Vieri backs Gasperini as top-class coach and urges Friedkin to listen to him

Former Roma striker Francesco Graziani has praised José Mourinho's impact at the club ahead of the manager's return to the Olimpico with Real Madrid in the Champions League. "A fantastic manager," Graziani said in an interview with Il Tempo. "When he left Roma I was enormously disappointed. I almost cried. Beyond winning a European cup and coming close in another, he was able to bring the environment back together, and what you experience at the stadium today is also the fruit of his great work." Graziani turned his focus to the current project under Gian Piero Gasperini, who arrived from Atalanta. "After a long experience full of satisfaction at Atalanta, he chose Roma and arrived with a strong desire to prove himself," Graziani said. "Last season he was good at building; this summer he worked very well to strengthen the squad and the results are showing. I believe the arrival of D'Amico was decisive. The two know each other perfectly and have already shown they are a couple capable of building top-level teams." Roma face title contenders Inter on Saturday. "It will be a great match, between two teams that so far haven't dropped a point," Graziani observed. "Anything can happen at the Olimpico, but it won't be a decisive match—it comes too early and whatever the final result, both teams will have time and the means to compete."

Ciccio Graziani, Roma's 1983 Scudetto-winning striker and current television pundit, praised the club's strong start to the season in an interview with Il Tempo, highlighting the depth of the squad and the impact of head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's summer work. "I am very happy with what I am seeing," Graziani said. "The squad is strong and compared to the past has an important bench, almost of the same value as the starters. This allows the coach to manage forces and the many commitments best." He refrained from naming specific targets, saying: "We are only at the beginning of the season and it would be madness to give objectives. However, if the morning shows the day, there will be fun to be had. Then, football like life has unpredictable variables, anything can always happen." Graziani singled out Donyell Malen for praise, calling him an exceptional talent. "At Roma an attacker like this has not been seen for a long time. He is physically strong and technically good. I do not understand why in his national team they do not make him play in the area of the field most suited to him, exactly in the position that coach Gasperini gives him. It is madness not to make the most of his undoubted qualities." He also commended Gasperini's partnership with D'Amico, saying: "After the long and satisfying experience at Atalanta, he chose Roma and arrived with great desire to prove himself. Last season he was good at building, this summer he worked very well to strengthen the squad and the results are showing. I believe the arrival of D'Amico was decisive. The two know each other perfectly and have already shown they are a couple capable of building teams of level." Graziani acknowledged the upcoming challenge against Inter on Saturday, calling it "a great match, between two teams that so far have not lost a beat," though he added it would not be decisive given how early in the season it comes. He also reflected on the approaching European fixture against Real Madrid at the Stadio Olimpico, where José Mourinho will return, describing him as "a fantastic coach" whose departure upset him greatly.

Roma's radio pundits debated team selection and tactical approach ahead of Saturday's Serie A fixture against Inter, with analysis focusing on defensive pairing options, squad depth, and whether Gasperini will prioritise attacking over caution. The debate centred on whether Evan N'Dicka or Leonardo Balerdi would start against Inter's attack, with Lorenzo Pes (Tele Radio Stereo 92.7) weighing both options: "I think we're at 50–50. The choice in my view is the physical one: I think Thuram will play with Lautaro and N'Dicka in tight marking could have an advantage from a structural standpoint, but Balerdi in my view can hold his own against anyone. The doubt is there. In my opinion N'Dicka is slightly ahead, also for his knowledge of the defensive unit." Commentators highlighted Roma's improvement since last season and positioned the club as favourites. Gianni Visnadi (Radio Radio Mattino 104.5) said: "Roma has continuity on its side, it has built on what was done last year. Gasperini says the players are limited in number, but that does not seem so to me. Perhaps he would have liked the Greenwood of June, but this is fine too. Roma is stronger than last year and stronger than Juventus." Stefano Agresti (Radio Radio Mattino 104.5) added: "Roma is a concrete squad built with a logic, alongside important investments. Juventus is inferior to Roma in every department." Piero Torri (Radio Manà Manà Sport Roma 90.9) offered the tactical assessment that shaped the headline: "For me a great squad never adapts to opponents but always imposes its way of playing. Pisilli as a trequartista behind Dybala and Malen could be a move to try to surprise Inter, but in my view the squad is used to playing in a certain manner. It seems to me that all four midfielders are in decent shape so it could be done. But I have the impression that Gasp is not of this idea—I think he can always go with 1–2 or 2–1 in attack to embarrass Inter's defence, which is not that solid. On the counter Inter can really hurt you. I think Gasperini wants to go more to hurt Inter rather than think about not getting hurt. It is right that in a strong squad there are more contests in multiple departments—when there is competition within the squad it is good for everyone. I hope the Argentines come back healthy from their international duties, actually thank goodness they did not remember Dybala." Roberto Pruzzo (Radio Radio Mattino 104.5) noted Roma had secured identity by the fifth matchday and the international break: "Roma is consolidated in the base formation, can rotate a defender or a full-back but Roma is this and it is a guarantee. It arrives at the fifth of the championship and the break with identity, those two up front are beyond question."

Luciano Moggi and Gian Piero Gasperini were photographed together at a bar in Turin on 15 September, prompting speculation among Roma supporters about the encounter between the club's current head coach and a figure long associated with Juventus and the Calciopoli scandal. Moggi, speaking to Radio Radio, clarified that the two have known each other for years from their time working together at Juventus, when Gasperini coached the youth academy and Moggi held a director's role. Moggi stressed that Gasperini requires no advice, saying: "Abbiamo parlato della partita, del più e del meno. La squadra è quella che è, è prima in classifica ma a prescindere da quello che sta dimostrando ha un'ossatura importante, un gioco importante. Davanti ha chi fa gol" ("We talked about the match and other things. The squad is what it is—they're top of the table, and regardless of what they're showing, they have an important structure, important football. Up front they have goalscorers"). Moggi also addressed Roma's comparison with Juventus, stating that Roma are superior across defence, midfield and attack, with particular praise for midfielder Manu Koné, noting that Juventus would be a different proposition if they had a player of his calibre. On Roma's title prospects, Moggi said: "La Roma si può giocare lo scudetto" ("Roma can compete for the Scudetto"). He highlighted Donyell Malen as a crucial acquisition, describing him as "Un affare per il rapporto economico-sportivo" ("A deal in economic and sporting terms"), crediting Malen with energizing teammates and improving Paulo Dybala's consistency. Moggi noted that Malen had been a reserve elsewhere, but that Italy's league offers such players a platform to emerge as starters. He concluded that if Roma maintain continuity with Malen, they can challenge Inter, with Gasperini described as "super" and the squad possessing quality across all departments. Roma face Inter on Saturday at 18:00.

Paulo Dybala is performing at a level unseen during his time at Roma, and Gasperini has been deliberate in building that consistency. Ahead of the Torino match, the coach insisted: "I cannot put him to sleep." While Dybala did not shine as brightly as in earlier appearances, he made an impact, providing an assist for Donyell Malen—the decisive play that unlocked the match—and collecting another three points. His physical condition and continuity of play represent a marked departure from his recent history in the capital. Gasperini's approach centres on trust and uninterrupted playing time. The coach deploys Dybala without calculation or excessive rotation when the opportunity arises, signalling his importance to the team and the system. This continuity builds confidence; as the article frames it, "playing helps you play." Dybala has undergone a crucial mental shift, no longer hesitant to shoot, attack or engage fully in matches. He has stopped thinking about what might go wrong and focused instead on performing. The transformation stems from multiple elements—a pre-season structured to Gasperini's specifications, faith from the manager, and above all a psychological reset that has allowed his talent to function at full capacity once more.

Andrea Stramaccioni, a former coach of both Roma's and Inter's youth academies and a former Inter first-team manager, has offered his analysis ahead of Saturday 19 September's match between Roma and Inter at the Olimpico. Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Stramaccioni drew on decades of experience with both clubs to assess the upcoming fixture and its significance. Stramaccioni recalled his first encounter with Gasperini in the summer of 2003 at Crotone in Serie C1, where Gasperini was already implementing his 3–4–3 system as a mantra. He described Gasperini as "a fury, in field and out", recounting how Gasperini once persuaded the club president to abandon coach travel in favour of flying to away matches to change the team's mentality. That season, Gasperini won the playoff against Viterbese and secured promotion to Serie B. Stramaccioni also praised Leonardo Balerdi and Paulo Dybala for their form this season, and singled out Donyell Malen as having elite striker's pace. On Inter, he noted that while Lautaro Martínez made errors, "mistakes are part of the journey. Inter backed him, we're only at five matches. Chivu will defend him to the death." On the tactical battle ahead, Stramaccioni identified the key contests: Roma will invert their attacking shape to control Piotr Zielinski and prevent Inter's fullbacks from building play, while watching the flanks closely, with an unusual duel between Wesley and Youssouf Diouf. For Inter, he highlighted how movements from the strikers in combination with Barella can disrupt Roma's man-to-man marking. Crucially, Stramaccioni noted that Gasperini's philosophy struggles against the 3–5–2 system—since January 2010, against coaches using this formation (Conte, Simone Inzaghi, and Chivu himself), Gasperini has lost ten times and drawn four. He assessed that "whoever wins will give the first blow to the rival, putting morale in the bank," calling it an early title statement. Both squads have strengthened, he said, but "Gasperini has closed the gap considerably." Stramaccioni expressed concern that Malen, now a "special focus" for opposition, will battle Lautaro for the scoring title, and that Dybala's assists will prove decisive for Roma's chances in the match.