Dybala Shines in Roma's 6-0 Pre-Season Win
Roma’s pre-season opened with a routine scoreline but a significant message. A 6-0 intra-squad win over the Primavera side rarely makes headlines on its own. Paulo Dybala’s performance does.
The Argentine stepped back onto the pitch looking alarmingly close to his best. According to TuttoMercatoWeb, he resembled the same talisman who dragged Roma through the tense closing weeks of last season, stitching together attacks, finding pockets of space, and deciding the game with the kind of quality few in this squad can match. He finished with two goals and an assist, but the numbers only tell part of the story.
What mattered more to Gian Piero Gasperini was how Dybala moved. Light on his feet, sharp in the turns, and – crucially – in notably strong physical condition for this stage of July. Gasperini has been unwavering on one point since he arrived: a fit Dybala changes Roma’s ceiling. The caveat has always been the same – “fitness record permitting.” On this early evidence, there is at least a foundation to build on.
The coach’s belief seemed to be mirrored in his star forward’s body language. Dybala played with freedom, taking risks, demanding the ball. For a club that leaned heavily on his inspiration last spring, seeing him glide through an admittedly gentle run-out will have settled a few nerves around Trigoria.
There was another important sight for Roma: Artem Dovbyk back among the goals.
The Ukrainian striker, whose season was derailed by a tendon problem that required surgery and wiped out much of his run-in, returned with intent. He scored twice and could easily have walked away with more, attacking the box with the kind of conviction that had briefly put him on the map before injury intervened.
These weeks matter for him. His name has been floated as a potential sale to help finance incoming transfers, and players in that position often drift to the margins. Dovbyk chose a different route. He used the first pre-season outing to remind Gasperini – and the club hierarchy – that he is still a viable option through the middle.
For Gasperini, who wants depth and competition across the front line as Roma push on with their pursuit of targets such as Crysencio Summerville, Dovbyk’s response complicates the equation in the best possible way. A coach can work with a selection headache born of form.
It is only an intra-squad friendly, only the first step of a long pre-season. But between Dybala’s sharpness and Dovbyk’s defiance, Roma’s summer has started with precisely the kind of signals a demanding new manager wanted to see.
