Roma’s 2-2 draw with Inter before the international break did not deliver the victory the Olimpico had hoped for, yet it gave the Giallorossi another kind of return: proof that Gasperini’s side can stand up to the division’s leading force. For Vincent Candela, that is the important starting point as Roma look towards a demanding league visit to Como and a Champions League night with Real Madrid still to come.
The coach and the club
Speaking in Perugia during the FIP Gold Mediolanum Padel Cup, the former Roma defender said Inter remain the side to beat in the Scudetto race. Their usual standard, he noted, is to score at least twice and go on to win; against Roma, they managed the first part but not the second.
Candela believes the draw should strengthen rather than frustrate the club. In his view, Roma came away with greater confidence, energy and awareness of their own level, even if the three points escaped them. “Inter are still the favourites,” he said, while placing Roma as their closest challengers and Como a little further back.
The league resumes with Roma travelling to the Sinigaglia, where Candela expects a contest shaped by the strong identities of the two benches. Gasperini and Como coach Cesc Fabregas are different figures, he said, but each brings a clear personality to his team.
He described Como as a technically gifted side that plays good football and may still need time to complete its development. Roma, meanwhile, have impressed him through a solid, compact defensive unit. The match could also be decided by individual quality, with Candela looking to Donyell Malen and Paulo Dybala for the moments of invention that can change an evening.
Inter remain the reference point
The result against Inter has not altered Candela’s view of the championship hierarchy, but it has made Roma’s ambitions more credible. The Nerazzurri, he said, remain first in the pecking order; Roma have shown enough to stay with them over the season.
That assessment gives the Como fixture added weight. It is not simply the first game after a pause, but another examination of how a Roma side under Gasperini handles an opponent with its own ambition and coaching direction.
A European occasion at the Olimpico
Ten days after the return to domestic action, Roma will welcome Real Madrid in the Champions League. Candela expects the occasion to feel like a celebration, describing the return to Europe’s leading competition and the arrival of one of its most decorated clubs as something special.
The visit also carries an emotional element because José Mourinho will lead Madrid at the Olimpico. Candela said Mourinho gave a great deal to Roma and expects a full stadium charged above all by feeling.
He nevertheless backed Roma to win. Candela insisted that his prediction was based not merely on his affection for the club, but on his reading of the respective characteristics of Gasperini’s Roma and Mourinho’s team.
Malen’s season takes shape
Candela reserved particular praise for Malen, whose early-season form has made him one of Roma’s most influential attacking figures. He called the Dutch forward a surprise, while also recalling that Malen had shown his ability two years ago and had already been viewed as a potential star.
Under Gasperini, Candela feels Malen has found the right setting. The coach has used him slightly differently from his usual position, and the player appears comfortable with the adjustment.
“He is powerful, mobile, direct in front of goal and efficient,” Candela said. He expects Malen to finish the season with more than 20 goals and to play a major part in Roma’s campaign.
He was more cautious over any comparison with the Serie A mark of 36 league goals set by Gonzalo Higuain and Ciro Immobile. Those were different campaigns and different circumstances, he said, and Italian football remains demanding both physically and tactically. Reaching 36, in Candela’s opinion, would be a far harder target.
