> Preseason football creates an awkward problem for supporters. Everyone wants to learn something, but the score may be the least useful part of the match.
Roma began preparations for the 2026-27 season in July before moving to a training camp in Wales. The schedule gives Gian Piero Gasperini time to test combinations, assess new arrivals, and increase the physical demands on his squad before Serie A opens in late August. None of those objectives requires Roma to look polished in every friendly.
The more useful question is not whether Roma wins a summer match. It is whether the team is beginning to play in a recognizable way.
The Scoreboard Can Lie in July
A preseason result can be distorted by heavy training sessions, experimental lineups, uneven fitness levels, and mass substitutions. One team may play its probable starting eleven for an hour while the other changes almost the entire side at halftime. The final score records none of that context.
That does not make friendlies meaningless. It simply changes what supporters should measure.
Look at the spacing between Roma's defensive, midfield, and attacking lines. Watch whether the players recognize the same pressing triggers and whether the wing-backs move at the right moment. A 1-1 draw can contain more encouraging evidence than a comfortable victory against weaker opposition.
