Gasperini's Roma top of the table for the first time in ten years | OneFootball

With a 3-1 victory over Cremonese and Inter's defeat in the Milan derby last weekend, Roma finished the 12th round of the Serie A top of the table for the first time in a decade.

It's a feat that may not seem significant this early in the season but can be seen as a promising start for coach Gian Piero Gasperini. It has been ten years since the team from the capital last led the competition alone.

Indeed, the last time it happened was in the 10th round of the 2015/16 season (coincidentally with a 3-1 Roma win as well, but against Udinese, and with a Brazilian goal from Maicon) that Roma last assumed sole leadership of Serie A, then with 23 points, two more than Fiorentina, Napoli, and Inter.

Since then, the view from the top has only been shared, and always at the congested beginnings of the championship: in 2016/17 they were leaders in the first round, alongside eight teams; in 2021/22 they led with a 100% record alongside Milan and Napoli; and the last experience as leaders was in 2022/23, in the fourth round, when they shared the top spot with Atalanta, then managed by Gasperini.

Roma's resolve will be tested following the midweek European clash against Danish side Midtjylland on Thursday as the Giallorossi host defending champions Napoli on Sunday evening in what could prove a crucial game come the end of the season.