While Inter Milan and Lazio continue to hold sway at the top of the Serie A table, Gian Piero Gasperini and the Giallorossi continue to stake their claim as legitimate title contenders. In the wake of their gut-wrenching Champions League loss to Real Madrid earlier this month, Roma has taken 10 points from their past four matches, including yesterday’s 4-2 win over Cagliari.
Yesterday’s victory marked the fourth time Roma has scored four goals this season, but their Scudetto credentials rest on more
than just putting the ball in the back of the net. With an injection of youthful vigor and a healthy dose of self-belief, Roma has shown the ability to overcome adversity, bouncing back from early deficits in their last two matches.
While it wasn’t as dramatic as their 3-3 draw against Napoli, where the capital club overcame 2-0 and 3-2 deficits before Leonardo Balerdi’s 89th-minute equalizer, Roma’s recuperative powers were on full display Tuesday evening. After conceding a penalty in the 10th minute, Gasperini’s group needed only five minutes to draw level and eventually pull ahead, carrying a 2-1 lead into the halftime break.
Even after letting the Islanders back into the match thanks to a Daniel Maldini equalizer in the 81st minute, Roma dug deep, adding a third and fourth goal before all was said and done. Thanks to their, shall we say, stick-to-itiveness, Roma’s unbeaten league record remains intact.
Unseating Inter Milan at the top of the table won’t be easy (I’m not convinced Lazio’s strong start will last; their schedule has been relatively easy so far), but for the first time in ages, the Scudetto doesn’t feel like a distant dream.
Alright, let’s pass out some halos!
The Saints
Emanuele Lulli
Time will ultimately tell where the 19-year-old wing-back falls on the spectrum of homegrown legends, but the boy from Palestrina is turning heads in his debut season. Ten days after scoring his first professional goal, Lulli raised the bar by scoring Roma’s first in the 15th minute and setting up Pisilli’s strike six minutes later.
We’ve often bemoaned the club’s inability to develop its own proper wing-backs, but if Lulli’s early returns are any indication, we can cross right-back off the To-Do list for the next decade. Pairing Lulli with Wesley, even if the former is slightly miscast on the left, gives Roma an enviable duo, perfectly suited to Gasperini’s aggressive tactics.
But he wasn’t the only young Roman making waves yesterday…
Niccolo Pisilli
Admittedly, he’s a bit further along the developmental curve than Lulli, but the 22-year-old midfielder is quickly becoming indispensable for the Giallorossi. After getting tagged for a handball in the 10th minute, Pisilli immediately atoned for his gaffe (which was nearly incidental anyway), one-timing a Lulli out-swinger to put Roma ahead in the 21st minute.
During our 2025 U-23 countdown, in which Pisilli clocked in at number five, we painted a pie-in-the-sky picture of how he might play (and what he could become) under Gasperini’s tutelage:
If we look at Gasperini’s Atalanta midfield over the past several years, Pisilli should fall somewhere on the spectrum between Teun Koopmeiners and Remo Freuler. The former was more attack-minded, while the latter did the less glamorous link-up work.
But let’s focus on the more fun aspects of Pisilli’s game and hope that he skews closer to Koopmeiners’ role under Gasp: a high-energy, box-to-box midfielder who drives the ball forward, operates in rotating triangles with other midfielders (especially in wider areas), and makes late runs into the box, operating more as a complement to the forwards than a safeguard for the defense.
I’ll admit that was an optimistic projection, something we’d hope would happen two or three years down the road, but Pisilli’s time has already arrived. Give him the number eight shirt, the captains armband and pencil him into the XI from here on out.
He’s the future of this club.
Pierluigi Gollini
From the sound of it, he’ll be returning the gloves to Mile Svilar in a matter of days, but Gollorious has performed remarkably well as Roma’s temporary number one keeper, and yesterday was no exception. Despite being beaten by Maldini late in the match, Gollini once again impressed with his positioning, technique and aggression, making several key saves and covering nearly every corner of the box with ease.
Roma can rest assured that they not only have a top-class keeper in Svilar but one of the best number twos in the business.
Matías Soulé
Days after turning in an MOTM performance in Roma’s wild 3-3 draw with Napoli, Soulé was up to his usual tricks against Cagliari. Although he didn’t factor into the final scoreline, Soulé was among the best players on the pitch last night, completing a game-high four successful dribbles, creating three scoring chances, playing six balls into the final third, and recovering four loose balls.
Performances like these are quickly becoming Soulé floor. Pairing Soulé with Lulli, Pisilli, Daniele Ghilardi, and Rodrigo Mora gives the Giallorossi one of the best young cores in the league.
Rodrigo Mora
Despite playing only 34 minutes, the Portuguese whiz-kid made the most of his second-half cameo. With only 28 touches to his name, Mora created three big chances and scored an emphatic 85th-minute match-winner, heading home a beautiful cross from Ghilardi.
Mora has made the most of his secondary role in Gasperini’s attack, but performances like these beg for more chances.
We’re not touching the Cristante-Mancini third rail today, so let’s jump straight to the SIBs.
Stuck In Between
Donyell Malen
It’s unfair to expect Bobby to maintain his seemingly otherworldly rate, but he did press a bit against Napoli and squandered some genuine chances that could have swung the match in Roma’s favor. We are happy to report that Malen got his groove back yesterday, slotting home an insurance goal in the 87th minute to put the match to bed.
Nahuel Molina
He may lack Wesley’s sizzle and Lulli’s upside, but the former Colchonero turned in 45 minutes of solid football yesterday. Before making way for Wesley after the break, Molina created three scoring chances, including an assist on Lulli’s 15th-minute goal.
Daniele Ghilardi
He barely played long enough to even warrant an actual match rating, but Ghilardi still managed to serve up the match-winning assist thanks to a well-timed overlap and a simply gorgeous out-swinging cross to Mora in the middle of the box. I’m not sure how much longer Gasperini can keep this kid on the bench; he’s up for the task and is, at this point in the season, arguably a better choice than Gianluca Mancini at the back.
We’ll end it here, but with another quick turnaround, it won’t be long before the halos come out of storage again. Until next time!
