Roma’s place at the top of Serie A will be tested on Saturday evening when Inter arrive, but Gian Piero Gasperini has urged restraint around any early talk of the Scudetto.
Key takeaways
- Gasperini believes Roma’s real targets can only be judged after roughly 20 league matches.
- The leaders will face Inter before taking on Real Madrid in the Champions League.
- Roma will also meet Cesc Fabregas’s Como and José Mourinho’s side after the international break.
- Gasperini highlighted the developing partnership between Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen.
- The coach sees a strong bond between the club, supporters, squad and board as Roma’s greatest current strength.
Roma’s early lead meets the Inter examination
There is no attempt from Gasperini to cool the atmosphere entirely. He understands why a city that has seen Roma start so strongly wants to imagine the biggest possible ending. Supporters are entitled to their hopes, he said, but a coach must keep returning to what the season is actually showing.
For that reason, he does not consider four or five rounds enough to set definitive objectives. In his view, standards are not raised by simply declaring a title challenge; they rise through daily improvement, through work with a squad containing different profiles and through finding a better level from one match to the next.
Inter therefore represent more than a prominent fixture. Gasperini sees the meeting as a proper measure of Roma’s level, particularly because his side have earned the right to approach it as league leaders. The coming Champions League encounter with Real Madrid provides another demanding reference point against an opponent of major pedigree.
He also warned against looking only at the traditional giants. Como, in his assessment, already belong among the leading sides, while the fixtures after the break against Fabregas’s team and Mourinho’s side will further shape Roma’s early-season picture.
The coach admitted that this start has surpassed expectation, even if it was what he had hoped for. Roma, he said, came into the campaign with a greater base than they had possessed at the beginning of the previous season: the players have spent longer together, understand each other more clearly and have already absorbed many of the team’s ideas.
A squad driven by experience, youth and trust
Gasperini pointed to a group capable of feeding its own momentum. He recalled that finishing third in the first year together had not been straightforward, and believes the balance within the squad has helped them continue building. Younger players bring energy and readiness, while more established figures offer quality and an example through their conduct in training.
Dybala and Malen have become a visible expression of that blend. Gasperini said Dybala can recognise Malen’s movements even when his body position appears to suggest otherwise, and has the technical ability to find him. Malen, meanwhile, was praised for turning attacks that may look uncomplicated into goals that are anything but easy to score. The pairing, the coach said, has clicked.
He also clarified his recent comparison between Leonardo Balerdi and Franco Baresi. Gasperini stressed that he was not placing Balerdi on Baresi’s historical level. Rather, he was identifying certain shared traits: recovery speed in dangerous situations, intensity in challenges and confidence when starting play from the back. Baresi, he added, was far ahead of his contemporaries, though he played in a very different era.
Such references are part of Gasperini’s way of showing players what they may still become. He made a similar association when asked about Malen, comparing aspects of the forward’s game to Diego Milito.
Lulli, Niccolò Pisilli and Daniele Ghilardi were also singled out as players with a future, including in the Italy setup. Gasperini praised their willingness to learn and improve, noting that they have not behaved as though they have already arrived despite playing Serie A football at a young age. Their freshness benefits the entire group, he said, but it is supported by genuine ability.
Roma’s environment has also impressed a coach who feels the weight of the city in constructive rather than damaging terms. The passion surrounding the club, he said, is rooted in affection for the team. He has tried to earn appreciation through his work, and believes the trust he now feels around him is a reason to keep repaying it.
Gasperini did not claim that Roma are complete. He said flaws remain, otherwise his job would be finished, but he feels the bigger weaknesses have been addressed and that the remaining details require a more exacting search. Above all, he sees unity between the supporters, team, club and board as the central virtue of this Roma side. Saturday against Inter will show how far that unity can carry the leaders.
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Gasperini urges calm as Roma prepare for Inter test at top of Serie A
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Gian Piero Gasperini says Roma’s objectives should be assessed after 20 matches as the Serie A leaders prepare to face Inter and later Real Madrid.
