AS Roma’s perfect start unexpected storyline of Serie A

Be honest — who had AS Roma first place in Serie A, and with a 100 per cent record through four rounds, on their calcio bingo card?

Or how about Donyell Malen? Anyone have the Dutchman scoring six goals in three weeks, including a trio of game-winners?

Leonardo Balerdi, maybe? Any chips on the defender, on loan from Marseille, being compared to the late, great Franco Baresi by his Giallorossi manager?

There’s a Jennifer Lawrence GIF for all those with their hands raised.

Now, Roma was never going to be a pushover this term. Far from it. I Lupi came third in the Italian top flight last season and returned to the Champions League after an eight-year absence.

Incoming manager Gian Piero Gasperini surpassed all expectations, transforming his new employer into a serious Serie A proposition almost overnight, and a five-match winning run to conclude the campaign sealed the club’s first top-three finish since 2017-18.

But Roma also lost 11 times out of 38 — more than any rival in the top seven — and from the end of January to mid-April it won just three of 10 matches.

In other words, a perfect start to the schedule was not expected, even at this early juncture.

Malen, admittedly, was a slightly surer bet.

After arriving in the Italian capital in January, the forward returned 15 goals from 20 matches in all competitions. His production in the early days of the current campaign would seem to prove it wasn’t a fluke.

Having languished without a consistent role at Aston Villa, he has thrived as a centre-forward at Stadio Olimpico, where Gasperini’s system has required him to play through the middle. Remarkably, at least in the context of where he found himself a year ago, there may not be a more effective striker in Europe.

OK, fair is fair. If Malen was indeed on the bingo card, go ahead and daub it. But there’s no way anyone had Balerdi.

Acquired on loan from Marseille on the second-last day of the summer transfer window, the defender made his full debut on Monday at Torino following substitute appearances against Fenerbahce and Atalanta.

Add them up, and the 27-year-old has played just 129 minutes in a Roma shirt. He’s been superb — drawing applause from teammates Malen and fellow Argentine Paulo Dybala — but it’s a very small sample size. And it’s even smaller when compared to Baresi’s 20 years at Milan, during which time he won six titles, three European Cups and, for good measure, the World Cup in 1982.

None of which has stopped Gasperini getting ahead of himself.

In his post-match remarks after the 2-0 win over Torino, the manager mused that Balerdi’s ability to read a game reminded him of Baresi. The two centre-backs were alike in their characteristics, he added.

It’s a futile exercise, that comparison, but read between the lines and what you get is a sense of the excitement, even expectation, at AS Roma. And it sets the team up nicely for Saturday’s clash with Inter Milan (11 a.m., FuboTV).

Like Roma, Inter has begun the season with four wins out of four. It has also won two of the last three Scudetti and is the nailed-on favourite to hoist the trophy once again. In a matter of 90 minutes, it could stick a pin in Roma’s balloon.

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That said, the Nerazzurri have been uncharacteristically poor in defence this term, keeping only one clean sheet and, most recently, conceding three goals to 13th-place Udinese on Monday. Gasperini, Malen and company can be confident of getting a goal or two on Saturday.

On the flip side, Inter has won its last five away games to Roma, and by a combined score of 11-2. It loves a night in the Eternal City, and another victory would seem a sure square in any run of five.

But if Malen can produce, Balerdi prevent, Gasperini direct and a couple more chips fall the way of the hosts – perhaps a Manu Koné masterclass or some key Mile Svilar saves — then Roma might just get to call it.

“BINGO!” Five wins out of five.

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