Wesley Limps Off with Muscular Injury in Brazil v Egypt Friendly; World Cup in Doubt

Roma returned to Trigoria on 12 September to prepare for Monday's Serie A away match against Torino, one day after drawing in the Champions League at Fenerbahce. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini had the full squad available except for Manu Koné, who undertook a separate training session as Roma continue to manage a knee problem he sustained in Istanbul, where he was forced off at half-time. Koné's availability for the Torino fixture remains uncertain. Roma's medical staff have not needed to order instrumental examinations, which had prompted some optimism in recent hours, but the fact that the midfielder continued working apart from the group on 12 September demands caution. Gasperini will assess Koné over the coming sessions to determine whether he can rejoin full training and be available for the trip. The remainder of the squad trained without significant issues. Upcoming sessions will also reveal Gasperini's thinking on possible rotation after the demands of European football.

Roma continue preparations for their away fixture against Turin. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini remains focused on extending the run from the first three matches and securing victory on the road. The squad may see tactical adjustments, with reasoned rotation planned. Niccolò Pisilli is positioned to take the place of Manu Koné in midfield. The French midfielder trained separately on 12 September and could be given a rest day. There is no cause for alarm at present. Gasperini intends to wait and assess Koné's condition more fully before making a final decision, which will be clarified in his press conference on 13 September. The rest of the group trained as normal.

Roma travel to Turin on Monday to face Torino, with encouraging news from the medical department. Manu Koné, who left the Istanbul match with knee discomfort, did not require scans and will be managed day by day; his inclusion in the squad for Monday is very likely, though he is expected to start on the bench. With Torino followed by an Inter fixture just five days later, Gasperini is preparing to rotate more heavily across the squad. Wesley, not yet fully recovered from ankle problems, could give way to Rensch or Molina, who is seeking his first start. The defence faces changes too: Mancini is struggling for form and faces competition from Balerdi, who has impressed in recent outings, and Ghilardi. Up front, Santiago Castro is pushing for a starting role, but a rotation with Malen appears more likely at present. Cristante is the only guaranteed starter in midfield, with Pisilli or De Roon potential partners alongside him. There is also positive news on the horizon: Lorenzo Pellegrini could return to the squad list, giving the coach more tactical options.

Salah-Eddine is leaving Roma to join Greek club Panathinaikos on a loan deal with a right of redemption. The full-back underwent medical tests in Athens and signed his contract today. He had rejected approaches from Olympiacos in August and turned down West Ham's offer in the closing days of the transfer window. Head coach Gasperini confirmed last week that Salah-Eddine had been offered several moves he declined and plays no part in Roma's plans. The decision to part ways came despite Wesley not arriving as a replacement from the transfer market. Gasperini said: "Salah-Eddine has had quite a few opportunities that he refused. As far as Roma is concerned, I have already made my choices and he does not feature in Roma's plans."

Roma drew their first match of the season, a result that has handed fuel to the club's most vocal critics. A goal by Brown was enough to stir the naysayers from silence after Roma's bright start to the campaign. The criticism ranges widely: that Roma have faced no genuine test in the league; that Malen has misfired; that Mora is merely a former Porto substitute out of his depth; that Gasperini has grown quiet where he once railed against "Ricky"; that Mancini is finished; that Wesley's focus lies elsewhere; that Koné avoids celebrating goals with teammates for unexplained reasons; that Gasperini's substitutions were wrong; that when he withdrew Malen he brought on De Roon out of friendship rather than judgment, a claim absurd coming from those who called Castro an inexplicable signing in the first place; and that Rensch played only as a favour, a serious tactical error. The draw in Istanbul itself has become a flashpoint for those determined to cast shadows over both Roma and their manager. Critics claim it proves Roma have not faced quality opposition in domestic play. The broader narrative from the pessimists is one of decline and poor judgment—both in the squad assembled and in how it is being used. Yet the tone of the piece suggests the critics are opportunistic, seizing on a single result to resurrect doubts that the strong start had quieted. The article offers no quarter to this chorus of doom, treating their complaints with contempt as a predictable cycle: the naysayers announced player exits before 30 June; they questioned the signings of Castro and Balerdi; and now, having seen their early predictions of collapse proven wrong by the opening fixtures, they are back in full voice. The sense is one of inevitable, tiresome repetition—the "Brancaleone Army" undeterred and unrelenting in its determination to find failure.

Roma's opening week in the Champions League has delivered both significant encouragement and a small warning signal. The club's comeback victory against Atalanta—from 1–0 down to a 2–1 win in four minutes—and a draw away to Fenerbahce have created a picture of a squad with considerable depth and psychological resilience, but also a pattern worth monitoring in the matches ahead. Bryan Cristante emerged as the week's standout performer and the clearest evidence of Roma's evolution under Gasperini. Against Fenerbahce, Cristante scored the opening goal and touched the ball 112 times, completing 91 passes and playing 24 balls into the final third. His rise from useful squad member to gravitational centre of the team's balance, personality and order has become impossible to ignore. The bench itself proved the most interesting development of the week. When Gasperini made changes against Atalanta, the team did not lose force but gained it. Nahuel Molina increased the team's thrust down the flank, Santiago Castro signalled he is ready to make an impact, and Matías Soulé came off the bench to decide the match. Leonardo Balerdi also impressed, intent on climbing the manager's hierarchy. Roma's refusal to accept defeat completed the narrative: at 89 minutes against Atalanta, trailing 1–0, the side won 2–1 in the next four minutes through Mario Hermoso and Soulé. That capacity to keep playing and pushing until the final second is among the week's best signals. Two consecutive early-second-half goals, however, have begun to form a pattern. Ederson scored at 47 minutes in Roma's win over Atalanta; Brown equalised at 48 minutes in Fenerbahce's match against Roma. Gasperini himself acknowledged after Istanbul: "they are two clues." It does not necessarily signal a structural problem, but Roma has taken a few minutes too long to fully switch back on after the interval in both games. Donyell Malen's dip comes not from genuine crisis but from unrealistic expectations. He began the season in exaggerated form—multiple goals, a barrage of them, and the sense that every touch would create a chance. Two scoreless matches were enough to shift perception, though he supplied an assist for Cristante against Fenerbahce. At Istanbul he appeared less brilliant and dominant than in his opening displays. Gianluca Mancini and Wesley, meanwhile, remain undisputed pillars but have not yet shown their best form. Mancini has appeared less dominant and assured than his standard, while Wesley must rediscover the continuity, brilliance and ability to devastate the flank that had made him among Roma's most incisive players. No alarm: simply two important engines not yet running at full revs.