Gian Piero Gasperini, in an exclusive interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport , addressed numerous topics related to his Roma: from title ambitions to the transfer market, passing through Financial Fair Play and the relationship with the city.
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The coach also focused on Dybala, Malen, Mora and the young Giallorossi players, without forgetting his return as an ex against Atalanta. Finally, there was room for the Champions League, the battle with the big clubs and the team's objectives for this season. Here it is below.
๐จ Gasperini, if Cristante and Pellegrini surprise you by talking about the Scudetto and the Circus Maximus, do you tell them off or say: "Good job, boys, believe in it"?
"Dreams should never be crushed. The important thing is knowing that, when the alarm clock rings, reality is something else. Then, if you live reality the right way, you can also make it match your dreams. But these aren't conversations for the start of September."
๐จ What's the mood like in the city after the flying start?
"The passion has always been there, now I see enthusiasm, but mature and aware. More than people outside Rome think. You can't fool Romanisti easily. They've had great champions, great teams. They know football. Today they are satisfied fans. That's my greatest gratification. Seeing them satisfied."
๐จ The most beautiful thing you've seen in Rome?
"Many things... Obviously the Sistine Chapel, but I didn't think Saint Peter's Tomb would move me so much. In the catacombs I felt inside history, not like a tourist."
๐จ Among the many VIP fans, you also met Lino Banfi.
"He came to Trigoria. Oronzo Canà is the patron saint of us coaches. In Verona, when we qualified for the Champions League, we reenacted the scene. The players carried me in triumph and I kept saying: 'You took me for an idiot!', Mancini replied: 'No, mister...', and I said: 'Yes, you took me for an idiot! Let me have it!'..."
๐จ You can't arrive in Rome without seeing the Pope.
"We'll organize it, we'll go."
๐จ Pope Leo I stopped Attila before he could sack Rome, you prevented the sack of Koné.
"No, come on, that's credit people unfairly gave me. Up until the match in Lecce I hadn't heard anything about Koné, and after that there wouldn't have been any more time for negotiations. And in any case, we never received an official offer."
๐จ For many, Financial Fair Play is a sort of UEFA nonsense. Have you understood it?
"To my great regret, I think so. In June, I thought we had solved the problems with the money from qualifying for the Champions League. When we tried to sign Greenwood and Summerville, I understood that wasn't the case. The summer was torture, constantly revising our transfer plans and giving up on lads who were excited to come to Roma, because of wage bill reasons. The ownership did everything possible, within the financial constraints. In any case, my regret was offset."
๐จ By what?
"By the desire to stay shown by a group of players, young and not so young, who took pay cuts and put their love for the shirt and for the city above everything: Dybala, Hermoso, Mancini, Cristante, Pellegrini, Lulli... This spirit is our strength. It doesn't happen everywhere."
๐จ How much did it bother you last year to win by such narrow margins?
"Not as much as you'd think. I saw that, at 1-0, the lads still tried to attack. Right from the start, everyone immediately welcomed the new ideas with willingness and enthusiasm. That was enough for me."
๐จ After a year, the ideas have sunk in and now Roma look like Atalanta: four goals at a time. Are you worried Dybala might stop?
"No, he had the best possible pre-season, he's strong, he's doing well. There are words I hate: preserve, save, rest... I ask Paulo: 'Do you want to keep playing?' If he answers 'Yes', I keep him on even at 4-0 for us. Never stop a player who is enjoying himself and playing. How many games did Messi miss?"
๐จ Ilicic, Papu, La Joya: pick one.
"Impossible. Each one is unique in his own way. They are the poetry of football that will never be reduced to just the result."
๐จ What made you fall in love with Malen?
"His first touch, with which he creates space. With the second he sets himself, with the third he shoots. I told myself: if I move those three touches closer to goal, he becomes lethal. And in fact..."
๐จ Where can he improve?
"By keeping his hunger, even though he has already scored two goals. You can make mistakes, but there's a way and a way. In Lecce he did it too lightly."
๐จ How many goals do you expect from the Dutchman?
"Malen has to keep his hunger, even after scoring. In Lecce he did it too lightly. This year he could challenge Higuain's record of 36 goals."
๐จ Did you tell the Portuguese youngster Mora that, at 10 years old, you scored a goal in front of the great Eusebio?
"I was as tall as he is now..."
๐จ Some fear he may be another Zaragoza...
"Nooo! This one is the real deal. Every ball he touches, something happens. Like it does with the greats."
๐จ What would the famous wide forward who never arrived have given you?
"One more man for substitutions and an attacker with different characteristics. Gittens and Luiz Henrique were the last attempts. Signing an ordinary one just for the sake of it wouldn't have made sense."
๐จ From Borriello to Dovbyk, you've always had big target men in the box.
"I looked for one this time too. Then Castro emerged and bought himself a train ticket to come to us. I couldn't turn him away. And anyway, he can head the ball too."
๐จ The young Lulli?
"I already had him training with us last season. In terms of athletic qualities, speed and endurance, he's superior to everyone, even Wesley. A force of nature. And he's a golden boy. He needs to grow technically."
๐จ You benched a world champion.
"Molina comes from a World Cup that drained him and from different tactical habits, less aggressive ones. But he's almost ready. He will often play on the left, to make use of that great right foot when he cuts inside. If at Parma I hadn't switched Rensch to the other flank, we wouldn't be in the Champions League."
๐จ They don't make the cover, but the center of power is back there: Mancini, Hermoso.
"My gladiators. Hermoso has the physique of a statue, he's shed the years."
๐จ Gasperini, tomorrow it's Atalanta.
"Very strong, with the financial power of a big club. Like last year, they remain a benchmark. I knew that if we finished ahead of Atalanta, we'd have a good chance of the Champions League, because for eight years Roma had always finished behind Atalanta."
๐จ Feelings?
"Like a man in love seeing his ex again. But we split up at the right time. I was at risk of becoming flat, Roma gave me new goals. I'm happy here."
๐จ A year ago it was a defeat and a draw. Ready to beat them?
"It's about time..."
๐จ Also to beat Inter. In the last 10 meetings: 8 defeats and 2 draws.
"Almost every time, there was very little I could do. Inter were already the strongest and they've strengthened even more."
๐จ Behind them is there a pack?
"Yes. Milan had a good transfer window, Juve will benefit from Spalletti's long-term work, Napoli have the strength of an excellent squad. Como and Atalanta have grown. We have to confirm ourselves at the top and improve in clashes with the big clubs. Then we'll see."
๐จ A surprise?
"Udinese, they can rise a lot."
๐จ What is the Champions League for you?
"An opportunity to get to know ourselves. We already know we can compete in Italy, now we'll discover whether we can do it in Europe too. The international experience of Balerdi and De Roon will be extra help. In any case, for us it will be a starting point."
๐จ You'll meet PSG again, the team that tripped up your Atalanta when you were five minutes away from a Champions League semi-final. Do you still think about it?
"Ah, yes... And I always think about our absences. I sent on Da Riva, they sent on Mbappé."
๐จ Do you like the new Orsato line? Less VAR, fewer interruptions...
"Fantastic! Less time is wasted, I see fewer theatrics... Wonderful: top marks!"
๐จ Is Rome ready for a Gattuso-Gasperini dinner?
"Better not in derby week... But I'll definitely go to dinner with Rino, I like him a lot. Just as I'll soon sit down at the table again with Totti. For me, this is football: comparing views, talking, listening. Enjoying being together."
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in ๐ฎ๐น here.
