Sinners & Saints: Roma 0, Torino 1

It will take a few weeks (or maybe months) before we can determine whether yesterday’s loss against Torino was “one of those matches,” a worrying portend of future problems, or just a sign that Roma hasn’t fully absorbed Gian Piero Gasperini’s tactics. But one thing is certain: For the first time in his short time at Roma, Gasperini’s group is facing adversity.

After a 90-minute slog against Torino, where Gasperini’s attack essentially butted their heads against the wall for the first hour, Roma’s perfect start to the 2025-2026 season is no longer intact. Instead of joining Napoli and Juventus as the only unbeaten teams in the league, Roma’s six points from three matches now put them on level pegging with Cremonese, for crying out loud.

Now, there are still 35 matches remaining, so let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater. Still, as many of you astutely pointed out after Roma’s afternoon encounter with Torino, not only was this “one of those matches” that Roma failed to show up for, but it might turn out to be “one of those matches” that ultimately costs them a spot in the Champions League next season.

But for now, let’s try to put a positive spin on yesterday’s loss. After all, it took an extremely well-struck ball from Giovanni Simeone to win this game, so there are a few silver linings from Sunday’s stinker at the Stadio Olimpico—emphasis on a few.

He almost levelled the match a few times in the second half but was far and away Roma’s best outfield player against Torino. Playing the entire match, Soulé was often the team’s only attacking spark, completing 90% of his passes, including four key passes, while winning all his duels and drawing three fouls.

Yes, I know Roma lost 1-0, so it might seem strange to see the goalkeeper on the list of saints, but there wasn’t much Svilar could do to stop Simeone’s curler toward the far post. Also, watch the replay and see how many times Roma missed the chance to end the counterattack, either taking a bad angle toward the ball or missing the tackle altogether.

Aside from that, Svilar was as impressive as ever, making two saves in the box, including an incredible one-handed reflex stop to keep the match at 1-0. Overall, Svilar prevented 1.14 goals and completed 23 of 25 passes, including six of eight long passes.

Despite the decrepit performance in the attacking end, there weren’t many glaring errors from Gasperini’s group yesterday, but they’re not emerging completely unscathed.

No one has ever accused Mancini of being the smoothest defender in the league, but Roma’s wildman-turned-wily veteran was off his game against Torino. Although the season is still young, Mancini delivered his worst performance under Gasperini, falling well below his season averages in multiple categories, including winning only 33% of his duels compared to his season mark of 59%.

Again, Mancini didn’t do anything particularly atrocious, but when your attack is struggling, your defense has to be laser-focused.

We’ll skip the statistical analysis for this one. In his first start as Roma’s captain, Cristante was, well, he was Bryan Cristante: a step too slow in midfield, ineffective against the counterattack, and hardly inspiring. And this time, his saving grace—his precise deep passing—was also missing from the equation. If you want an encapsulation of Cristante’s faults yesterday, look no further than his feeble attempt to stop Simeone’s match-winner.

Roma can’t afford many liabilities in attack, so he must be better than this—he’ll never be as dynamic as Radja Nainggolan or as strong on the ball as Kevin Strootman. Still, Roma can scrape out points with the Cristante we saw in the season’s first two matches—but the lead-footed guy we saw yesterday? That’s the stuff of nightmares.

While he is unquestionably Roma’s most talented player, transitioning to life as a part-time player was bound to lead to some uneven performances early in the season. Starting against Torino yesterday, Dybala didn’t really threaten the goal, but he was among the club’s few sources of creativity, providing two key passes and completing two of four crosses—though he didn’t have the same tempo-shifting, vibe-altering impact as he did against Pisa.

I suspect Dybala will be best used as a second-half savior, similar to Francesco Totti during the later days of his career, when he was still one of the most effective forwards in the league on a per-90-minute basis, despite playing a part time role.

Roma is always better off with Dybala on the pitch, but yesterday, he just couldn’t move the needle enough to change the outcome.

Coming on to start the second half, Ferguson threw himself into the mix, contributing one key pass, winning four of eight duels, and taking two shots—both off target, and therein lies the issue. As much as we’ve praised his positioning and movement, the kid has to find the back of the net sooner or later. With 0.23 xG goals from just two attempts, statistically speaking, no other Roma player had a better chance to score against Torino.

We’ve certainly seen strikers struggle in their first season in Rome, so let’s hope Ferguson finds his groove soon.

The former Atletico man put in a crisp 79-minute performance, leading all Roma players with seven defensive actions, including six clearances, while completing 90% of his passes, including three accurate long balls. Hermoso surprised most Serie A analysts when he secured the starting spot alongside Mancini and Evan Ndicka, and through the first three rounds, it seems like Gasperini made the right decision.

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