Dybala Shines in Roma's Pre-Season Opener
Roma’s pre-season opened with a gentle scoreline and a loud message. Six goals against the Primavera side, but only one headline: Paulo Dybala is back looking like *that* Paulo Dybala.
The Argentine, whose left foot dragged Roma through the tense final weeks of last season, treated the intra-squad run-out as something more than a fitness drill. He produced flashes of the rare quality that separates him from almost everyone else at Trigoria, finishing with two goals, an assist and, just as importantly, the kind of sharp movement and physical condition that will have caught Gian Piero Gasperini’s eye.
Gasperini has been clear since taking over: a fit Dybala changes everything. The caveat has always been those two words – “a fit” – hanging in front of his name. On this evidence, with Dybala gliding between the lines and striking the ball cleanly, Roma have early reason to believe they might finally get a sustained version of their difference-maker.
The coach watched him knit attacks together, drift into pockets, then explode at the decisive moment. It looked less like a player easing his way into July and more like one picking up where he left off in May.
Dovbyk stakes his claim
If Dybala supplied the artistry, Artem Dovbyk brought the blunt edge Roma missed for stretches of last season.
Back from the tendon problem that required surgery and robbed him of much of the run-in, the striker needed this outing. He didn’t waste it. Two goals, the suggestion there could easily have been more, and a reminder of the penalty-box presence Roma thought they might have to sacrifice on the market.
His name has been floated as a possible sale to help fund incoming deals, with the club pushing to strengthen out wide and showing strong interest in Crysencio Summerville. Performances like this complicate that equation. A fully fit Dovbyk gives Gasperini a powerful, direct option through the middle – the kind of forward who can pin defenders and open space for Dybala to operate.
For now, these weeks belong to the coach’s notebook. Dovbyk has a short window to prove he belongs in the plans rather than on a balance sheet. Dybala, meanwhile, only has to keep doing what he did in this first friendly: stay on the pitch, stay sharp, and remind Roma why everything looks different when he is the one carrying the ball.
