Roma's goals spread across 12 scorers as Malen leads the way

Roma have scored more late goals than almost anyone in Serie A this season, with only Inter having a better record in the closing stages of matches. Their latest late surge came against Cagliari, where Rodrigo Mora and Malen struck in the final five minutes. Roma have now scored seven goals after the 75th minute in nine league matches, two fewer than Inter, who beat the Giallorossi yesterday. The pattern marks a clear change from last season. Writing in Il Tempo, Lorenzo Pes noted that Gasperini's first Roma side struggled badly to overturn results and often lost games once they fell behind. This season's team attacks with order even when little time remains, and it has shown a hunger for major targets. The comeback at Napoli was followed by another late strike against Cagliari, and the squad has rallied in the closing stages of several games. Gasperini can now draw on important options from the bench, and the numbers show that substitutes have often decided matches. Two of the late goals came against Cagliari from Mora and Malen. Balerdi made the difference at Napoli, Soulé did so against Atalanta, and Pisilli did so in the first matchday against Fiorentina.

Roma have 21 points after nine Serie A matchdays, the same total as a year ago, but the similarity ends there, according to Simone Valdarchi writing in Il Corriere della Sera. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini says the apparent paradox applies to his second Roma side, which has absorbed his tactical principles and now plays almost by memory. The squad's average quality has also risen thanks to the transfer market. The clearest evidence is in attack. In the first nine rounds of Serie A 2025/26, Roma scored with a trickle, spreading their 10 goals across the matches. This season, in the same nine matchdays, the giallorossi have scored 23 goals, more than double the figure from the same stretch a year ago. Such a prolific start has not been seen at Trigoria for a long time; the last comparable beginning came in the 2016/17 season under Spalletti. Ten years on, Gasperini's Roma have Donyell Malen as their guiding star. Across the three Champions League matches played so far, with 8 goals scored, Roma have already had 12 different players find the net. Malen is the driving force, but the article stresses that he is backed by a team ready to support him up front. Malen is no longer alone, and the goals are coming from across the side rather than from one man.

Roma have lost their place as the best defence in Europe's top five leagues and in Serie A, after conceding three goals at Napoli and two against Cagliari. Yet the back line remains the team's most reliable unit and its main source of solutions, with all six centre-backs largely available throughout the season. Gian Piero Gasperini's starters are Mancini, N'Dicka and Hermoso, who have played 793, 807 and 727 minutes respectively across Serie A and the Champions League. Daniele Aloisi, writing in Il Messaggero, highlights the backups too. Balerdi has become a fixed point in a matter of weeks, with 468 minutes played and a decisive brace at the Maradona. He missed the last match after a knock suffered on Saturday, but he will be available for the trip to Udine. Balerdi said: "It feels like I've been here for two or three years," adding that he hopes to stay for as long as possible. His buyout clause is close to being triggered. If he plays 55% of matches (at least 45 minutes each), it will activate at 14 million, while playing between 40% and 55% would lower the figure by three million. Ghilardi has improved the most compared with last season. Last year it took him three months to make his first start, but he is now a valid alternative. Mancini has not made a positive start, and he is responsible for the goal by Maldini. What is most surprising is the attacking contribution of the defenders, with eight goals coming from Gasperini's formidable centre-backs.

Roma have scored more late goals than almost anyone in Serie A this season, with only Inter having a better record in the closing stages of matches. Their latest late surge came against Cagliari, where Rodrigo Mora and Malen struck in the final five minutes. Roma have now scored seven goals after the 75th minute in nine league matches, two fewer than Inter, who beat the Giallorossi yesterday. The pattern marks a clear change from last season. Writing in Il Tempo, Lorenzo Pes noted that Gasperini's first Roma side struggled badly to overturn results and often lost games once they fell behind. This season's team attacks with order even when little time remains, and it has shown a hunger for major targets. The comeback at Napoli was followed by another late strike against Cagliari, and the squad has rallied in the closing stages of several games. Gasperini can now draw on important options from the bench, and the numbers show that substitutes have often decided matches. Two of the late goals came against Cagliari from Mora and Malen. Balerdi made the difference at Napoli, Soulé did so against Atalanta, and Pisilli did so in the first matchday against Fiorentina.

Roma have 21 points after nine Serie A matchdays, the same total as a year ago, but the similarity ends there, according to Simone Valdarchi writing in Il Corriere della Sera. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini says the apparent paradox applies to his second Roma side, which has absorbed his tactical principles and now plays almost by memory. The squad's average quality has also risen thanks to the transfer market. The clearest evidence is in attack. In the first nine rounds of Serie A 2025/26, Roma scored with a trickle, spreading their 10 goals across the matches. This season, in the same nine matchdays, the giallorossi have scored 23 goals, more than double the figure from the same stretch a year ago. Such a prolific start has not been seen at Trigoria for a long time; the last comparable beginning came in the 2016/17 season under Spalletti. Ten years on, Gasperini's Roma have Donyell Malen as their guiding star. Across the three Champions League matches played so far, with 8 goals scored, Roma have already had 12 different players find the net. Malen is the driving force, but the article stresses that he is backed by a team ready to support him up front. Malen is no longer alone, and the goals are coming from across the side rather than from one man.

Paulo Dybala's comeback has been put on hold after a new discomfort in his right calf, leaving him unavailable for Roma's match against Cagliari. The Argentina forward injured the same calf during the Real Madrid game on 14 October. Initial diagnosis had been encouraging, and Dybala had been aiming for a place on the bench as early as the Slovan Bratislava match. Further tests, however, revealed that an oedema had concealed a small tear. Dybala returned to group training on Sunday, following the draw at Napoli, and pushed hard in an attempt to make the squad for Cagliari. The small tear diagnosed by the medical staff needs a few more days to heal. Doctors have now circled 7 November on the calendar as his new target date. Dybala is pressing to speed up his recovery and wants to be available for the trip to Manchester to face United on the 3rd, but the medical staff are expected not to give the green light, as caution is at its highest. Yesterday, on the rest day, Dybala was at Trigoria, where he completed a personalised training session. Donyell Malen was also present, and the pair took part in a photo shoot for Adidas together.

Roma have scored more late goals than almost anyone in Serie A this season, with only Inter having a better record in the closing stages of matches. Their latest late surge came against Cagliari, where Rodrigo Mora and Malen struck in the final five minutes. Roma have now scored seven goals after the 75th minute in nine league matches, two fewer than Inter, who beat the Giallorossi yesterday. The pattern marks a clear change from last season. Writing in Il Tempo, Lorenzo Pes noted that Gasperini's first Roma side struggled badly to overturn results and often lost games once they fell behind. This season's team attacks with order even when little time remains, and it has shown a hunger for major targets. The comeback at Napoli was followed by another late strike against Cagliari, and the squad has rallied in the closing stages of several games. Gasperini can now draw on important options from the bench, and the numbers show that substitutes have often decided matches. Two of the late goals came against Cagliari from Mora and Malen. Balerdi made the difference at Napoli, Soulé did so against Atalanta, and Pisilli did so in the first matchday against Fiorentina.

Roma's win over Cagliari has underlined how central the club's young players have become to Gian Piero Gasperini's project. The Giallorossi rely confidently on their Under-23 players, who have made decisive contributions at key moments of matches, as shown by the performances and goals of those who came through the youth sector and have been developed by the coach. Among the positives is the steady progress of Emanuele Lulli, who recently renewed his contract until 2031. The 2005-born defender scored his second consecutive league goal in front of the Curva Sud, and has established himself as a valuable asset and an important presence in the rotation. Alongside him, Niccolò Pisilli has become a consolidated certainty in midfield, combining consistent performances with a nose for goals. According to Il Tempo, the Olimpico clash was also the night of breakthrough for Rodrigo Mora. The 19-year-old Portuguese, who was initially greeted with scepticism over his market valuation, unlocked the match by scoring his first goal in front of the Roma crowd. Gasperini himself praised the young Portuguese's technical qualities after the game, stressing that his imagination is a fundamental factor for the season. The young group is completed by the gradual integration of players such as Koulierakis and Castro, who are asked to provide valid alternatives in a squad that blends the freshness of the youth ranks with the maturity of the senior players. For Gasperini's Roma, young players are no longer just a future prospect but a solid reality capable of making the difference.

Rodrigo Mora has taken off, and the Portuguese forward is now looking to take Roma by the hand. His goal against Cagliari was decisive in a heavy Roma win and has changed the outlook on his future at the club. He arrived on 19 August, when Roma invested 50 million euros in him (25 million up front and another 25 million the following year, with the option of a 50% share in any future resale), making him the most expensive signing in the club's history. Mora left Portugal and Porto, the club that had nurtured him for a long time, for the first time in his life. Andrea Pugliese, writing in La Gazzetta dello Sport, reports that many expected to see Mora start against Cagliari, but Gasperini preferred again to field three midfielders, with Pisilli deployed high alongside Soulé. Mora therefore began on the bench on Tuesday and came on early in the second half. Gasperini had publicly defended him and praised him often before the Cagliari match, but privately he had hoped for a different signal, a reaction. Mora scored with a header despite standing just 168 centimetres tall. Roma now travel to Udine, and Gasperini will need him again. Dybala will still be out, the three-midfielder system is not yet a viable option, and De Roon is clearly declining. That leaves Mora and Soulé as the only available attacking midfielders for Gasperini. Mora's margin for improvement is wide, perhaps as wide as the expectations placed on him.

Mile Svilar faces a decisive fitness test today as he works towards returning from a foot fracture, with Roma's goalkeeper having flown back from Belgium, where he has spent recent weeks on his recovery. The main target is the Roma-Sassuolo fixture on 7 November, though a return for the Manchester trip is not ruled out, according to Il Tempo's Lorenzo Pes. Roma's infirmary at Trigoria remains busy after a run of injuries in recent weeks. Hermoso and Balerdi, who both stayed on the bench for 90 minutes against Cagliari with physical complaints, are not a cause for concern and are expected to be available for the match against Udinese. The picture is less clear for Paulo Dybala. After the Cagliari game, Gian Piero Gasperini raised concern by casting doubt on the Argentine's availability for the next league fixture. Koné is also hoping to be back before the international break.

Roma's centre-backs have been a major source of goals this season, accounting for almost 25 per cent of the club's total across all competitions, despite some recent lapses in league and cup outings. Gasperini's defenders have scored 31 goals in twelve matches in all competitions, making them a decisive attacking weapon as well as a source of solidity. Leonardo Balerdi scored a decisive brace at the Maradona, while young Ghilardi has quickly established himself as a valid alternative and has been a starter in recent games. Ndicka, Mancini and Hermoso also feature in the rotation, with Hermoso sidelined only by a physical complaint. The injury picture remains important ahead of a congested run of fixtures, with Udinese and the Champions League coming up in quick succession. Mile Svilar is ready to return from his finger injury, but while he works to regain his best form, Pierluigi Gollini will keep goal for the trip to Friuli. Paulo Dybala has no chance of a quick return. The Argentine forward suffered a new setback caused by an oedema that revealed a calf lesion, forcing him to miss the Champions League match against Manchester United at Old Trafford. The medical staff do not want to take any risks, and have set his target for a return to action for the Serie A match against Sassuolo.

Paulo Dybala's return to action has suffered another setback, with Roma's medical staff deciding against any risk and delaying the Argentine's comeback. Further clinical tests revealed an oedema that had masked a small lesion to the gastrocnemius muscle in his right calf. The injury was sustained during the match against Real Madrid on 14 October, and it will force the "Joya" to miss Roma's Champions League trip to Manchester United at Old Trafford. The club and head coach Gian Piero Gasperini are taking a cautious approach. The concrete target for Dybala's return is the Serie A fixture against Sassuolo on 7 November, which comes before the international break. Dybala's enforced absence opens up new tactical options for the attack. Ahead of the next league trip to Udinese, Rodrigo Mora is putting himself forward for a fresh chance to start, aiming to build consistency and confirm the progress he showed after scoring the decisive goal against Cagliari. The news on the other injured players is mixed. Hermoso and Balerdi have recovered from their exertions and offered strong assurances. Goalkeeper Mile Svilar has returned from Belgium for key tests on his recovery from a fractured toe, with hopes he can earn a late call-up for Manchester or the match in Udine. Koné remains sidelined and will need a further period of rest before he is available to Gasperini again.