Soulé and Castro watch from the bench as Balerdi features in Argentina's night

Nahuel Molina received a seven-match ban at the end of Argentina's World Cup final defeat to Spain. The Roma defender is an important player for coach Scaloni, and the Argentine Football Association has lodged an appeal with FIFA seeking a reduction from seven matches to three. Under FIFA's current disciplinary code, friendly matches are normally not counted toward serving suspensions incurred during tournament play. However, the AFA has recently obtained recognition of three of its international friendlies during the current international break as official matches. Molina has therefore already served three of his seven-match suspension, and if the overall ban reduction is granted, he could be available for Argentina's squad selection at the next international window in November.

With a long international break giving Roma players downtime, the squad has been pursuing a diverse range of hobbies away from the pitch. Wesley has garnered attention for his collection of luxury cars stored in his garage, a sight that prompted teammate Soulé to make a quip about his fellow defender's automotive passion. The Brazilian is far from alone in his interests: Manu Koné, the French midfielder, describes himself as a homebody who loves spending his days resting at home, driven by an unconditional passion for French rap and trap music. His dancing and musical performances have become iconic within the group. Mario Hermoso prefers to listen to music by the pool and at the beach, his two great loves, and has recently become involved in the social ritual of mate preparation alongside Argentine players Dybala, Soulé, Balerdi, Castro and Molina. The traditional infusion travels everywhere with them, from long team bus journeys to sessions at Trigoria, serving not simply as a beverage but as a way to unwind and chat. Evan N'Dicka has revealed a strong attraction to architecture and art, appreciating Rome's historical richness during his leisure time and regularly reading history books at home. Marten de Roon curates his social media and seeks out food and wine experiences, while Mile Svilar dedicates considerable time to work with his mental coach before matches, regularly practising visualisation and breathing exercises to train self-control.

The Argentine Football Association has reportedly filed an appeal to reduce Nahuel Molina's suspension from seven matches to three following the fracas at the end of the World Cup. If successful, the Roma defender could return to Scaloni's squad as early as the November international break. Molina and Paulo Dybala did not travel for Argentina's final match with Messi, with Roma citing sporting and logistical reasons ahead of the Como away fixture. Former Roma academy product Riccardo Pagano, now at Cesena, reflected on his years at Trigoria. "I entered as a child. It wasn't easy to leave, but the moment had come," he said. Pagano recalled a key moment under José Mourinho: "After my retirement he called me into his office and told me: 'From now on you'll be permanently in the first team, you'll be one of us. I really liked you.'" He also spoke warmly of his bond with Luigi Cherubini: "We practically grew up together; we speak every day." Meanwhile, Rome's City Assessor for Urban Planning Maurizio Veloccia provided an update on Roma's new stadium project. He described it as "one of the most beautiful projects ever built in Italy, with sustainable materials and innovations linked to energy and the recovery of natural resources." Public works to ensure safe access and egress will cost approximately €100 million, entirely borne by the club. In total, "Roma will invest €1.5 billion," while the municipality will reinvest several tens of millions in the area and approximately €180 million on Line B metro signalling systems.

With a long international break giving Roma players downtime, the squad has been pursuing a diverse range of hobbies away from the pitch. Wesley has garnered attention for his collection of luxury cars stored in his garage, a sight that prompted teammate Soulé to make a quip about his fellow defender's automotive passion. The Brazilian is far from alone in his interests: Manu Koné, the French midfielder, describes himself as a homebody who loves spending his days resting at home, driven by an unconditional passion for French rap and trap music. His dancing and musical performances have become iconic within the group. Mario Hermoso prefers to listen to music by the pool and at the beach, his two great loves, and has recently become involved in the social ritual of mate preparation alongside Argentine players Dybala, Soulé, Balerdi, Castro and Molina. The traditional infusion travels everywhere with them, from long team bus journeys to sessions at Trigoria, serving not simply as a beverage but as a way to unwind and chat. Evan N'Dicka has revealed a strong attraction to architecture and art, appreciating Rome's historical richness during his leisure time and regularly reading history books at home. Marten de Roon curates his social media and seeks out food and wine experiences, while Mile Svilar dedicates considerable time to work with his mental coach before matches, regularly practising visualisation and breathing exercises to train self-control.

Leonardo Balerdi took the field for Argentina in a friendly against Bolivia overnight, with the defender and teammate Matías Soulé remaining unused. Castro stayed on the bench. On social media, Balerdi wrote: "Farne parte con la maglietta migliore" (to be part of it with the best shirt), prompting a response from Castro—a simple "Francooo" with a fire emoji—a clear reference to a comparison Gasperini made a couple of weeks ago between the centre-back and Franco Baresi, the Milan and Italy legend, in his post-match comments after Torino versus Roma. Gasperini's remark drew attention across the dressing room, and the coach subsequently clarified his approach, explaining that he regularly compares his players with sporting icons to push them to perform at their highest level. Balerdi himself took a more measured stance when asked about the Baresi comparison, stating: "They misunderstood; I remain humble." The exchange illustrates how Gasperini's influence extends even when Roma's players are on international duty.

Roma right-back Wesley has announced the purchase of a Lamborghini, adding to his growing collection of high-performance vehicles. The Brazilian defender, who has been at the club for a year, shared the news on Instagram. Wesley previously bought a Ferrari last year and is clearly a fan of speed both on and off the pitch, where he has established himself as a constant threat on the flanks. The post drew comments from several Roma players, including fellow Brazilian Santiago Castro, who joked about fuel costs. Matías Soulé also weighed in with a piece of tongue-in-cheek advice for his teammate: "You need to close the garage." The comment sparked laughter among supporters. Other notables to respond included Endrick, whom Roma fans used the occasion to jokingly invite to the club.

With a long international break giving Roma players downtime, the squad has been pursuing a diverse range of hobbies away from the pitch. Wesley has garnered attention for his collection of luxury cars stored in his garage, a sight that prompted teammate Soulé to make a quip about his fellow defender's automotive passion. The Brazilian is far from alone in his interests: Manu Koné, the French midfielder, describes himself as a homebody who loves spending his days resting at home, driven by an unconditional passion for French rap and trap music. His dancing and musical performances have become iconic within the group. Mario Hermoso prefers to listen to music by the pool and at the beach, his two great loves, and has recently become involved in the social ritual of mate preparation alongside Argentine players Dybala, Soulé, Balerdi, Castro and Molina. The traditional infusion travels everywhere with them, from long team bus journeys to sessions at Trigoria, serving not simply as a beverage but as a way to unwind and chat. Evan N'Dicka has revealed a strong attraction to architecture and art, appreciating Rome's historical richness during his leisure time and regularly reading history books at home. Marten de Roon curates his social media and seeks out food and wine experiences, while Mile Svilar dedicates considerable time to work with his mental coach before matches, regularly practising visualisation and breathing exercises to train self-control.

Leonardo Balerdi took the field for Argentina in a friendly against Bolivia overnight, with the defender and teammate Matías Soulé remaining unused. Castro stayed on the bench. On social media, Balerdi wrote: "Farne parte con la maglietta migliore" (to be part of it with the best shirt), prompting a response from Castro—a simple "Francooo" with a fire emoji—a clear reference to a comparison Gasperini made a couple of weeks ago between the centre-back and Franco Baresi, the Milan and Italy legend, in his post-match comments after Torino versus Roma. Gasperini's remark drew attention across the dressing room, and the coach subsequently clarified his approach, explaining that he regularly compares his players with sporting icons to push them to perform at their highest level. Balerdi himself took a more measured stance when asked about the Baresi comparison, stating: "They misunderstood; I remain humble." The exchange illustrates how Gasperini's influence extends even when Roma's players are on international duty.

Roma enter a critical period from 11 October that will reveal whether their depth can match their starting XI. Between the away trip to Como and the home fixture against Sassuolo on 7 November, the Giallorossi will play nine matches in 28 days—six in Serie A and three in the UEFA Champions League—at an average of one game every three days. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has built his team around a recognisable core of first-choice players, but that group will no longer be enough. The test will determine whether those who have played less can step up without a noticeable drop in performance. Through the first five matchdays, the numbers reveal Gasperini's structural priorities. Goalkeeper Mile Svilar has not missed a minute in the league; Bryan Cristante has played 424 minutes, Mario Hermoso 419, Paulo Dybala 407 and Gianluca Mancini 392. Eight players have exceeded 300 minutes, forming the nucleus around which the team has built its current lead. Donyell Malen has scored six goals in five league matches and become the technical reference point of the attack, while Dybala has contributed four assists. Cristante, Hermoso and Mancini have provided near-absolute continuity and reliability. The midfield partnership of Cristante and Manu Koné has been the reference pairing, with different but complementary characteristics, while Marten de Roon and Niccolò Pisilli have seen far less action. De Roon knows Gasperini's football intimately and can guarantee balance and reading of play, but has been used mainly in brief spells; Pisilli brings dynamism and runs forward but must prove he can perform when the opponent's quality rises. Matches against Real Madrid, Napoli and Manchester United will inevitably create minutes for both. The defence faces similar pressures. Mancini and Hermoso have been almost untouchable, but the competition behind them is abundant: Leonardo Balerdi, Daniele Ghilardi and Konstantinos Koulierakis must transform from alternatives into genuinely interchangeable options. Ghilardi has already accumulated 142 league minutes, while Koulierakis has been used far less despite the summer investment. In Gasperini's system, where defenders are asked to accept constant individual duels and play far from their goal, changing a centre-back is never a neutral substitution—the player entering must have fully absorbed the line's timing, aggression and mechanics. On the flanks, rotations will be equally unavoidable. Wesley has been heavily used, young Emanuele Lulli has been a major surprise, and Nahuel Molina has collected 216 Serie A minutes with two starts. Devyne Rensch has found the least space but has always proved reliable. In attack, Matías Soulé has already broken down the distinction between starter and reserve with 279 minutes, three starts, two goals and an assist. Rodrigo Mora has 171 league minutes and a goal across two starts but has seen his space diminish. Santiago Castro has played little and never started in the league, while Lorenzo Pellegrini arrives after a long absence from official matches and must regain rhythm and standing. The fixture list permits no simple calculations. Como, Real Madrid, Genoa, Slovan Bratislava, Napoli, Cagliari, Udinese, Manchester United and Sassuolo in less than a month means there are no real matches in which to field eleven reserves and rest everyone else. Gasperini must continually shuffle the cards, retaining six or seven men from the core structure each time and progressively introducing others. Roma has shown a competitive first eleven so far; in the next four weeks it must prove it has something more—sixteen or eighteen players capable of sustaining the same level. If the goal is to stay in the highest reaches of Serie A while being competitive in the Champions League, the quality of alternatives becomes almost as important as that of the starters.

With a long international break giving Roma players downtime, the squad has been pursuing a diverse range of hobbies away from the pitch. Wesley has garnered attention for his collection of luxury cars stored in his garage, a sight that prompted teammate Soulé to make a quip about his fellow defender's automotive passion. The Brazilian is far from alone in his interests: Manu Koné, the French midfielder, describes himself as a homebody who loves spending his days resting at home, driven by an unconditional passion for French rap and trap music. His dancing and musical performances have become iconic within the group. Mario Hermoso prefers to listen to music by the pool and at the beach, his two great loves, and has recently become involved in the social ritual of mate preparation alongside Argentine players Dybala, Soulé, Balerdi, Castro and Molina. The traditional infusion travels everywhere with them, from long team bus journeys to sessions at Trigoria, serving not simply as a beverage but as a way to unwind and chat. Evan N'Dicka has revealed a strong attraction to architecture and art, appreciating Rome's historical richness during his leisure time and regularly reading history books at home. Marten de Roon curates his social media and seeks out food and wine experiences, while Mile Svilar dedicates considerable time to work with his mental coach before matches, regularly practising visualisation and breathing exercises to train self-control.

The Argentine Football Association has reportedly filed an appeal to reduce Nahuel Molina's suspension from seven matches to three following the fracas at the end of the World Cup. If successful, the Roma defender could return to Scaloni's squad as early as the November international break. Molina and Paulo Dybala did not travel for Argentina's final match with Messi, with Roma citing sporting and logistical reasons ahead of the Como away fixture. Former Roma academy product Riccardo Pagano, now at Cesena, reflected on his years at Trigoria. "I entered as a child. It wasn't easy to leave, but the moment had come," he said. Pagano recalled a key moment under José Mourinho: "After my retirement he called me into his office and told me: 'From now on you'll be permanently in the first team, you'll be one of us. I really liked you.'" He also spoke warmly of his bond with Luigi Cherubini: "We practically grew up together; we speak every day." Meanwhile, Rome's City Assessor for Urban Planning Maurizio Veloccia provided an update on Roma's new stadium project. He described it as "one of the most beautiful projects ever built in Italy, with sustainable materials and innovations linked to energy and the recovery of natural resources." Public works to ensure safe access and egress will cost approximately €100 million, entirely borne by the club. In total, "Roma will invest €1.5 billion," while the municipality will reinvest several tens of millions in the area and approximately €180 million on Line B metro signalling systems.

Former Roma goalkeeper Julio Sergio has assessed the club's strong start to the 2026–27 season in an interview, singling out Mile Svilar for particular praise. Sergio believes Roma have narrowed the gap on Inter, who remain the team to beat, though he acknowledges that Champions League involvement this season will demand significant energy. On Svilar specifically, Sergio said: "Currently, in my view, he can be considered among the three best goalkeepers in the world. He is a beast, he manages to be quick and has very good technique." Sergio highlighted Rodrigo Mora as the summer arrival with the greatest potential impact. "Rodrigo Mora I really like a lot and I am sure he will be an important player over the course of the season," he said. Wesley, the Brazilian defender, was assessed as needing to improve his consistency both physically and technically. Sergio also commented on the attacking form of Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen, describing them as "a great pairing," though he urged caution about title ambitions: "They are a great couple, but it is still too early to talk about the Scudetto."