Roma and the 'intermediaries' question: Leonardi's name resurfaces

Francesco Totti tops a new Transfermarkt ranking of the all-time leading goalscorers at individual Serie A stadiums, with 160 goals at the Stadio Olimpico. Two other current or former Roma players also feature in the list. Matías Soulé is placed 20th thanks to seven goals scored for Frosinone at the Benito Stirpe. Paulo Dybala, the all-time top scorer at Juventus's Allianz Stadium with 45 goals, makes up the third Roma name in the rankings. The ranking compares the players who have scored the most goals within a single stadium in the history of the top flight, placing Totti's Olimpico record at the head of the table.

Donyell Malen has been voted the best player in Serie A for September, the AIC (Italian Footballers' Association) announced. The Roma forward received the award today from AIC director general Gianni Grazioli. Malen has made a strong start to the season, scoring 6 goals in 6 league matches, plus 3 goals in 3 Champions League games. The Dutch striker continued the form he showed last season after arriving at Roma in January. AIC shared a photo of the presentation on social media, showing Malen receiving the award from Grazioli.

Roma forward Donyell Malen has been named Serie A's Player of the Month for September, with the award presented today by the general director of the AIC (Italian Footballers' Association), Gianni Grazioli. Malen, a Dutchman, has continued to score and perform for Roma in both Serie A and the Champions League, and has 9 goals for the club across all competitions so far. Malen's form has been a consistent feature since his arrival in mid-January. In 29 matches he has scored 24 goals, a remarkable return. His September award was earned in part by his goal against Torino, alongside what the article describes as his usual strong performances. Grazioli presented the award to Malen directly today, recognising the Dutchman as the league's best player for the month of September.

Donyell Malen has been voted the best player in Serie A for September, the AIC (Italian Footballers' Association) announced. The Roma forward received the award today from AIC director general Gianni Grazioli. Malen has made a strong start to the season, scoring 6 goals in 6 league matches, plus 3 goals in 3 Champions League games. The Dutch striker continued the form he showed last season after arriving at Roma in January. AIC shared a photo of the presentation on social media, showing Malen receiving the award from Grazioli.

Roma forward Donyell Malen has been named Serie A's Player of the Month for September, with the award presented today by the general director of the AIC (Italian Footballers' Association), Gianni Grazioli. Malen, a Dutchman, has continued to score and perform for Roma in both Serie A and the Champions League, and has 9 goals for the club across all competitions so far. Malen's form has been a consistent feature since his arrival in mid-January. In 29 matches he has scored 24 goals, a remarkable return. His September award was earned in part by his goal against Torino, alongside what the article describes as his usual strong performances. Grazioli presented the award to Malen directly today, recognising the Dutchman as the league's best player for the month of September.

Napoli and Roma meet on Saturday at 18:00 at the Maradona in Serie A matchday eight, both sides coming off Champions League wins earlier in the week. Roma arrive seven points clear of Napoli, who have stumbled through a start to the season that has included more slips than they would like. Attack and midfield quality are the headline strengths for both teams, but this fixture is also about experience and solidity at the back, where the two central defenders are Amir Rrahmani for Napoli and Evan N'Dicka for Roma. Rrahmani remains a fixed point in the Napoli back line under Allegri, prized for his physical presence, experience, positional sense and consistency. The Kosovan centre-back is especially effective in marking, in the air and in reading situations inside the box, while also being one of the first options when Napoli build from the back. In Serie A this season he has been virtually irreplaceable, starting all seven matches and playing 630 minutes, always on the pitch from first whistle to last. He has done the same in the Champions League. His passing accuracy is close to 90 per cent, with roughly 60 successful passes per 90 minutes, alongside 12 tackles and a notable 53 defensive clearances. That last figure underlines his ability to intervene when opponents press hardest. Against Roma he will be asked above all to control the movement of Malen and the late runs of Roma's attacking players. N'Dicka's strengths are physicality, pace and the ability to defend well away from his own area. Under Gian Piero Gasperini he has become a central figure in Roma's defence, able to operate in several positions within the three-man back line. He is particularly effective in duels and in covering the space behind his team-mates. In Serie A he has made five appearances for 367 minutes, and his numbers show a decisive impact: he is Roma's best performer for defensive clearances per 90 minutes, at 7.1, and averages 10.5 defensive actions per 90. His distribution is also significant, with a pass completion rate above 94 per cent and about 49 completed passes per 90 minutes. Against Napoli, his capacity to hold his own in individual duels and to step out aggressively onto the striker could be one of the keys to Roma's defensive phase.

Former Roma midfielder Angelo Di Livio, speaking to Retesport, said he likes the idea of playing Wesley further forward against Napoli, with Molina dropping deeper on the same flank. Di Livio believes Gasperini will be missing two important players, including Dybala, and he questioned Lorenzo Pellegrini's latest injury, asking what fault the player had for having to stop again. Di Livio said Cristante is not well and does not think he can start. He expects Gasperini to have prepared alternative plans in midfield to cover the absences. The attacking absences of Pellegrini and Dybala in the final third are what make the idea of Wesley further up the pitch appealing to him. Di Livio expects Evan Lulli...

Lorenzo Pellegrini faces a spell on the sidelines after scans revealed a high-grade tear to the distal muscle-tendon junction of the semitendinosus in his right thigh, the injury he suffered in Roma's match against Slovan Bratislava. The diagnosis is considerably more serious than the initial feeling after the game, when Gian Piero Gasperini had suggested a layoff of around twenty days. It is still too early to name a precise return date, which will depend on the actual extent of the tear, whether the tendon is involved and, above all, how the player responds to rehabilitation. However, given the high-grade classification, a cautious estimate points to a absence of 6-10 weeks. In calendar terms, Pellegrini would not only miss the November international break; a possible return could come between early and mid-December. Roma will only be able to set more precise timings once the clinical picture develops. If the tendon is particularly badly affected, recovery could take even longer. The blow is particularly heavy for Gasperini given the state of the attack. Paulo Dybala is already sidelined, and after the win over Slovan the coach had sounded the alarm: "If we don't recover Dybala quickly, we will really be few in number." Pellegrini's injury makes Roma's numerical problem in the attacking midfield even more evident. Gasperini will rely mainly on Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora, possibly using Donyell Malen and Santiago Castro together, or alternative solutions such as moving Wesley forward. Roma lose one of the players the coach was using most in his offensive rotations at the most demanding point of the calendar.

Roma's injury crisis deepened as Lorenzo Pellegrini was lost against Slovan Bratislava, adding to a growing list of absentees ahead of the trip to Napoli. Gasperini is working through his options for the Maradona fixture, with Malen and Soulé almost certain to start, but the final place in the attacking midfield remains open. The Pellegrini injury is already the seventh muscular injury of the season, on top of a bone-related problem suffered by Svilar. Dybala and Koné are also on the treatment list. Rodrigo Mora has not convinced, particularly in terms of attitude, in the recent games against Genoa and Slovan Bratislava, which has opened the door for Bryan Cristante, who has just returned from a knee problem. Cristante has not played since 19 September against Inter, just over a month ago, and his availability will be decisive. If he is not fit to start, Mora would almost certainly be given the nod from the first minute, as the pairing of Castro and Malen is not part of Gasperini's plans for a game of this importance. Gasperini has emergency alternatives. He could push Mancini or Hermoso into midfield, or use Wesley as an attacking winger, a solution already seen during a match last season, with Lulli and Molina then occupying the flanks. Napoli, who appear to have found a new balance in recent outings with De Bruyne dropping into the holding role, are just two days away from the clash at the Maradona, and Gasperini still has plenty of selection questions to resolve.