attacking group has contributed only three goals total—two from Matías Soulé and one from Rodrigo Mora—leaving room for improvement. Donyell Malen, who remained in Rome during the international break, has been the standout performer among the forwards. The consensus is that Roma's attackers, particularly Castro, Soulé and Mora, would have benefited from staying at Trigoria rather than joining their national teams for what several commentators dismissed as unnecessary international fixtures. Francesca Ferrazza explained that criticism of Paulo Dybala's reduced shooting is misplaced: "Now they're criticising Dybala because he doesn't score and doesn't shoot, but in my opinion it's precisely a deliberate choice to shoot less in goal. A choice shared with the manager, by the way. To extend his season and his career, he plays for others more than for himself." The discussion around Lorenzo Pellegrini centred on tactical fit. Lorenzo Pes raised concerns about how Pellegrini will adapt to Gasperini's intensity: "What intrigues me is how he might fit into certain systems. When you play with a trequartista, that is his best position, perhaps in that role he's the best you have, but when you line up differently on the pitch I'm not sure how much he can adapt. Last season he did reasonably well but in a very different Roma—now it's much more intense. Gasperini says he can see him in midfield too, but in that role he's never actually put him there." Mario Corsi challenged the narrative around Gianluca Mancini's role in Inter's goal, pointing out that four Roma defenders were on the pitch yet failed to function as a unit. He argued the real issue is a lack of a player who can beat his man consistently. Piero Torri stressed that after the international break, Roma will need all available players, with Gasperini having stated the team must operate with a squad of 20 across a seven-match stretch. Roberto Pruzzo offered a positive assessment, noting that Malen's presence this season—absent last year—and Dybala's apparent full recovery give Roma credible tools to challenge Inter, especially once the remainder of the transfer window closes. Luigi Salomone suggested that had Roma's previous manager substituted a different forward earlier against Lazio, the result might have shifted dramatically. The international break will resume mid-October, after which Roma face a compressed fixture list in both Serie A and the Champions League that will test squad depth and tactical flexibility.

Lorenzo Pellegrini is closing in on a competitive return after a lengthy absence. The midfielder, who has not featured in any match for Roma this season, last played in April against Pisa. Gasperini's coaching staff has designed targeted tests during the international break to rebuild his match fitness and rhythm as Pellegrini gradually increases his training workload. Pellegrini's comeback will give Gasperini an added resource in the attacking midfield area, a department so far built around Paulo Dybala, Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora. The 29-year-old is determined to repay the manager's faith and prove himself on the pitch. Beyond the immediate Roma picture, Pellegrini harbours a second objective: returning to the Italian national team and reclaiming his place under Roberto Mancini after two years away. According to Corriere della Sera, Pellegrini has been sidelined for roughly six months and remains the only outfield player in Roma's squad yet to debut in the 2026–27 campaign. His push for match sharpness and a return to previous form represents a significant boost to Gasperini's squad depth as the season progresses.

Lorenzo Pellegrini has emerged as Roma's key figure during the international break, remaining the only outfield player yet to feature under Gian Piero Gasperini this season. Despite six matches played, the head coach has called upon 19 of his 20 available outfield players, leaving Pellegrini absent from action. Rather than a tactical decision, the situation reflects the need for one of the club's captains to regain full fitness. Pellegrini's last appearance came in Roma's match against Pisa on 10 April. The break in league action has provided an opportunity for him to undertake specific fitness work to restore his match rhythm ahead of the resumption. Gasperini has shown strong confidence in Pellegrini, having actively pushed for his contract renewal on a fresh one-year deal. The manager's backing carries weight as Pellegrini looks to prove the decision justified. Beyond Roma, Pellegrini has his sights set on returning to the Italy squad under head coach Roberto Mancini, having been absent for two years. The international dimension adds further motivation for the 1996-born midfielder. During these opening days of the break, Pellegrini has notably increased his workload, following a preparation schedule delivered by Gasperini's staff. According to reporting from Simone Valdarchi in the Corriere della Sera, the squad rotation and forthcoming fixtures will give Pellegrini the platform to demonstrate the faith placed in him.

Gian Piero Gasperini is refusing to ease off during the international break, instead using the coming weeks to prepare Roma for a late-autumn peak when his teams have historically shown their strongest form. While Inter gave their squad six days of complete rest, Gasperini has maintained high-intensity training at Trigoria, though the programme is inevitably shaped by the departure of twelve international players. The squad remaining in Rome includes Mile Svilar, Donyell Malen, Paulo Dybala, Mario Hermoso, Bryan Cristante, Devyne Rensch, Nahuel Molina and Marten de Roon, alongside players requiring specific work—notably Wesley, who must build his athletic base, and Lorenzo Pellegrini, who is returning from a lengthy absence and has already begun an intensive programme to rejoin regular rotation. Gasperini is also considering organizing a friendly match that could involve some youth-team players. Gasperini's approach reflects a precise logic. His teams have consistently shown their best athletic performance between late autumn and early winter, when the benefits of summer preparation become fully absorbed. His most famous precedent came in his first Atalanta season, when six consecutive league wins in November 2016 transformed a team with survival as its target into a Europa League contender. Similar runs followed in 2021 and 2024. Roma have already started well despite not yet operating at full capacity—some new players are still integrating, others building fitness, and Pellegrini has barely begun his season. The stretch ahead will demand depth: the combination of league and Champions League fixtures will produce a sequence of closely spaced matches making it impossible to rely on the same eleven throughout. For this reason Gasperini does not want a pause. He wants a launchpad. The logic is that Roma have already built their league position during the summer; now the coach wants to prepare their bodies for autumn. If the pattern his squads have followed repeats itself, the strongest part of the season may still be to come.

Roma's early-season form has sparked debate among Rome radio commentators about the club's ability to challenge for the Serie A title. Leonardo Balerdi, the defender who arrived this summer, has made an immediate impact that surprised analysts, though questions remain about the decision to bench Evan N'Dicka and the inconsistency of established players. Mattioli told Radio Radio that Balerdi "is a player of experience, he has played 200 matches in the French league. I'm pleased he came to Italy and is showing what he is worth." Pruzzo added: "I did not expect Balerdi's impact, it is a positive surprise. He is reactive, very practical and does not take risks when there is no need to. On the defensive phase he is numerically sound, he is an added value." Orsi struck a bullish tone about Roma's prospects, saying the squad was built to compete for the title this year and that Roma, alongside Inter, are more ready technically and in terms of squad depth than Juventus, Milan and Napoli, which he described as "too inconsistent." Carina offered a more measured assessment, praising Balerdi's impact but cautioning that benching N'Dicka—"the strongest in one-on-one marking in Serie A"—required courage. He criticised Gianluca Mancini's defending, saying "on the goal conceded by Roma there is his fingerprint," and suggested that with five matches played, it is premature to draw firm conclusions about title contenders, noting that Juventus and Milan remain close in points despite negative talk. Pes on Teleradiostereo highlighted Mile Svilar as a decisive advantage over rivals including Inter and Como, describing him as "a goalkeeper who brings points" and an element that provides security. Pes added that if Roma can increase their goalscoring output beyond the players currently delivering—Donyell Malen, Matías Soulé and Niccolò Pisilli—the team will become genuinely interesting.

Mile Svilar has established himself as a cornerstone of Roma's defensive solidity nearly three years after joining the club. While Roma are not the league's meanest defence—Cagliari have conceded one fewer goal—Svilar's individual statistics are striking: three clean sheets in five Serie A matches this season, 13 saves total, and a success rate of 81.2 per cent across nineteen interventions, averaging 2.5 saves per match. The Serbian ranks on the podium for clean-sheet average among goalkeepers with at least 50 official appearances. Beyond the numbers, Svilar's strength lies in delivering one or two decisive interventions per match that routinely earn points for the team, with low-coming saves his signature move—a fundamental that showcases both his concentration and courage. The 26-year-old's commitment to Roma was tested this summer when the Friedkin Group rejected Premier League enquiries and a Juventus attempt valued at just over €40 million. Svilar made clear he wanted to stay in Rome at the club that restored his career when he arrived at 23. One significant regret shadows his career: international football. After progressing through Belgium's youth system, an appearance for Serbia in a friendly in September 2021 locked him out of the Belgium squad. Relations with Serbia have since broken down entirely, leaving Svilar outside the frame for any national team competition.

Mile Svilar has emerged as one of Europe's elite goalkeepers under Gian Piero Gasperini, and AS Roma have decisively rejected multiple advances for him this summer, including a concrete approach from Juventus worth over €40 million. The Friedkin Group stood firm, and Svilar has signed a new contract through 2030, anchoring his long-term future at the club. Svilar's form speaks for itself. In five matches this season, he has recorded three clean sheets, 13 saves and an 81.2% success rate on interventions—an average of 2.5 saves per game that places him among the elite goalkeepers with at least fifty official appearances. His performances have been pivotal: decisive interventions against Bisseck and Lautaro in the match against Inter, and against Simeone at Turin. Gasperini's system, which frequently exposes Roma to open-field duels, perfectly suits Svilar's exceptional low-ball exits and one-on-one defending. His development has been consistent since De Rossi's faith in him, followed by the backing of Ranieri, and now the complete trust of Gasperini. At 23, Svilar has rebuilt his career at Roma after difficulties at Benfica, nearly three years into his tenure as the club's undisputed first choice. He has become a leader and an idol to the supporters. One complication shadows his record: after playing for Belgium's youth sides, a 2021 friendly appearance for Serbia prevents him from being called up by the Belgian national team today—a minor disappointment that does not alter his standing at Trigoria.

Paulo Dybala has been invited by Lionel Messi to attend the Argentina captain's final match with the national team on 6 October, an invitation that also extends to Roma defender Nahuel Molina. Roma are evaluating whether to release Dybala for the fixture, and according to Corriere dello Sport, the club's preference is to keep him at Trigoria during the international break. The decision hinges on the fixture schedule. Roma's squad, under Gian Piero Gasperini, will return to action just five days after Messi's farewell—on the road against Como in Serie A. The two intercontinental journeys required within days would burden Dybala with travel recovery, jet lag, and preparation for the league match. Roma would rather have Dybala at their training base working under Gasperini's supervision and fully ready for the campaign's resumption. Molina faces the same situation and the same club stance. No final decision has been made, but Roma's current position is to retain Dybala in the capital during the break.

Paulo Dybala has signed a new annual contract with Roma heavily weighted to performance. The forward has taken a 72 per cent pay cut from his previous deal, with a fixed base of €2.2 million. He will earn an additional €100,000 for each match in which he plays as a starter for at least 45 minutes, up to a maximum of 20 appearances and €2 million in bonus payments. Niccolò Pisilli marked his 22nd birthday on Wednesday as a protagonist in Roma's latest fixture. Against Torino, he set a new club record for distance covered in a single match at 12.53 kilometres, adding a goal despite suffering from cramps. The midfielder has also scored four goals and provided an assist in his last four matches for the Under-21 side, strengthening his case for further involvement with the first team. Roma's women's team began their Champions League campaign today with a fixture at OH Leuven's Den Dreef stadium, kicking off at 18:45 and broadcast on Disney+. Manager Piovani said: "We have the opportunity to bounce back immediately," seeking redemption after losing the Women's Cup final on penalties to Juventus. Piemonte travelled with the squad but is unlikely to feature due to a cracked rib, while Pilgrim remains sidelined and Lukasova is unavailable.

Paulo Dybala has undergone a striking transformation at Roma this season, shifting from a pure finisher to a playmaker under Gian Piero Gasperini. With four official assists in Serie A — reportedly seven without regulatory technicalities — he has become the league's leading provider. The change reflects reduced obsession with scoring and greater focus on team service, aided by an exceptional physical condition never matched since his arrival at the club and buoyed by new attacking partners including Donyell Malen, who have eased the burden of single-handedly leading the attack. Dybala's resurgence stems principally from his fitness, managed by new athletic staff led by Alessandro Pilati, who arrived from Genoa after 22 years there. He has logged record minutes across Serie A and the Champions League, underpinned by his decision to abandon personal trainers and rely solely on occasional pilates sessions with his wife Oriana. That choice has yielded immediate results alongside strong leadership in the dressing room, evidenced by his decision to cut his salary significantly to remain tied to Roma. This period of enhanced prominence coincides with an invitation from Lionel Messi to participate in what is likely Messi's final match for Argentina, against Benin at the Monumental stadium. Gasperini and his coaching staff, however, prefer to avoid a long and demanding journey on the eve of the league's resumption and Roma's fixture against Como. The plan is to keep Dybala at Trigoria, protect the work accomplished so far, and ensure continuity in the new chapter of the club's campaign.