Udinese. Roma-Cagliari 4-2. Sti giovanotti de sta Roma Bella.
We leave Rome with the conviction that we are strong, following our victory against a capable Cagliari side. We possess the bravado, the recklessness, the strength—and, by extension, the immortality—of youth, much like the many young players taking the field for Roma and appearing on stages across Europe. Now, we head to Udine to face a team that has spent many years fighting to maintain its place in Serie A (a status currently at significant risk) and which also features a large number of young players.
Watch out for Davis, the centre-forward, and Chakvetadze (or Ekkelenkamp, who is more of a midfielder)—the attacking midfielder on the left. The most dangerous forward is Zaniolo on the right flank.
We are firmly in the Champions League zone, and with each successive win, this position becomes more secure—though, as the victories keep piling up, I wonder how many teams will actually be able to sustain this pace. Not even the currently remarkable Lazio (off to the best start in their history) or Inter (who have clawed back 13 points from losing positions) might be able to keep it up.
It is in this vein that the victory against Cagliari was achieved—a Cagliari side that proved to be an excellent team with an excellent coach. After Daniele Maldini made it 2–2, I feared a stumble, but then Gasp shifted Soulé to the right and Mora to the left; above all, the Portuguese player proved decisive, contributing a goal and an assist for Malen.
| 9th Serie A | First Half | Second Half | Final Score | Scorers |
 | 15′ Lulli, 22′ Pisilli, 85′ Mora, 87′ Malen | |||
 | 10' Pen. Nzola, 81' D.Maldini |
In the first half, the performances of Pisilli (who scored) and Lulli (who provided a goal and an assist) are also worth noting. Gollini was excellent, making at least three decisive saves. Perhaps Balerdi is a better choice than Ndicka as the central figure in the back three, though the Ivorian didn’t play poorly overall.
Roma’s great strength lies in these players, all around twenty years old, who boldly attempt difficult moves—and often pull them off. The most experienced among them (if you can even call them "old")—Svilar, Balerdi, Pisilli, Malen, Soulé, and Wesley—have already reached a level of maturity typical of top-tier players (a label that Ghilardi, Koulierakis, Lulli, and Mora may soon earn as well). My humble advice, as a fan who has seen many players come and go, is to always opt for the safe play—especially in tight, back-and-forth matches.
Young people are also the ones filling the public squares in Italy, France, and Spain. When I was young, I shared their desire for revolt. But my main piece of advice—as my uncle from Lazio (a truly great man) used to tell me—is to study. Because studying allows you to do whatever you want with your life—even to do absolutely fuck-all. Besides, resorting to violence only plays into the hands of the very far-right that these young people claim to be fighting.
Now, however, we must keep fighting. We have cleared the difficult hurdle of Cagliari, and next we will face our brothers from Udine. Our hope and our strength lie in the young—the young people who go to the stadium, and the young players on the pitch. With them, we will win.
Daje Roma!
Giordano Sepi