Stramaccioni: Gap between Roma and Inter has narrowed

Roma are being urged to exploit Udinese's current form, with Nando Orsi calling the visitors the weakest Udinese side in recent years after five straight defeats. Orsi said: 'Udinese come into this on five defeats, lost deservedly: this is the worst Udinese of recent years. Roma must take advantage. I'm sorry, because Udinese are a tough side, but Roma cannot waste this game.' Roberto Pruzzo noted that Inter have not won a derby in seven matches, saying Roma could move a little closer to the top of the table. He warned that the match should not become too physical, as that could make things complicated against Udinese, and said Roma should rely on technique and quality. Pruzzo also suggested playing Niccolò Pisilli, saying: 'He adapts to everything, he has to play.' Ugo Trani expects Gasperini to rotate mainly in defence, noting that the coach can only change those players. Ghilardi and Hermoso will play for certain, as will Wesley and Cristante. Trani believes Roma will line up with two attacking midfielders today. On the transfer market, he said Njie has shots and incredible pace but lacks the head for the game, adding that Roma followed him last summer before Fiorentina signed him. He described Lang as someone who 'breaks games' open. On Endrick, Trani said Roma will try to bring him in one way or another, though Arsenal's interest would make it more complicated, while he would certainly find more space in Rome. Trani also highlighted that Balde earns 5.5 million at Barcelona, and that Roma could try in January, paying less than two million in wages for six months. He added that Roma will take two strikers regardless. On the Udinese game, he said: 'The match against Udinese is very heavy, which is why I don't trust it. I wouldn't feel comfortable even at 11 against 9... Dybala is missing in these games.'

Radio pundits across Rome's airwaves have made Roma's home clash with Udinese a must-win fixture, with several arguing that a victory would allow the club to push on in a manageable run of fixtures. Carina, speaking on Radio Radio, said: "On paper it is a round that should help the two Roman clubs. I am convinced Milan can win this derby. Udinese are a big unknown: last year Roma played a bad game, and if Udinese manage to produce a match like that, Roma can run into difficulties. Malen is incredible: he scores a goal a game. Roma were "Svilar-dependent", this year that is not the case, they score a lot. It is a more "Gasperinian" side than last year's and it is bearing fruit. What surprises me is not so much the play as the number of injuries. It would surprise me to see De Roon start, because against Cagliari he seemed tired to me. It seems to me a game to play with two behind Malen. This is a game Roma must win: if they win today, they have an affordable schedule and can push on emphatically." Sabatini, also on Radio Radio, said Udinese are going through a negative period. "Seeing them rack up five or six defeats seems an anomaly to me for a side that is not destined for last place. Roma have every chance of winning, but beware: Udinese can wake up." Pruzzo, on the same station, said Roma's game is within reach and could help them move closer to the top, noting that Inter have not won the derby in seven matches. He added that Pisilli adapts to anything and must play, and that the team seems capable of a less physical game: "If you get into a physical battle with them it can become complicated. You have to focus on technique and quality." Orsi, also on Radio Radio, said: "Udinese come off five defeats, and they lost them deservedly: this is the worst Udinese of recent years. Roma must take advantage. I am sorry, because Udinese are a tough side, but Roma cannot waste this match."

Former Roma striker Abel Balbo believes Gian Piero Gasperini's side can mount a serious challenge for the Serie A title, while identifying Inter as the main rival. Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Argentine, who also played for Udinese, gave the current squad a strong endorsement but drew a firm line when comparisons with the club's 2001 champions were raised. Balbo said Roma have a solid group of players and praised the coach's influence. "Roma are strong, really strong. They have a solid group, made up of players with balls. Gasp gets the best out of them, they would throw themselves into the fire for him." Asked whether Roma can win the Scudetto, he answered: "Yes, although they will battle with Inter, who at the moment are better equipped both in their starting XI and in their reserves. Roma will play the role of the antagonist until the end. If the Nerazzurri slip up, Roma must be there ready to take advantage." He was far more cautious on comparisons with the 2001 title-winning side. "No... go easy on the comparisons. That team was a different thing. We had champions in every department. I was the fourth striker and in front of me I had Batistuta, Totti and Montella. We could only win." Balbo credited the title to the club's then president. "The merit for that victory belongs to Franco Sensi, an enlightened president. There are no longer men like him in football..." Balbo also looked back fondly on his time in Rome, describing the move from Udine as moving from a small town of 100,000 people to a city of millions. "Everything changes. In giallorosso I lived spectacular years, especially with Mazzone on the bench. For me Carletto was like a father."

Daniele Ghilardi enjoyed his first Serie A goal in Roma's 4-0 win at Udinese, a result that brought smiles, records and new confidence to Gian Piero Gasperini's side. Ghilardi had earlier seen a goal ruled out for offside against Slovan Bratislava. Speaking after the match with a laugh, he said: "It's my first in A, I struck it with all the strength I had. It was the end of the game, I had cramps in my calves. I was dead, I was stretching and they didn't see me." He also teased team-mate Emanuele Lulli about goal celebrations: "I celebrated better than Emanuele because he wasn't used to it. I scored two in B and one in C. It took more than two seasons to do it in Serie A." The defender, who has moved past his early difficulties, now feels fully integrated into Gasperini's systems and into the central role he has in the team's play. Evan Ndicka also impressed at the back, scoring the decisive fourth goal and winning 100% of his duels, with four recoveries and four clearances. Ndicka said: "I'm happy, but above all for the team and for the three points. In the second half we dropped the tempo a little. When you close the first half 4-0 there is a risk of already thinking about the next games, but that didn't happen. We are all starters and each of us has his own minutes." Roma will not return to Rome straight after the win. The squad held a recovery session at Udinese's training centre, before travelling by coach to Trieste in the afternoon and then flying to England. Roma face Manchester United at Old Trafford in a demanding Champions League fixture. The medical staff have confirmed there will be no quick returns: Svilar, Dybala and Koné will not travel and are aiming to return ahead of the next fixtures before the November break.

Roma have chosen not to return to Rome after their comfortable win over Udinese, staying overnight in Udine ahead of Tuesday evening's Champions League clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford. Il Tempo reports that the squad will hold a recovery session this morning at the Udinese training centre before a bus transfer to Trieste in the afternoon and onward travel to Manchester. The decision is designed to reduce travelling for the Giallorossi, who are back in the Champions League this season. Gian Piero Gasperini's side will effectively operate as a mini-training camp on the eve of the match. Paulo Dybala is set to miss the fixture, although Gasperini is still hoping for a last-minute recovery. The eve-of-match schedule includes a press conference with Gasperini and one player at around 18:20, followed immediately by a final training session, the rifinitura.

Rodrigo Mora has been rewarded with a place in the starting line-up at Udine, four days after he came off the bench to put Roma back ahead against Cagliari, and he repaid the faith by scoring again. Gian Piero Gasperini has handed the Portuguese a first-team shirt, and Mora is responding with goals. Up to this point Mora had produced almost all of his impact from the substitutes' bench. He scored against Lecce, set up Malen against Real Madrid, and scored and assisted against Cagliari. Against Cagliari, Roma had been pegged back to 2-2 in the 81st minute. Mora then headed the new lead and created the move that led to Malen's goal for 4-2, as Marco Juric notes in La Repubblica. The 22-year-old was bought from Porto for 25 million euros, a figure the Italian report describes as currently standing. The switch to the starting XI marks a new phase. Mora is no longer simply a surprise weapon off the bench; he now has to confirm his form. In a squad built to win immediately, with Dybala and Soulé ahead of him in the pecking order, his step up is arguably the most demanding one. Gasperini continues to rely on his strongest players, but he is also widening the group of players he trusts. In short, Mora's start at Udine is both a reward and a test, and the Roma coach is showing that his trust extends beyond his established first-choice players.

Cristante has been named the best Roma player by Italian newspapers, rated 7.79, with the Corriere dello Sport calling his performance "sontuoso ben oltre il gol e l'assist" (superb well beyond the goal and assist). Behind him, Soulé (7.29) was praised for being consistently creative and dangerous, while Malen (7.21) and Ghilardi (7.07) also earned high marks, with Ghilardi celebrating his first Serie A goal. Ndicka and Mora both received 7.00. In an evening without any genuine failures, the lowest ratings went to Gollini and Pisilli (6.07), followed by Molina and Castro (6.21). Referee Maresca received an overall positive verdict, rated 6.00, helped by a match that Roma steered early. Gazzetta, Corriere dello Sport and Messaggero all praised him, while Il Romanista, giving him 5.5, was the only outlet to criticise his performance. The most debated moment came late in the match, when Kabasele and Castro made contact. Gazzetta and Corriere dello Sport judged the touch too light to award a penalty. Il Romanista disagreed, calling the contact "abbastanza chiaro" (fairly clear) and criticising the decision to let play continue. The ratings reflect a broadly positive picture for Roma, with the press singling out midfield and attacking contributions alongside the defensive display of Ghilardi and Ndicka. The debate over the late Kabasele-Castro incident has become the main point of discussion for the referee's performance, with the newspapers split on whether a spot-kick should have been given. The piece is a rolling round-up of short Roma news items, notes and reports published on Sunday 1 November 2026 under the Giallorossi.net flash banner.

Roma routed Udinese at the Bluenergy Stadium, with Ghilardi adding his name to the list of scorers in the eighth match in twenty days, a sign of a side that spreads its goals across the squad. Gasperini's team, lining up in their usual 3-4-2-1, were far too strong for an Udinese side on a sixth consecutive defeat and struggling badly for both results and performance. The win also brings a small record: 28 goals in the first 10 rounds of Serie A, which shifts the focus onto Roma's attack, even though until two matches ago they had boasted the best defence in Europe. Runjaić set his Udinese side up in a 5-3-2, with Ekkelenkamp as the anchor man. Roma controlled the game from the start, with Cristante and De Roon dropping in turn to build alongside Ndicka, the two wing-backs pushing wide, and Wesley and Molina pushing into attack. The left-hand channel of Mora and Wesley, with Hermoso in support, was especially active, and Roma found space mainly out wide. Possession, however, did not initially produce many chances. Roma were slow to move the ball, allowing Udinese's physical approach to disrupt their build-up. Their problem was failing to recognise the need to speed up circulation, playing quick two-touch combinations to cut down the time Udinese had to press and avoiding the physical duels that slowed or muddied the game. Once Roma raised the tempo, they moved the ball from right to left and found Wesley, whose cross reached Cristante at the centre of the box to open the scoring. The first two goals, which settled the match, came from faster ball movement and two deadly runs by Cristante into the box: the first with him as the direct scorer, the second as the provider of an assist for Mora. With both sides lined up in mirror image, switches of play became less useful, making it essential to work well in the areas around the ball, move it quickly and keep avoiding physical duels. Wesley and Malen were still caught out by this, with Kabasele closing them down in a series of tight physical challenges. Roma kept up their pace after going two goals ahead, forced Udinese into errors and hit two posts through mistimed efforts by Soulé and Malen. Malen then made amends, escaping Kabasele to make it 3-0. Ndicka added the fourth with a header that was not especially convincing, at the stadium where he had previously endured a difficult time, with Okoye again looking uncertain, as he had on the first goal. It was 4-0 after 33 minutes of ruthless finishing from a big side against an Udinese team whose league position speaks for itself. Gollini, who has been flawless in Serie A so far, twice stopped sporadic counter-attacks by the hosts before half-time. The second half was important for managing energy ahead of the trip to Manchester. Gasperini made no changes at the restart, avoiding sending the message that the match was over and that it should not be played out in full. Roma continued to move the ball quickly while keeping possession and exploiting the space available. From a corner won by Udinese, the same pattern as in the first half saw Miller given room to shoot from distance after De Roon had moved away to pick up a pointless run inside the box; Ndicka and his team were slow to react to the short rebound from Gollini, and Udinese pulled one back to 1-4. After an hour Chakvetadze and Unay Gómez came on for Davis and Ekkelenkamp. Runjaić stayed with a 3-5-2, to which Gasperini responded by bringing on Pisilli as anchor man in place of Mora and Castro for Malen. Late on came a series of changes: Piotrowski replaced Zaniolo, Mancini and Rensch came on for Wesley and Soulé, with Ghilardi pushing up as fifth man on the right and Molina high ahead of him. In the final minutes a late lapse by Roma from an Udinese corner allowed Palma to reduce the deficit further. Jovanovic and Arizala came on for Karlström and Kamara, giving Runjaić a breather as he watched his side respond, and Koulierakis replaced Hermoso. Ghilardi had the last word, collecting a delightful, soft assist from Castro to fire home his first Serie A goal, the same technical touch with which he had already made his mark in the Champions League.

Roma routed Udinese, and Bryan Cristante was unanimously voted the best player on the pitch by the Italian newspapers after a dominant display under Gian Piero Gasperini. Udinese head coach Runjaic is under growing pressure, with his position on the bench increasingly at risk. Roma's players were almost all praised, with Molina rated among the least impressive of the Giallorossi while the marks for the rest of the team were very high. Cristante was singled out alongside Rodrigo Mora, Ghilardi and N'Dicka as the standout performers. The result was a clear and emphatic win, with Roma taking apart Udinese. The newspapers' ratings showed a broadly positive verdict on the team's performance, with several players reinforcing their claims for regular places in the side. The ratings from the main Italian dailies were as follows. Corriere dello Sport: Gollini 6; Ghilardi 7.5, N'Dicka 7.5, Hermoso 7 (Koulierakis sv); Molina 6, Cristante 8, De Roon 7.5, Wesley 7 (Rensch sv); Soulé 7.5 (Mancini sv), Mora 7.5 (Pisilli 6.5); Malen 7.5 (Castro 6.5). All: Gasperini 7.5. Il Messaggero: Gollini 6; Ghilardi 7, N'Dicka 7, Hermoso 6.5 (Koulierakis sv); Molina 6, Cristante 8, De Roon 6.5, Wesley 6.5 (Rensch sv); Soulé 7 (Mancini 6), Mora 7 (Pisilli 6); Malen 7 (Castro 6). All: Gasperini 7.5. Corriere della Sera: Gollini 6; Ghilardi 7, N'Dicka 7, Hermoso 6.5 (Koulierakis sv); Molina 6, Cristante 8, De Roon 7, Wesley 6.5 (Rensch sv); Soulé 7.5 (Mancini sv), Mora 7 (Pisilli 6); Malen 7 (Castro 6). All: Gasperini 7.5. La Repubblica: Gollini 6; Ghilardi 7, N'Dicka 6.5, Hermoso 6.5 (Koulierakis sv); Molina 6.5, Cristante 7.5, De Roon 6.5, Wesley 6 (Rensch sv); Soulé 7.5 (Mancini sv), Mora 7 (Pisilli 6); Malen 7.5 (Castro 6.5). All: Gasperini 7.5. Tuttosport: Gollini 6; Ghilardi 7, N'Dicka 7, Hermoso 6.5 (Koulierakis sv); Molina 6, Cristante 7.5, De Roon 6.5, Wesley 7 (Rensch sv); Soulé 7 (Mancini 6), Mora 7 (Pisilli 6); Malen 7.5 (Castro 6.5). All: Gasperini 7.