Juventus’ final game before Christmas arrives is a rather important one, with one of Serie A’s biggest early-season surprises making their way to Turin to try and keep their positive momentum going.
In
just four months at Roma, Gian Piero Gasperini has turned the Giallorossi into one of Europe’s best defensive units. Gasp’s squad certainly comes with its faults — namely: goal scoring — but they have continued to win games despite the fact that they aren’t firing on all cylinders in attack like we’ve seen with so many of his Atalanta teams of the past. But they will arrive in Turin in fourth place, four points ahead of fifth-place Juventus in a matchup between two of the true managerial veterans in Serie A right now.
As is the case whenever Juventus are facing a team another team from the SBN Italia corner of the internet, we like to bring in one of our best friends of the blog to answer some questions. And here, as we like to do when Juventus face Roma, we bring in the leader of the Chiesa Di Totti team, Mr. Bren himself.
Considering how Roma are doing so far this season, you can probably guess that he’s in a good mood during our chat. Or maybe just the fact that Roma have been one of the most successful clubs in Italy for the entirety of the 2025 calendar year. Certainly have gotten more points than Juventus over the last 11 1/2 months!
So let’s not wait any longer. Let’s see what Bren has to say about his favorite club from the Italian capital.
BWRAO: We enter this matchup with Roma ahead of Juventus in the Serie A table. They’ve got, statistically, an incredibly strong defense that has allowed the fewest goals in Europe. The new manager has made a real impact after everything the man he replaced did to resurrect last season. How are the Roma vibes right now?
CDT: “The man he replaced.” Are we not allowed to say his name? Is Claudio Ranieri the Voldemort of Serie A!?
Kidding aside, the vibes are incredibly positive, and the turnaround in results and mentality began when Sir Claudio rescued the club from the early-season relegation zone last fall. The problem, at least in terms of vibes, is that Gian Piero Gasperini’s vaunted attack has seldom shown its face at Roma, leaving some fans disappointed by the lack of entertainment value and worried about results — gutting out one-nil wins isn’t the wisest long-term strategy. Still, they’re making it work so far.
That said, Gasp’s defense has been breathtaking. He’s worked his magic with Gianluca Mancini, Evan Ndicka, Zeki Celik, and Mario Hermoso at the back, while Mile Svilar has established himself as the league’s best keeper and one of the finest in all of Europe.
BWRAO: OK, we’ll get the other half of the manager matchup out of the way now. This obviously won’t be the first time that Luciano Spalletti will manage against Roma. But this will be the first time he will be going against Roma at Juventus. Does that make it any more strange or is the simple fact that he’s been a few places before landing in Turin ease all that by a lot?
CDT: I mean, he pissed off Roma fans enough with his poor handling of Francesco Totti’s final days at Roma, but had he moved straight to Juve… oof, I can’t even imagine the scenes when he returned to the Stadio Olimpico. But yes, I’d say that having a few other gigs since leaving Roma has eased some of the animosity. I’m still a Spalletti fan–he’s gotten Roma closer to a Scudetto than any manager since Capello, who led Roma to their most recent Scudetto over 20 years ago.
BWRAO: The stats say Paulo Dybala hasn’t done much this season. Is it safe to say he’s no longer a centerpiece of this team? Or am I missing something here?
CDT: Well, the sheer mileage on his legs always meant his role would diminish over the years. Still, with a new manager in the mix and his usual spate of muscular injuries, his decline (or at least his declining influence) seems to have accelerated. I’ve always maintained that, if properly managed, Dybala could be Roma’s second-half ace in the hole, an absurdly talented player who could turn a match on a dime, even if he plays only 20 to 30 minutes, much as Totti did in the 2010s.
There’s still a chance he becomes that, unless he goes to Boca (which I would love as a passive Boca fan). Ultimately, this is just a cold war between Dybala and Roma, who would love to keep him at a significantly reduced rate. In the end, the choice is up to Dybala: Does he want a smaller role at a large European club or to be “the man” back home?
I hope he stays. As Juve fans know, he’s infectious and impossible to root against.
BWRAO: On the other hand, another Argentine who came from Juventus, Matias Soulé, appears to be picking up where he left off to finish last season. How has he continued to grow under Gasp so far this season?
CDT: Man, he’s a joy to watch, isn’t he? He moves so smoothly and effortlessly through the defense; there’s a lot of Dybala in him. I’m not even sure whether his performance this season is a direct result of Gasperini’s tactics, though that’s certainly a factor. Once the club acquires more attacking talent, Gasperini will be able to make better use of Soulé’s vast skill set. I’m not sure he’ll ever be a prodigious goal-scorer, but he already plays such a pivotal role in creating chances and as a connective player linking the midfield to the forwards…you know, once we get a functional striker.
Bottom line: Soulé has the goods, and Gasperini is the man to take his game to greater heights.
BWRAO: For as much as Roma has improved defensively, the scoring up front — especially from your No. 9s — still appears to be an issue yet to be completely solved. How have your two big boys up front done so far this season and are they the two biggest reasons why Roma might not have enough to stay in the top four?
CDT: To answer that question, we have to run some pretty nuanced calculations … 2+3=5. Five! Roma’s strikers, who carry a combined €80 million price tag (including an option to buy Evan Ferguson), have scored five goals. Quite frankly, it’s incredible. So, yes, the failures of Ferguson and Artem Dovbyk could torpedo their return to the Champions League. Making matters worse, outside of Soulé, no one on the frontline is producing goals
BWRAO: Prediction time — go!
CDT: My heart wants to predict a win for Roma, but their poor record against top clubs, plus the fact that this match is on the road, gives me pause. Still, I think they’ve got enough to keep things at level pegging, so I’ll predict a 2-2 draw—goals from Soulé, Wesley, McKennie, and Yildiz.
