Torri laments draw with Inter; Rossomando prefers Soulé to Kvernadze

Former Roma defender Vincent Candela has backed Gian Piero Gasperini's side as genuine Serie A title contenders, naming them as Inter's only realistic threat in the championship race. Speaking on Rai Radio 1's Radio anch'io sport, Candela analysed the direct clash between Roma and Inter, singling out the performances of Paulo Dybala and Manu Koné for particular praise while assessing the wider squad strength at the Stadio Olimpico. Candela said: "Roma and Inter have given us great football, great beauty. They are the two squads playing for the Scudetto. Inter has a broad squad, but with Gasperini they will fight it out to the end. This Roma is a title-winning team; it can give Inter — who are the strongest — problems. Dybala reminds me of the top players from my era. Koné has personality and charisma. I think Roma is the only squad that can battle with Inter. It has a very strong and cohesive group." Candela also turned his attention to the Italian national team, offering a longer-term view of the rebuilding process. He stated: "Italy is a football heritage. I hope it rebuilds its roots, which were lost for a while. Italy has football in its blood. Mancini has the experience. Now it will take some time because we are starting again from the young players."

Fabio Capello has praised Roma's start to the 2026-27 season, expressing no surprise at the club's position at the top of Serie A alongside Inter. Speaking to the Gazzetta dello Sport, Capello highlighted Roma and Inter as the two most ready squads from the campaign's outset, and singled out their direct clash as evidence of Roma's quality. He also noted a concern about Inter's defensive vulnerabilities, questioning why they have conceded so many goals and pointing to their recent defeat to Real Madrid as a warning sign. Capello identified the intensity of full-pitch pressing as a key lesson Roma must absorb from Inter's experience. He explained that when concentration lapses, top-level opponents exploit the gaps—as demonstrated in that encounter. However, Capello expressed confidence in Roma's prospects, citing the quality of Gian Piero Gasperini's squad and their collective mentality. He stressed that the players and manager have convinced each other of their ambitions since the transfer window. Capello concluded with particular admiration for the squad's commitment, noting that "some have even taken a pay cut." He summed up his assessment as follows: "I see desire and awareness." His remarks came as Serie A presented an unusually competitive landscape, with eight teams clustered between 10 and 13 points in the table.

Fabio Capello has backed Roma to challenge for the Serie A title this season, placing them among the primary candidates for the championship alongside Inter. Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the former Roma manager offered a wide-ranging assessment of the title race and praised the maturity Gian Piero Gasperini has brought to the squad. Capello expressed surprise at nothing about Roma's position at the top of the table. "Roma in first place does not surprise me," he said. "Together with Inter, it is the team most ready from the beginning of the championship and it is proving it. In the direct clash it played very well." He highlighted the club's transfer business and the commitment shown by players and manager alike. "Gasperini has succeeded in convincing them since the transfer market: the players and the coach have wanted each other a lot and it is the demonstration that this team believes in it. Some have even cut their salary," he said. "I see will and awareness." Capello reserved criticism for Inter's defensive frailty. "Inter has players who make the difference, but there is a question mark," he noted. "Why so many goals conceded? There is something that doesn't work. You can't always pull off what you've managed in these last few matches, starting with Real Madrid against whom they lost. They had also done it with Napoli to come back, but you can't always manage to remedy errors. Inter was already favoured, but it must improve a lot in this respect. It can't think of allowing itself such first halves and such moments of inattention." On the lessons Roma must draw from Inter's late comebacks, Capello stressed the importance of sustained pressing. "When attention drops, opponents of a certain level—like Inter—take advantage. And it was seen," he said. Capello also weighed in on Lazio's surprise emergence as title contenders, crediting manager Gennaro Gattuso's system change from his predecessor Maurizio Sarri. He praised Juventus's recent improvement against Atalanta and reflected on performances across the division, noting Cagliari's unexpected rise to within one point of the summit and expressing satisfaction that traditional clubs like Cagliari and Lazio have returned to contention.

Manu Koné scored his first career brace against Inter, reaching his career record for goals in a single season at Roma as early as September. The French midfielder has emerged as an unexpected standout in Roma's early-season attack, which has already produced seven different goalscorers. Against Inter, Koné delivered a player-of-the-match display: zero dribbling fouls conceded, two duels won from four contested, and 85% pass accuracy. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has been instrumental in Koné's development this season, working intensively on both tactical and psychological aspects of his game. The relationship between coach and player has been uneven—ranging from end-of-season criticism last year and after the Turin fixture to unconditional backing—but Gasperini recognises Koné's unique qualities within the squad. Gasperini personally intervened on the final day of the summer transfer window to block Koné's sale to Chelsea, according to Il Messaggero. Koné's importance to Roma's tactical setup is underlined by data from last season: in eight Serie A matches he missed, Roma failed to win in 50% of cases, contributing to their elimination from the Europa League against Bologna. Meanwhile, forward Donyell Malen withdrew from the Netherlands national team call-up due to a muscle strain and will remain in Rome during the international break to recover at Trigoria, where he will work alongside fellow injury victims Wesley and Bryan Cristante.

Nahuel Molina has emerged as one of Gian Piero Gasperini's shrewdest tactical decisions in the opening weeks of the season, deployed on the left side of Roma's defence—a position unfamiliar to the Argentine defender throughout his career. Molina has responded with a commanding display, contributing an assist for Manu Koné's opening goal in the match against Inter. The positional experiment is yielding the intended results, with Molina declaring his comfort in the new role: "I feel very good on the left." The former Atlético Madrid player, who arrived at the end of August without participating in the summer's pre-season training alongside his teammates, has earned public praise from Gasperini, who said: "Molina is a solid and mature world champion; the coach saw it right." His versatility will allow Gasperini to rotate him and Wesley across both flanks. While Roma prepare for their next Serie A fixture on 11 October against Como, the squad will train at Trigoria with a reduced group. Beyond the international players scattered worldwide, injured players Wesley (muscular strain) and Bryan Cristante (lower back pain) will remain in Rome. The staff has received positive news regarding Lorenzo Pellegrini's full recovery. The Roma captain, returning to availability after a physical problem, will use the two-week break to regain match fitness and arrive at full capacity for the resumption of official matches.

Manu Koné has added his name to Roma's early-season scorers with an unexpected contribution. The French midfielder scored twice against Inter—his first career brace—and has already matched his maximum goal tally from previous seasons in the giallorossi shirt, all by September. Gasperini is working to develop this attacking dimension alongside improving the team's mental approach. The relationship between coach and player has been marked by ups and downs: in May, Gasperini was unimpressed with Koné's performances when his focus appeared to be on the World Cup rather than securing Champions League qualification, and at Turin he was critical of his cameo appearance. Yet there is another side to the story. Gasperini fought to prevent Koné's departure to Chelsea on the final day of the transfer window, recognising the midfielder's value. Against Inter, Koné was the standout performer, not only for his goals: he made zero dribbling mistakes, won two of four duels and completed 85 per cent of his passes. There is a Roma that functions with Koné and one without him—a pattern already evident last season. Without him, the giallorossi were eliminated from the Europa League in the double-header against Bologna and struggled in Serie A between March and April, missing eight league matches during which they failed to earn three points in half their fixtures. Donyell Malen withdrew from international duty for the latest fixture, declining a call-up from new national coach Xavi due to a muscle strain. Wesley and Bryan Cristante will also remain at Trigoria.