Gian Piero Gasperini’s AS Roma have won four out of their last five league games, conceding just three goals this entire campaign.
This is a far cry from the teams Gasperini had at Atalanta, which scored goals galore after he effectively changed the attack time and time again.
Creating stars like Josip Iličić, Ademola Lookman, Papu Gomez, Luis Muriel, and Duván Zapata, Gasperini was not afraid to change key players often and, in a Sir Alex Ferguson-esque manner, successfully built new teams after new teams.
Gasperini has admirably changed his tactics and philosophy since arriving in Rome.
The 2025/2026 camp was built on the back of the league’s best defence.
French midfielder Manu Koné is a key part of this team.
Koné, valued at €50m by Transfermarkt, has been heavily linked with a move to Premier League giants Manchester United as they aim to continue their rebuild under Rúben Amorim, as well as the current defending European champions, PSG.
After moving to Roma in August 2024, I Giallorossi couldn’t believe how quickly Koné became indispensable to the team.
It’s hard to imagine this Roma side without Manu Koné.
Gasperini seems to agree, as Koné has played all eight league games this season thus far and is suited to a 3-4-3 system.
Whilst Koné isn’t necessarily an all-action midfielder and may have had a different role under the former Atalanta manager, it’s worth looking at the midfielder’s game.
This Manu Koné scout report examines the Roma midfielder and explains why he has become so in-demand.
Progression Centrally Through Runs
I would like to see Manu Koné do more of what I haven’t seen him do enough this season: drive the ball from defence or deep build-up into attack.
He has the physique and capabilities for it, but his role under Gasperini has shifted to a more ‘tempo-setting’ position, where he plays calm passes out of defence to the midfielders.
This goal in the UEFA Europa League highlighted his capabilities.
With a driving run from midfield, he shrugged off three defenders and laid the ball off for a finish.
I think it’s important to highlight this because Roma don’t have a player who can do this, bar Lorenzo Pellegrini, who plays more advanced football.
Manu Koné needs to take up this mantle, and the evidence from the past suggests that he is well-suited to do so.
Koné can be a more penetrative player who drives into the opponent’s box, but at the moment, Gasperini doesn’t think that it’s so much of an issue, as Roma isn’t scoring a huge number of goals.
Koné is currently paired with Bryan Cristante.
As the season draws on, I don’t feel this is a central midfield pairing full of inventiveness and creativity.
The top seven teams in Italy are often tasked with breaking down a low block for most of the game.
Think about when it gets to later in the season, and Roma, whose squad is already thin, have to deal with injuries.
They don’t concede much, but they aren’t scoring enough either.
In the 31st minute, there was a sequence in which Koné received the ball in the full-back position, released the ball up to the striker, and carried his run on into Sassuolo’s box.
Koné should make this one of his ‘trademark’ movements.
It appears that this has slowed down somewhat under Gasperini tactics.
Dropping Into Defence
Manu Koné has been dropping into Roma’s defence this season as a midfielder, allowing them to push up two full-backs in the process.
Koné is a midfield ‘tempo-setter’ in the same ilk as Toni Kroos or Luka Modrić.
Those two midfielders are among the greatest in their position, but nonetheless, Koné is the ‘calm’ midfielder who drops into the defence, lays it off out wide, or hits a raking pass to switch the play.
He’s very good at shielding the ball away from midfielders under pressure, using his strength to hold them off during challenges, and wriggling away successfully.
With Manu Koné dropping into defence, it alleviates the need for one of Roma’s three centre-backs to be able to pass out from the back.
Gianluca Mancini, Mario Hermoso, and Evan Ndicka are very good ‘head it, kick it, clear it’ defenders.
Centre-backs who are stocky, win a lot in the air, defend the box extremely well, and won’t be afraid to put in tactical fouls when they want.
Therefore, Koné dropping into the defence allows him to pick passes out from deep.
Whilst Koné is capable of forward, attacking, and penetrative passes, most of his passing range when in deeper positions consists of smarter and sideways passes.
He waits for the space to open up but keeps the move ticking, maintaining his wide position and helping to lure in forwards who press.
This means that Koné is waiting for strikers to make a challenge or action, keeping the press away from another number ten for Roma, who drops deeper.
For instance, against Sassuolo, Neil El Aynaoui consistently dropped deep from the front three on the opposite side to where Manu Koné was positioned.
What this means for Roma is that essentially, when they play with three up front, they can drop one of the players deeper to link up and play as a quarter-back from deep, allowing them to play with an extra ‘midfielder’.
The opposition could be lured into following one of these number 10s deep into Roma’s half, or, similarly, they could be confused by a player dropping deep and opt not to mark them.
Either way, Roma have access to a ploy similar to what Manchester United do when Matheus Cunha plays.
Cunha plays as a forward, but he’s in central midfield.
He often drags players with him and uses his attacking skills deeper in build-up.
Defensive Reading Of The Game
Aside from being Rome’s ‘tempo-setter,’ he and Bryan Cristante have formed a good partnership because both are alert to danger.
Manu Koné was recently called up to the France national team and played in midfield alongside Eduardo Camavinga and Florian Thauvin, but the selection is more indicative of the all-around qualities Koné possesses.
Koné is capable of sitting in front of Roma’s defence and quickly breaking up attacks when sides try to hit the Giallorossi on the break.
Koné is more mobile and agile across the ground than Cristante, which is why you tend to see the Italians make more clumsy challenges and get more yellow cards.
The defensive side of his game in central midfield stems from standing in the right place more than anything, which is a highly underrated skill.
This is something Casemiro was brilliant at back in his prime Real Madrid days: positioning over the practice of many defensive actions per game.
Reading the game and being in the right place at the right time is an art form, but it helps that if Manu Koné gets this wrong, he is quick enough to get back and intercept.
He’s a midfield destroyer with class but can also be powerful when needed.
Conclusion
Over the last year, Manu Koné has registered as one of the midfielders in the top five leagues with the most progressive carries per 90.
At some point in the season, we could see Koné combine his ability to carry the ball with his skills at successful take-ons.
Roma need Koné to take players on and drive forward with the ball, rather than taking them on when he is being pressed in the build-up and safely passing it back to the defenders.
Perhaps this ‘safer’ approach is working for Gasperini.
With just eight league games gone in the season, he is utilising Koné’s excellent defensive abilities to the fullest.
It is also worth noting that Gasperini’s tactics at Roma are entirely different.
He looks to bait teams into one wide area of the pitch before switching the play to the other wing.
There are many occasions in the build-up when teams press Roma (depending on which side the centre-back has the ball on).
As this happens, with players pressing high in one zone, the Giallorossi switch wings.
It’s an explanation of why Manu Koné’s brilliant ability for progressive carries isn’t being utilized to its fullest, but also accentuates Koné’s diversity and variety in his game, allowing him to adapt to a different coach and take on a ‘calmer’ role.
Though it’s still extremely early with only eight games in Serie A, maybe this is just what the club needs.
After José Mourinho left, Roma went through four coaches, with Claudio Ranieri doing a terrific job.
Ranieri is still a senior advisor at the club, having turned down the Italy job.
With Ranieri so loved at Roma, Gasperini is bringing calm to the often turbulent and emotional atmosphere that can engulf Roma.
With the change in direction, Manu Koné has proven that he remains one of the first names on the team sheet, even as he adapts to a new role and new tactics.
The Frenchman is clearly a bright spark in what seems to be a bright future under Roma.
