Who knew a 20-year-old with barely any Serie A starts could nail the analysis of Italian soccer so well? Francesco Pio Esposito said it best: scoring is the hardest part of the game.

He was talking about his Inter teammate, Lautaro Martínez, whom he set up for the winning goal against Atalanta. Pio Esposito had just subbed in when he got lucky with a bad pass from Berat Djimsiti. Instead of shooting himself, he tricked the defender and passed to Lautaro, who scored easily.

Inter's season has been shaky so far. Six months into Cristian Chivu’s time as manager, they're still figuring things out. They've lost four league games—including to Juventus, Milan, and Napoli—and got knocked out of the SuperCoppa early by Bologna.

But they're still leading Serie A at the end of 2025 because of that win against Atalanta, even though they've played one less game than some other teams. Milan is right behind them, and Napoli isn't far behind either, with Juventus and Roma still in the mix. It might be a close race to the championship, and right now Inter is ahead.

And maybe Pio Esposito is right about why. Even though goals are tough to come by in Serie A, Inter has Lautaro, who's a scoring machine. His goal against Atalanta wasn't anything special, but he took the chance and scored.

If anyone forgot how hard it is to score, Lazar Samardzic reminded them soon after. He had a great chance to tie the game for Atalanta but missed badly.

Lautaro's been on fire lately, scoring in four straight league games. He's the top scorer in Serie A this season, tied with Riccardo Orsolini for the year with 15 goals each. Orsolini plays as a winger, so his goal count is more impressive, even though it includes four penalty kicks, while Lautaro hasn't taken any.

It's worth noting that 15 goals isn't that high for the top scorer compared to Kylian Mbappé in La Liga (39), Harry Kane in the Bundesliga (31), and Erling Haaland in the Premier League (27).

It's not necessarily twice as hard to score in Serie A. Mateo Retegui, who was last season’s top scorer, left Atalanta to play in Saudi Arabia, which probably lowered the goal count. He already had 13 goals from January to May.

Also, some good players have been hurt. Gianluca Scamacca, who replaced Retegui at Atalanta, is only now getting back to his best after his injury. Romelu Lukaku, Napoli's main striker, has been out since August.

Still, Serie A is having one of its lowest-scoring seasons in a while, with just 2.327 goals per game. That's less than in previous years.

There's no single reason for this. Apart from players leaving or getting hurt, managerial changes might have something to do with it. Atalanta had to start over when Gian Piero Gasperini left to coach Roma after nine years with the team.

Things have gotten better since Raffaele Palladino took over, but he hasn't been able to beat Inter. Atalanta has lost to them nine times in a row.

Palladino tried something new, putting Mario Pasalic in the forward line to stop Inter from playing through Hakan Calhanoglu. It didn't work, partly because Piotr Zielinski played well with Calhanoglu.

In the end, Lautaro made the difference. And Pio Esposito, too. Scoring might be the hardest part, but Pio Esposito's smart pass showed he has good instincts.

Lautaro has always supported Pio Esposito, praising his talent and work ethic. He's asked people to be patient with him. We have to give him space to grow, Lautaro said. I think he's going to be great for us and for the Italian national team.

For now, Lautaro is happy to carry the load of scoring the goals that keep Inter in the lead. He's still a player who people have different opinions about, but Inter is happy to have him. Besides being one of the top scorers in Serie A, he also scored a lot of goals in the Champions League. Losing the final of that competition hurts, but many players never even get there.

Lautaro, Inter’s captain, was upset about losing against PSG in the Champions League final and couldn't talk about it for days. He played through an injury to be there, and the summer started badly with rumors of a fight between him and Calhanoglu.

Only Inter's players and coaches know if they've gotten over the disappointment of not winning any of the four trophies they were chasing last season, but Lautaro seems to be back to his best physically. When asked if Inter’s fitness coach deserved some credit, Lautaro said, “It’s all the staff.” Time passes, I worked hard to get back, and they push me to be even better.”

Roma isn't playing as well as they did at the start of the season, but as we get close to 2025 ending, there's a lot to be happy about—and to look forward to in 2026. Their defence is still one of the best in Europe, and even though the offence isn't quite there yet, you get the feeling that with some smart moves in January, they could finally pair that great defence with the kind of aggressive offence Romanisti have wanted ever since Roma signed Gasperini.

But to keep that hope alive, Gasperini and the team need to get things back on track before the new year and the January transfer window. Losing to Juventus 2-1 before Christmas hurt, for sure. They're still in the running for Champions League, but a tie or loss against Genoa tomorrow will make it harder—especially since Luciano Spalletti seems to be getting his new team in shape fast.

On the other hand, a win tomorrow could really give Roma a boost. Gasperini knows Genoa really well (but so does Daniele De Rossi, obviously), and he knows they'll try to frustrate a Roma team that's struggling to create chances. To go into the winter transfer window feeling good, Roma needs to show they can get over the loss in Turin and pull out a win when it counts. Winning tomorrow keeps them in the top four; anything less, and people will be calling for big changes in January.

Can Ferguson Save His Spot in Rome by Getting Ahead of Dybala?

Everyone keeps saying that Roma's attackers aren't producing enough under Gasperini, and it's true. But going into the season, things looked good, with Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson both seeming to have talent. But that talent hasn't turned into much yet, with those two only scoring five goals combined in all competitions. Because of that, people are pushing harder for new strikers with each game.

Frederic Massara and Gian Piero Gasperini are probably planning to bring in some new attacking talent as soon as the winter transfer window opens. But that doesn't mean the current strikers can't prove they deserve more playing time. Dovbyk will likely be leaving soon, but Ferguson has youth on his side, which might keep him with Roma longer.

Gasperini has been pretty clear about what Ferguson needs to do. He said that Paulo Dybala has sometimes played centre forward out of necessity, calling it sometimes the only solution, but said that when Dybala is healthy, he makes the whole team better. Gasperini even said that when Dybala isn't in great shape (which is often), playing him as an attacking midfielder is even worse, which shows that Roma's setup is really based on keeping Dybala close to the goal.

That's important for Ferguson, because Gasperini was also straightforward about what's different between them. He said it's impossible to compare them technically. But Gasperini hopes Ferguson can compete not with skill but with determination, hunger, and a kind of useful aggression: the ability to press, be physical, and make the coach consider him because of his effort and impact, not his style. Gasperini even said Ferguson should try to steal his place, not with skill, but with more suitable weapons.

So it's not about Ferguson being as good as Dybala, but about changing the way the team is built around him. If Ferguson can be a reliable central player by occupying defenders, winning battles, and consistently getting into the box, Gasperini can protect Dybala more instead of always relying on him. As an attacking midfielder or winger, Dybala could play wider, play fewer minutes, or be used more strategically, instead of being the team's main focus all the time. If that happens, Ferguson isn't really taking Dybala's place but making the team not need Dybala to do everything.

If Ferguson just stays a young forward with good movement and quiet games, it'll be easy to let him go when January comes, and Roma starts looking for players. But if he becomes the kind of forward who makes a difference through pressure, presence, and effort—even before he scores goals—he gives Roma something they don't have right now: an attack that doesn't fall apart when Dybala isn't perfect. And that's what could save Ferguson's spot in Rome more than any number of goals.

Will Jan Ziółkowski Be Gasperini’s First Real Youth Project?

Gasperini's history with young players is kind of strange. He's known for turning talent into world-class players, but he hardly ever waits for them to develop. He likes to refine players who are already tactically and physically ready. That's why Jan Ziółkowski's recent appearances in the lineup are interesting: he hasn't been amazing, and he's definitely not world-class, but Roma seems okay with his mistakes for the sake of his growth.

The situation has helped Ziółkowski get more playing time. With N’Dicka at AFCON and Hermoso dealing with injuries, the usual backup defenders are gone. The plan is to keep Ziółkowski in the centre of defence, with Mancini on the right and Hermoso on the left when possible, instead of changing the whole defensive structure. That shows Gasperini wants to give Ziółkowski consistent playing time instead of protecting him from responsibility (or hiding him on the bench).

Ziółkowski's performances so far, while not perfect, have been pretty solid. He did well against Juventus despite Roma losing, drawing a foul, making three tackles (all successful), and recording seven clearances. In his eight appearances this season (three starts), he's made eight tackles and 17 clearances. Those numbers aren't huge, but they show he's involved and not hiding. Roma has conceded goals with him on the field, and he hasn't been part of a clean sheet yet, but the fact that Gasperini keeps playing him anyway is more important than the stats.

If Gasperini sticks with him through the mistakes he'll make, Ziółkowski could become a real long-term option for Roma, even after N’Dicka gets back from AFCON. And with most of the January spending probably going to the attack, his development could quietly make the defence more stable without needing more money.