Verdone on Roma's perfect start: 'We didn't need the international break'

Francesco Totti has revealed that Sinisa Mihajlovic called him shortly after his retirement from football to try to persuade him to play for Torino. Speaking in his book Oltre, Totti recounted how Mihajlovic made an emotional pitch to bring him back as a defender at the Serie A club. "Francesco, come give me a hand at Torino? What do you care, play another year, position yourself in front of the defence," Mihajlovic said. When Totti expressed concern about public opinion, Mihajlovic replied: "I'll handle the people. Come, you have fun, I have fun and the fans have fun." Totti responded with humour: "What are we doing, running a circus?" Mihajlovic intensified his efforts by appealing to Totti's emotions about the Turin club's heritage and suffering fanbase. "It's all magical here, Francesco. There's history, passion, the people, Superga. Every time I look at it from Turin it moves me. Think about how much the fans have suffered, we need to give them something back. All it takes is a spark and it becomes a fire. A beautiful fire," the former Torino manager urged. Totti, however, could only joke in response: "You need firefighters, not me." Despite Mihajlovic's persistent attempts—"But you think about it," he told Totti—the former Roma captain's reasoning never wavered. It was the same principle that had guided his entire career. His final answer was unequivocal: "Thanks Sini, but there's only Roma. Sorry." Mihajlovic had passed away, and Totti describes him as a friend who died too soon.

Roma have opened negotiations to extend Emanuele Lulli's contract, rewarding the defender's breakthrough performances this season under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. The club pursued several external options at left-back—including targets such as Moreira and Oosterwolde before the arrival of Nahuel Molina—but found their solution in-house through Gasperini's faith in the academy product. Gasperini handed Lulli a starting role in Roma's first four league matches, a remarkable leap for a player who made his professional debut on 24 August against Fiorentina. The 2007-born defender has impressed with his composure and earned a call-up to Italy's Under 21 squad under Daniele Baldini during the international break. Roma's administration, working through D'Amico and Lulli's representatives, has begun formal discussions over a new contract to replace the existing deal, which expires in June. Both sides share a clear intent to continue their partnership, and talks are already well-structured. A decisive meeting is scheduled for the coming days to settle all remaining terms.

Roma, not head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, is behind the decision to block Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina from travelling to Lionel Messi's Argentina farewell match, according to reporting on 26 September. The narrative that Gasperini had vetoed the pair's participation has been contradicted: the coach has not closed the door, but the club itself harbours serious reservations about the logistics and risks involved. Dybala and Molina, both World Cup 2022 winners alongside Messi, have been invited with their families to the event in Buenos Aires. The core issue is timing and distance. A return trip would require them to cover over 22,000 kilometres combined and more than 26 hours of flying, crossing a double time zone, all within approximately three days. The fixture that concerns Roma most is Como–Roma on Sunday, 11 October, scheduled just 72 hours after their potential return. After a three-week international break, Gasperini's squad will resume with a difficult away fixture against a side competing for the upper reaches of the Serie A table. Roma's concern centres on player welfare rather than the symbolic weight of the event. Dybala has begun the season with physical consistency rarely seen in recent years, and the club does not wish to jeopardise that progress with such an arduous journey. Molina, having recently found rhythm and condition after a slower start, faces the risk of interrupting his phase of improvement at the worst moment. The club is aware of what Messi's farewell means to any Argentine player, and recognises the honour of the invitation alongside their families. Three other Roma squad members have been called up by Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni: Matías Soulé, Santiago Castro and Leonardo Balerdi. A final decision on Dybala and Molina will be made following discussions next week between the club, coaching staff and the players themselves, seeking to balance the emotional significance of the event against Roma's sporting needs.

Roma's international contingent made an impact during the first round of matches across their respective national teams. Rodrigo Mora, representing Portugal's Under-21 side, delivered an assist and created multiple chances in a 90-minute display against Bulgaria that drew praise. Manu Koné continued his strong form for France, deployed as a defensive midfielder against Turkey in a different role than his usual positioning, yet still ranked first for successful dribbles and maintained his stellar start to the season. Koné has now established himself as a cornerstone of the French setup under Zinedine Zidane. Roma sent 12 players on international duty during this break, giving head coach Gian Piero Gasperini a chance to recharge ahead of a strong start to the 2026-27 campaign while maintaining focus on rhythm and fitness. Rodrigo's performance underlined the club's expectations following a €50 million investment, with his growth trajectory in a Roma shirt becoming increasingly significant. The break comes at a critical juncture, balancing necessary rest with the imperative to sustain momentum after the club's impressive opening. Gianluca Mancini's display for Italy proved disappointing, marked by an error leading to Belgium's opening goal and imprecision in the first half, though he improved after the break and came close to scoring. Daniele Ghilardi was not selected for Italy and awaits his national team debut. Konstantinos Koulierakis remained unused on the bench in Greece's match against Serbia. Evan N'Dicka returned to action with Ivory Coast, delivering a solid performance in their victory against Ghana. The three Roma players on Argentina duty—Santiago Castro, Matías Soulé and Leonardo Balerdi—face a friendly against Bolivia in four days, followed by Argentina's tribute match to Lionel Messi, a fixture where Nahuel Molina and Paulo Dybala are hoped to appear, though Roma has yet to confirm their release.

Radio commentators in Rome have divided over the performance of two Roma players on international duty. Gianluca Mancini came under criticism for his defending in Italy's latest match, while Nicolò Romano faced scrutiny for errors in his first appearances at senior level. Agresti said Romano had played five matches at a high level but had been unsettled by his elevation to the Italy squad. "On Italy's first goal, Mancini made a big mistake, but the move started from a poor pass by Romano. Yesterday he made errors he doesn't usually make," Agresti noted. Orsi was blunt about Mancini's responsibility: "A defender like Mancini cannot make certain errors—it is not the right way to face the opponent. The two goals conceded by Italy, if two players were switched on, they don't get conceded. Mancini is not 18 years old; he has to help in these situations." However, Orsi backed Romano: "Romano can make mistakes; you put him alongside Tonali and Barella, and they have to give more." Carina took a more measured view of Romano's adjustment. "We have to be calm with Romano: he has only played five matches. It's normal for him to alternate good and poor performances. He has been compared to Strootman, so obviously he will struggle—they have given him Italy's midfield." Mirabella also offered perspective: "He is an experiment and made plenty of mistakes, but it makes sense: he's young, it's his first experience, and he's only just started playing in Serie A." Stella reflected on Italy's broader troubles: "The enthusiasm over Italy has faded. I don't want to be punitive towards the coach, but I have no idea how we can get out of this tunnel."

Roma players on international duty produced mixed results across Europe and Africa on 26 September as the first round of fixtures in the international break played out. Rodrigo Mora was the standout performer for the Giallorossi, starting for Portugal Under 21 against Bulgaria in a Euro qualifier and playing all 90 minutes wearing the number 10. The 2007-born midfielder created the opening goal at the 50th minute, cutting into the area and delivering a low pass for Gustavo Varela to score. Portugal's lead did not hold; Bulgaria came from behind to win 2-1 with goals from Pavlov in the 87th minute and Marinov in stoppage time. Despite the defeat, Mora delivered a decisive contribution after losing recent game time with Roma. Manu Koné and Evan N'Dicka both completed 90 minutes in victories for their nations. Koné was an immediate starter in the new France squad under Zinedine Zidane, playing the entire Nations League match away to Turkey, which France won 1-0 through a Kylian Mbappé goal in the 54th minute; Koné received a yellow card in the closing stages. N'Dicka featured throughout Ivory Coast's 2-0 victory over Ghana in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying on the first matchday, with goals from Malick Yalcouyé and Franck Kessié, keeping a clean sheet in the centre of defence. Gianluca Mancini had a difficult evening at the Stadio Olimpico. The Roma defender started for Italy in a Nations League match against Belgium managed by Roberto Mancini, with the Azzurri defeated 2-0. Godts opened the scoring in the 20th minute, getting the better of Mancini, and Lukebakio added a second in the second half. The number 23 played the full match in a challenging performance for Italy's entire defensive unit. Konstantinos Koulierakis remained on the bench for Serbia's 2-1 loss to Greece, while young defender Daniele Ghilardi, called up to the senior squad for the first time, was left out of the 23-man squad for the Olimpico fixture. Further Roma players are due in action over the coming days. Leonardo Balerdi, Santiago Castro and Matías Soulé will begin their fixture cycle with Argentina on 30 September against Bolivia, the same day Mora returns with Portugal Under 21 against Gibraltar. On 1 October, Niccolò Pisilli and Emanuele Lulli will feature for Italy Under 21 against Armenia, and Giorgio De Marzi for the United States Under 19 against Brazil.