Cautiously Optimistic Since 2007
If Gian Piero Gasperini and Roma stand any chance at closing the five-point gap and overtaking Juventus for 4th place on the table, they will need all hands on deck; no easy feat for the Giallorossi. Whether you believe Trigoria was built on sacred ground as is now cursed or that Roma’s medical staff are […]
If you listened to the commentary during yesterday’s match without knowing who the opponent was, you might not have noticed any difference. Roma’s 1-1 draw with Atalanta was more of the same for Roma; another disappointing performance against one of Italy’s top teams. That’s not to dismiss their effort—they fired 18 shots on goal, after […]
Engulfed by their usual storms of injuries and off-the-pitch drama, Roma welcomed Atalanta to the Stadio Olimpico today for a critical Round 33 fixture. To be fair, nearly every match over the past three months has been critical for the Giallorossi. With no room for error in their desperate chase for a spot in next […]
Roma’s on-again, off-again Champions League pursuit has found new life over the past week. Thanks to consecutive losses by our friends in Como, Roma enters today’s Round 33 fixture against Atalanta with a chance to move past Como in the standings and into fifth place. And, if Juventus falls to Bologna on Sunday, the Giallorossi […]
“Yes, sometimes there are internal conversations and debates, but that’s quite normal. In this case, Wesley feels he can play, because he’s incredibly willing. He wants to be able to play. He can run, sprint and shoot, but the medical department believes, perhaps rightly, I don’t know, that there are risks or they don’t want […]
For quite a long time (or maybe it’s just felt incredibly long to me), it’s felt like Roma’s season was collapsing under the weight of its own contradictions. Como, an opportunistic and annoyingly resilient side backed by the richest owners in Italy, seemed poised to turn Roma’s recent stumbles into something more permanent. And yet, […]
Prior to the New Year, Roma’s defense was the strongest and most reliable in Italy, ranking among Europe’s best. However, in recent weeks, that reputation has significantly declined as the Giallorossi have conceded numerous goals: three against Juve, two each against Genoa and Como, and five against Inter. Yes, they kept clean sheets against Lecce […]
While your typical football club can’t match the sheer depth of an NFL roster, where nearly 50 players suit up every Sunday, among the two dozen or so men lucky enough to don the giallo e rosso each season, there is tremendous variety: in roles, attitudes, skills, and potential. From virtuosos to role players and […]
At some point over the last week, the conversation around Roma has drifted away from what’s actually happening on the pitch (largely a disappointment for the season) and toward something far more seductive: the idea that there’s a growing rift between Gian Piero Gasperini and Claudio Ranieri, that disagreements over squad management and long-term planning […]
While Sinners & Saints can produce controversial selections, I can assure you that each selection is carefully weighed and considered, especially when Lorenzo Pellegrini or Bryan Cristante is involved! All kidding aside, every edition of S&S includes at least one or two players I agonize over as I try to parse the ambiguity of match […]
After last weekend’s demoralizing 5-2 loss to Inter Milan at the San Siro, which was preceded by Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup for the third straight time, there wasn’t much joy in the Eternal City. Still, despite that ugly loss to Inter, Roma remained in the thick of a three-team race for […]
After last weekend’s debacle against Inter Milan at the San Siro, Roma takes center stage today as the host of 20th-place Pisa at the Stadio Olimpico, the league’s only Friday fixture in Round 32. While Roma remains mathematically alive in the chase for fourth place, thanks to that 5-2 loss to Inter Milan, the Giallorossi […]
“I think [Gianluca] Mancini will be back as early as next week. I hope Wesley will be as well – they’re both progressing positively. The injuries they suffered were less serious. As for [Paulo] Dybala, he’s doing pretty decently, but his situation is less predictable. I’d give him a week or two. The injuries that […]
Given Roma’s highly-publicized goal of qualifying for the Champions League next season, any missteps along the way, especially those as embarrassing and potentially damaging as the club’s 5-2 loss to Inter Milan on Sunday, were bound to have consequences. Instead of a quick, decisive blow, Roma’s likely failure to qualify for Europe’s top club competition […]
When I first realized that today’s match against Inter Milan fell on Easter Sunday, I was torn: Should I skip the festivities to watch the game, follow it on my phone while listening to my aunts talk about their flowers, or ignore it altogether? Luckily, besides picking up some useful gardening tips, I decided to […]
We’ll skip the lengthy preamble today; we all know what is at stake in today’s Round 31 fixture against league-leading Inter Milan. While Roma has spent much of the season bobbing up and down between sixth place and first place (remember that weekend!), the wheels have come off over the past two months. With only […]
Roma’s margin for error is gone. Not shrinking, not tightening. It’s gone. A run of poor results, including damaging losses to direct competitors, dragged the Giallorossi out of the top four and left them chasing from sixth, staring up at a Champions League place that’s starting to feel like a pipe dream. Injuries continue to […]
“The good news is that Matias Soulé has recovered and trained with the squad. He’s been out for a long time, but over the last week he started to look like himself again. Wesley and Koné clearly are not ready tomorrow, but they are both feeling more positive than after the initial diagnosis. “Without Wesley, […]
[The following is a guest post from Zach Lowy of Breaking the Lines. For more of Zach’s work, be sure to follow him on social media] Roma are currently locked in a thrilling four-way battle with Como, Juventus, and Atalanta for a Champions League qualification spot. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side has kept itself in the […]
Italy’s absence from the 2026 World Cup has me feeling depressed. Not because the Azzurri deserve to be there (they don’t), but because it is a confirmation of just how far one of world football’s giants has fallen. Three straight failures to qualify have now pushed the Azzurri into territory no former champion has ever […]
In our recent roundtable, the consensus was that injuries are the main reason for Roma’s struggles over the last two months. Injuries have decimated Roma, especially in the attacking department, where Paulo Dybala and Matías Soulé‘s absences have left Gian Piero Gasperini with a dearth of creative options behind striker Donyell Malen—who has had to […]
While last week’s narrow 1-0 victory over Lecce kept the wolves at bay for another week, it did little to erase the stench of February and March from our collective conscience. After drawing AC Milan 1-1 on January 25th, Roma climbed to third place in the standings, trailing the second-place Rossoneri by only four points. […]
Earlier this week, when discussing Roma’s rumored interest in Dortmund midfielder Julian Brandt, we pointed out the unique situation of his position. Midfielders are so crucial to the functioning of a proper football club, progressing the ball up the pitch, creating chances, and logging thousands of minutes and hundreds of kilometers, so you can never […]
We’ve said it many times over the years, but midfielders are to football what middle relievers are to baseball or linemen are to American football: an invaluable commodity you can never overstock. And whether it was due to injuries, the accumulated fatigue from playing midweek matches all season long, or simply a lack of quality, […]
Like many of Roma’s young players last season, Matías Soulé’s development was delayed by the club’s managerial turnover. Playing for three managers in one season isn’t ideal for any footballer, especially a U-23 still trying to find their footing as a professional. So when Gian Piero Gasperini was hired as Roma’s new manager last summer, […]