Romano, another regret on the horizon? When Roma must sell its future

Emanuele Lulli will face Torino's Nicolò Cacciamani on Sunday 13 September in what shapes as a duel between two 2007-born Italians, with incoming national team coach Roberto Mancini expected in the stands to observe them both. Roma had targeted Cacciamani during the summer transfer window, offering up to €12 million, but Torino demanded at least €20 million. Lulli remained at Trigoria after Gasperini blocked a potential loan departure and deployed him immediately as a starter. In a separate development, the Salah-Eddine saga has concluded. The Moroccan defender has accepted a transfer to Panathinaikos on a loan deal with a €5 million buy option plus bonuses, with no conditions that would trigger an automatic obligation. His exit follows exclusion from the club's UEFA list and Gasperini's comments ahead of the Atalanta fixture. Roma's women's team will contest the Serie A Women's Cup semi-final against Sassuolo at Stadio Ricci at 12:00, live on Sky Sport. The Giallorosse seek revenge after losing 0–1 to Sassuolo at Tre Fontane in late August. Baldi returns in goal and Oladipo has been called up; Lukasova and Pilgrim are absent, the latter sidelined by knee inflammation.

Christian Vieri has declared Roma contenders for the Serie A title, citing the impact of coach Gian Piero Gasperini as the decisive factor. Speaking at the World Legends Padel Tour on 11 September, the Inter legend and former Italy international told Il Messaggero that while Roma's Scudetto is not guaranteed, the club now has the credentials to fight for it. "This doesn't mean they will win it, but that they will participate in the battle thanks to Gasperini's arrival," Vieri said. Vieri ranked the coach alongside football's elite. "He is at the level of the big names worldwide: from Mourinho to Luis Enrique, from Guardiola to De La Fuente. Wherever Gasperini goes, teams change and grow. And now there is not only him, but also a great striker." He highlighted Donyell Malen's firepower as a transformative addition, noting the forward arrived from his previous club in January and has scored 19 goals. "He is a big player, like Lautaro or Hojlund. The Dutchman scores and not everyone can do that," Vieri said, dismissing criticism that Malen's goals come mainly against weaker opponents. "Goals are goals; numbers count. He can win the capocannoniere." He also singled out Paulo Dybala, saying: "I don't stop here. I want to add Dybala, who seems reborn. He impacts matches like no one else in Italy, perhaps in Europe. He may score less, but he invents football: he creates goals for others."

Gian Piero Gasperini has reshaped AS Roma's environment in just fourteen months, turning a tense setting into a serene one where the squad operates with confidence and compactness. The transformation is evident in the club's strong start to the season: 9 points from the first three Serie A matches and a significant draw secured at Fenerbahce in Istanbul in the Champions League. Playing under enormous pressure in an intense atmosphere, Roma demonstrated maturity by suffering intelligently, maintaining unity, and defending a valuable result. The match showcased the identity Gasperini is constructing—high pressing, intensity, and directness. The squad showed some fatigue early in the second half, a sign the team is still under development, but the coach can rely on a core of key leaders including Svilar, Dybala, N'Dicka, Cristante, Koné and Malen, supported by an increasingly dependable bench featuring Balerdi, Pisilli and other squad members. Fans have grasped and appreciated this direction. Roma knows when to push—as demonstrated against Atalanta at the Olimpico—and when to defend with intelligence, as in Turkey. The giallorossi approach their next challenges against Torino and Inter with enthusiasm and a fresh sense of purpose, ready to test their ambitions further.

After three league matches and nine points, Roma face their first genuine fixture congestion on the back of Champions League action midweek. Gian Piero Gasperini must now navigate his first serious turnover decision, with Manu Koné sidelined by a knee problem, Paulo Dybala cramping through the closing stages, and Gianluca Mancini appearing fatigued before his substitution. The manager faces a delicate balance: rotation has become unavoidable, but wholesale change could disrupt the coordinated pressing, tight spacing, immediate aggression after possession loss, and attacking patterns that have been central to Roma's bright start. Gasperini has built Roma's perfect opening around a squad that has rapidly learned to recognise itself. Making too many changes at once risks undermining those automatisms. Yet selective intervention is inevitable. Without Koné, Niccolò Pisilli appears the natural solution alongside Bryan Cristante; deploying Marten de Roon, though he has the deepest familiarity with Gasperini, would require him to build understanding with new teammates. In attack, resting Dybala makes sense, with Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora able to provide freshness behind Donyell Malen without overturning the offensive identity. Mancini also warrants consideration—he appeared below his usual standard in Istanbul, while Leonardo Balerdi brought aggression and intensity after entering the pitch. The real test lies in the principle Gasperini must master: having no untouchable starting eleven, yet changing three or four players without the football itself changing. Roma arrive at Torino with a perfect record and, more valuably than nine points, a recognisable shape. Three or four changes can regenerate; seven or eight risk creating a different team entirely. The paradox would be protecting energy by sacrificing the very continuity that has made the season's start so strong. For the first time, Gasperini must genuinely manage the squad rather than simply select the strongest team. That quality—doing turnover so well it barely shows—will define whether Roma can sustain their level across multiple competitions.

Emanuele Lulli missed training on 12 September with influenza ahead of Roma's Serie A clash against Torino on 14 September at 18:30 at the Stadio Olimpico-Grande Torino, a fourth-round fixture. The 19-year-old defender hopes to recover in time for the match and undergo a decisive final training session. Gian Piero Gasperini will hold his pre-match press conference at Trigoria at 13:30 on 13 September, with an eye toward rotation given Roma's three fixtures in just over a week—including a Champions League match against Fenerbahce and a home encounter with Inter the following Saturday. Koné and Pellegrini are also focal points of Friday's training assessment. The French midfielder has a knee issue that is not a major concern but will not be risked; he trained separately on 12 September, meaning Niccolò Pisilli is expected to start alongside Bryan Cristante in midfield at Torino. Pellegrini is hoping to earn his first squad call-up of the season. Lulli, a 19-year-old from Palestrina, is keen to face Torino's Cacciamani, who recently renewed his contract with the Turin side, and to perform in front of national team coach Mancini, who is scheduled to attend the match according to reports.

Niccolò Pisilli is set to make his first Serie A start of the season in Roma's trip to Torino, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini moving to deploy the midfielder alongside Bryan Cristante. The decision comes with Manu Koné sidelined by knee inflammation and training separately; Gasperini has chosen to preserve the French midfielder ahead of the Inter fixture. Pisilli, born in 2004 and a Roma academy product, has made 81 appearances for the club and has already contributed 71 minutes and a goal against Fiorentina this season. Gasperini's faith in the young midfielder reflects a wider commitment: in the summer transfer window, the coach blocked a potential sale to Porto worth approximately €25 million, convinced Pisilli could become an important rotation option. That conviction was reinforced during the Istanbul fixture when Koné was injured and Gasperini again chose Pisilli over Marten de Roon. Emanuele Lulli, born in 2007, offers a parallel story of academy development. The defender has started Roma's first three league matches and impressed against Fiorentina, Lecce, and Atalanta before being rested during the Champions League match against Fenerbahce. His availability for the Torino trip remains uncertain after a bout of influenza forced him to miss the latest training session. Should he recover, he will compete for the right-back spot where Nahuel Molina has not yet reached peak fitness and Devyne Rensch did not convince in Istanbul. Both players embody Roma's strategy of developing talent within the academy system. With a long season ahead across both Serie A and the Champions League, having two Trigoria-raised players capable of earning genuine first-team rotation represents far more than a feel-good story for the club.

Gian Piero Gasperini held his pre-match press conference at 13:30 on 13 September from Trigoria ahead of Roma's fourth-round Serie A fixture against Torino on Monday 14 September at the Stadio Olimpico-Grande Torino, with kickoff at 18:30. The head coach addressed several topics in the buildup to the match, a second fixture in five days for Roma. Emanuele Lulli has recovered from injury, but Gasperini fielded questions about the fitness of Manu Koné and Lorenzo Pellegrini. The discussion also covered a potential minor rotation in the squad ahead of facing Torino manager Abate. The press conference came a few days after Roma's opening Champions League match, which ended in a draw against Fenerbahce. Gasperini's full remarks were made available following the conference.

Emanuele Lulli will be available for Gian Piero Gasperini in Roma's match against Torino on 14 September after recovering from an intestinal virus he suffered in recent days. The 19-year-old, who plays as a defender, is expected to start in the Serie A fixture at Stadio Olimpico-Grande Torino, the club's fourth league match of the season. Lulli had contracted the virus without fever, according to Sky Sport journalist Angelo Mangiante. The Palestrina-born player had featured in Roma's opening three Serie A games before being named on the bench for the Champions League debut at home against Fenerbahce. He will train normally today, though the fitness of Manu Koné and Lorenzo Pellegrini remains under observation.

Emanuele Lulli will face Torino's Nicolò Cacciamani on Sunday 13 September in what shapes as a duel between two 2007-born Italians, with incoming national team coach Roberto Mancini expected in the stands to observe them both. Roma had targeted Cacciamani during the summer transfer window, offering up to €12 million, but Torino demanded at least €20 million. Lulli remained at Trigoria after Gasperini blocked a potential loan departure and deployed him immediately as a starter. In a separate development, the Salah-Eddine saga has concluded. The Moroccan defender has accepted a transfer to Panathinaikos on a loan deal with a €5 million buy option plus bonuses, with no conditions that would trigger an automatic obligation. His exit follows exclusion from the club's UEFA list and Gasperini's comments ahead of the Atalanta fixture. Roma's women's team will contest the Serie A Women's Cup semi-final against Sassuolo at Stadio Ricci at 12:00, live on Sky Sport. The Giallorosse seek revenge after losing 0–1 to Sassuolo at Tre Fontane in late August. Baldi returns in goal and Oladipo has been called up; Lukasova and Pilgrim are absent, the latter sidelined by knee inflammation.