Perrotta praises newfound resolve of his former side

The Giallorossi won 3-1 at the Stadio San Paolo on Saturday thanks to goals from Edin Dzeko (twice) and Mohamed Salah, lifting them into second in the fledgling Serie A table.

And Perrotta, who played for the Giallorossi for nine seasons between 2004 and 2013, believes Luciano Spalletti’s side are ready to challenge reigning champions Juventus this season.

"The team that can challenge Juve? On paper I would say Roma,” Perrotta, a 2006 World Cup winner with Italy, said. “Against Napoli they gave a demonstration of strength and compactness with a great performance.

“I like the double solution in the middle with [Daniele] De Rossi and [Leandro] Paredes.

"Last year, the Giallorossi were poor in the first half of the season, then with Spalletti things have changed and now there is continuity and they are playing good football."