AS Roma are surprise leaders of Serie A heading into tomorrow’s clash with SSC Napoli, a fixture which will go some way to showing whether Gian Piero Gasperini’s side are the real deal.
Last crowned kings of Italy back in 2000-2001, Roma are two points ahead of the current champions and AC Milan in a crowded early scudetto tussle.
Roma seem like unlikely title challengers. They have not even qualified for the UEFA Champions League since 2017-2018, while success-starved fans have seen their team win one trophy in the past 17 seasons, but they have been Serie A’s best team over the course of this calender year, collecting 76 points from 32 matches — 10 more than Napoli — in which they have conceded just 17 goals, the lowest in the division over that period.
Photo: AFP
Last weekend’s win at US Cremonese suggested that Roma’s problem with scoring goals might be over, with clinical finishing putting the capital club top of the table.
Gasperini will have to watch from the stands after being sent off at the Stadio Giovanni Zini, where he was seen going berserk with joy on his own when Evan Ferguson ended a year-long scoring duck, but his influence is already being seen on the team and the supporters, who have a deserved reputation for being both impatient when things do not go well and easily carried way when they do.
Supporters produced a work of graffiti in the city depicting Gasperini as a wizard concocting a potion for success based on grit, heart and sweat.
“Those are the things that we need, and we can add a little spice and salt,” Gasperini joked.
Roma ended Midtjylland’s perfect start to the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, and Gasperini has proved himself versatile, with injuries to attackers Artem Dovbyk and Paulo Dybala not hampering their progress.
However, Napoli are back on track, with Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Qarabag putting Antonio Conte’s side in a better position in the UEFA Champions League after soundly beating Atalanta BC last weekend.
Conte seemed like a different person to the one who said he would not “accompany the dead” after an awful defeat at Bologna before the international break.
He still has a raft of injuries to deal with, but, with Romelu Lukaku still out of action, will have Rasmus Hojlund available after the Denmark forward started against Qarabag.
Also lurking are Bologna, unbeaten in two months and just three points behind Roma in fifth place ahead of the visit of Cremonese, and ambitious Como.
A 5-1 hammering of Torino on Monday has Como in a European place above Juventus, and a win against US Sassuolo yesterday would put Cesc Fabregas’ team temporarily level on 24 points with Bologna and Inter.
STILL IN THE HUNT: Rasmus Hojlund took his goal tally for SSC Napoli to nine as the champions cruised to a win at US Cremonese and stayed two points behind the leaders Inter on Sunday stayed at the Serie A summit after beating Atalanta BC 1-0 to maintain their slender lead over local rivals AC Milan. Lautaro Martinez netted the only goal of the game in Bergamo for Inter, who lead Milan, 3-0 winners against Hellas Verona thanks to Christoper Nkunku’s first Serie A goals, by a single point at the top of the division. The Argentina striker has scored in four consecutive league matches to end what has been a tricky year in positive style. “I ended last season in a lot of pain... I kept going during the Club World Cup and international
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