Roma’s place at the top of Serie A, shared with Inter and Lazio after five rounds, has been built on more than goals. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have scored 14 times, with Donyell Malen contributing six and Paulo Dybala providing four assists, but a sharp rise in successful dribbles has become another marker of the change.
The decision
Gasperini has asked Roma to play with aggression high up the pitch, recovering possession early and creating repeated one-against-one situations. The aim is not simply to keep attacking, but to find the extra man and open routes towards goal through individual initiative.
The early numbers suggest that this part of the project has moved quickly. Roma completed 39.2% of their attempted dribbles across last season, a return that left them 19th in the league in that category. This term, their success rate has risen to 61.73%.
It is a gain of more than 50% and currently puts Roma ahead of Inter, Como, Torino and Lazio for completed dribbles. Five matches are too small a sample to settle a season, but the difference is already visible in the way Roma have created danger.
The leading figures within the squad also tell a slightly unexpected story. Malen and Matías Soulé are level on 2.6 successful dribbles per match, though the Dutch forward leads the internal ranking because he has completed 66.7% of his attempts, compared with Soulé’s 61.5%.
Dybala, despite his influence as a creator, is eighth among Roma players in this measure. He has averaged 0.9 completed dribbles per game and succeeded with 30.8% of his attempts.
Rodrigo Mora is third on 2.1 successful dribbles per appearance, an important contribution given that the Portuguese player has had fewer minutes than the two leaders. Daniele Ghilardi follows with 1.9, an unusual number for a defender but one explained by his use as a wide centre-back, a role that has taken him forward regularly under Gasperini.
Wesley and Lulli are also among the notable performers. Their presence reflects a more productive contribution from the wing-backs than Roma found last season.
The club’s thinking will not stop there. In January, sporting director Tony D’Amico is expected to pursue the left-sided attacking midfielder who operates on his right foot and fits Gasperini’s requirements. Dribbling ability and confidence in direct duels are central to that profile.
Sunday’s picture
Roma’s early fixtures against Fiorentina, Lecce, Atalanta, Torino and Inter have offered evidence of a team increasingly capable of breaking a line through an individual action. Not every one of the 14 league goals has begun with a dribble, but many of the side’s most threatening moves have been shaped by that willingness to take on an opponent.
For a Roma team level at the summit, the statistic is not a decorative detail. It points to a side that is finding more ways to turn pressure and possession into a decisive attacking advantage.
