The 2025–26 Serie A season is into its final weeks and Roma’s campaign is heading toward a finish that will define how the club assesses the year. The reading from mid-May 2026 has shifted across the season and the final two matches will sharpen the verdict either way. Worth setting down where the campaign is and where the conversation should be.

The headline season.

Roma’s league position heading into the final matches of 2025–26 is consistent with a season that has been better than the most pessimistic projections of August 2025 but short of the European-qualification ambition that the summer was sold on. The points total is competitive but the finish in the European places is on a knife edge. The matches against the lower half of the table that the team needed to win, the team has mostly won. The matches against the top six that defined the season, the team has split.

The performance metric reading is more positive than the result reading. The expected goals, the territorial control, the chance creation numbers all sit in a band that would have produced more points in a different season. The conversion rate at both ends has been the bottleneck for the campaign.

The squad performance.

The defensive picture has been the strongest part of the team. The central defence has been consistent for most of the season. The goals conceded count is in the top third of the league. The clean sheet rate has been credible. The defensive midfield work has supported the back line without being spectacular.

The midfield has been the area of season-long debate. The combination of senior leadership and creative thrust has not always been balanced. The matches where the midfield has dominated the territory have produced strong performances. The matches where the midfield has been overrun have been the source of the disappointing results. The young midfielders coming through the system have shown promise but the consistency has not arrived.

The attacking unit has been the area where the season’s frustration has concentrated. The chance creation has been at acceptable levels but the conversion has lagged. The combination of injury through the season and form fluctuations has meant that the team has not had its strongest attacking trio available consistently. The squad depth in attack has been thin enough that absences have been more costly than they should be.

The youth integration.

The youth integration through the season has been a positive thread. Several of the Primavera graduates and the younger first-team players have had meaningful minutes. The development trajectory looks credible. The pathway from the academy to the first team is working better than it has in some recent seasons.

The future-Roma narrative has been steady through the season even when the results have been mixed. The senior management has been consistent about the medium-term direction and the season has continued to invest in the development of younger players even when short-term pressure might have pushed in another direction.

The coaching read.

The head coach’s season has been workable but not transformational. The team has played a recognisable style. The set-piece work has improved through the campaign. The defensive shape has been consistent. The attacking patterns have been less consistent and the team has at times looked unsure of what it wants to do with the ball in the final third.

The end-of-season conversation about the coaching staff is probably going to be a continuation rather than a change. The final two matches will sharpen the conversation in either direction.

The squad-building read for next season.

The summer 2026 squad build will be one of the more consequential in recent years. The areas where investment is most clearly needed:

A first-choice creative midfielder. The team has been competitive without a top-tier creative midfielder but has been less than its potential without one. The investment in this area would lift the team meaningfully.

A second forward to support the lead striker. The dependence on the lead striker has been excessive and the team has suffered when he has been injured or out of form. A reliable second forward who can play alongside or instead of the lead striker would balance the attacking unit.

Defensive squad depth. The first-choice defensive pairing has been excellent but the depth behind them has been thin. The first injury or suspension has produced uncomfortable matchups. A senior centre-back as squad cover would address this.

The areas where investment is probably not needed:

Wing-back depth. The current options are adequate.

Goalkeeping. The first-choice goalkeeper has been excellent through the season.

Youth recruitment. The current pipeline is working — the over-investment in the next age cohort is unnecessary.

The financial context.

The Italian football financial context continues to constrain Italian clubs at the top end of the European market. The transfer budget available to Roma for the summer 2026 window will not be at the level of the top European clubs. The recruitment will need to be smart rather than expensive.

The departing players in the summer will define the available headroom. The expected sales — some of the older squad members whose contracts are running down, some of the players whose roles have been reduced through the season — will produce a budget that can be redirected to the priority recruitment areas.

The fan and community read.

The fan support through the season has been strong even when the results have been mixed. The home matches at the Olimpico have been well-attended. The atmosphere has been the typical Roma atmosphere — passionate, demanding, supportive when the team deserves it.

The longer-term stadium conversation continues. The future of the Olimpico arrangement and the various proposals for a new stadium remain in discussion. The resolution of this conversation is one of the most consequential medium-term strategic questions for the club.

The final two matches.

The final two matches will define how the season is remembered. The opportunity to finish in the European places is genuinely on the line. The performances need to be at the level the squad is capable of producing — not at the level of the disappointing matches but at the level of the matches against the strongest opposition.

The football reasons to be hopeful about the final matches are real. The squad has shown that it can play to a high level. The recent form has been more consistent than the form earlier in the season. The fixture profile of the final matches is workable rather than punishing.

The football reasons to be cautious are also real. The team has been here before — needing wins to finish strongly and not quite delivering. The conversion rate questions remain. The opposition will not be passive.

The result of the season will be one of the inputs to the summer planning. A European finish would frame the season as a success that justifies the current direction. A near-miss would frame the season as needing the squad upgrades to close the gap. Either outcome will produce a summer of consequential decisions for the club.

For the supporters, the final matches are the moment when the season’s pattern becomes the season’s verdict. The standard Roma supporter approach — believing while the matches are still there to be played — is the right approach. The final two matches will define the year. Forza Roma.