As the first of the newly expanded three-week international breaks approaches, now is a good time to take stock of Roma’s progress through the first month of the new season. From blowout victories over minnows to come-from-behind wins over recent nemeses, Gian Piero Gasperini and the Giallorossi have hit all their marks in September.
With his club sitting in first place and playing some of the best football in Europe, Gasperini spoke to Sky Sport on a range of topics, including his initial expectations
for the season, Scudetto dreams, Leonardo Balerdi’s impact, Dybala and Malen’s chemistry and much more.
In keeping with his usual style, Gasperini was optimistic yet measured when discussing the impact of Roma’s perfect start, not letting the hype of their 4-0 start warp reality.
Did you expect such a convincing start, with four wins from four matches? And how important is this run mentally, and where do you think your Roma can still improve?
“I hoped for it more than I expected it. That said, we were confident that we had a good foundation behind us, and that we were starting from a better position than we were at the beginning of last season. We’ve been together longer, we know each other better, and we’ve already absorbed a lot of things.”
Has the time come to raise the bar? Can you dream of winning the Scudetto?
“That’s not how you raise the bar. You don’t raise the bar by setting objectives that are more or less achievable. You raise it by improving every day, by working on ourselves through this variety of players, each with their own characteristics, and trying to do better every time.”
On Balerdi’s impact
“We were convinced we had signed a strong player. His impact was immediately very positive, even though he had only partially gone through preseason with us. That means he’s a professional who arrived in good shape and was ready to make an immediate contribution.”
How do you improve a group that is already winning?
“This group feeds off itself. It’s made up of young players, but also older players of great quality, and they all push one another forward. Everyone brings something: the young players bring their freshness and desire to always be ready, while the more established players bring their quality. The way they train and what they show every day makes them an example for everyone.”
Lulli, Pisilli and Ghilardi. You’re giving opportunities to several promising young players. What has impressed you about their development?
“They’re all very positive young men, with a desire to grow and learn that you can’t take for granted. They don’t feel like they’ve made it, despite already playing in Serie A at such a young age. Every day they bring a freshness that benefits the entire group. And they have quality, too — otherwise the rest wouldn’t be enough.”
What makes Dybala and Malen so complementary?
“Their characteristics fit together well. Dybala has the ability to read Malen’s movements even when it seems like he isn’t looking at him, and the quality with which he finds him is remarkable. Malen, for his part, has an extraordinary ability to turn moves that look simple into goals, even though they’re not. It’s a combination that works.”
One strength and one weakness of the Roma you’re coaching this year.
“I have a hard time naming the weaknesses.” (laughs) “Of course we have some weaknesses, otherwise I wouldn’t have anything left to do, so I’ll keep looking for them — but I’ll have to search more and more meticulously. Among our many strengths, the biggest is the great unity that has developed between the club, the team, the supporters and the entire environment around Roma. That’s something that helps you work well and gives you the confidence to achieve the best possible results.”
After more than a year in the capital, how much do you feel a part of this city, and how much do you think the relationship you’ve built with the Roma environment has influenced the results?
“The environment has a huge influence. But as I’ve always said, it’s a positive influence, not a negative one, because it’s an environment filled with great passion and love for its team. Those are all strongly positive elements. From my side, I tried from the beginning to come in with the professionalism that has always accompanied me throughout my career, trying to earn people’s appreciation through the work I’ve done. At the moment, I feel a great deal of appreciation around me, and that’s also a major motivation to keep trying to repay that trust.”
After such a convincing start, it’s inevitable that people are talking about the Scudetto. How difficult is it to manage those expectations?
“We realize that people around us are making every prediction imaginable, and that’s only right: people have their dreams and want the maximum. As for us, like every year, we have to look reality in the face. And the reality is that you can only start talking about objectives after around 20 matches. Setting them after four or five matchdays makes no sense. Of course we have confidence, and of course we want to be high up the table, but at this moment, that’s the only concrete objective.”
Roma have two major challenges coming up: Inter in the league and Real Madrid in the Champions League. How much will those matches tell you about the level your team has reached?
“You forgot about Como in between, which comes before Real Madrid, and I consider them a team that is taking enormous strides forward. By now, I consider them one of the big teams in the league. Of course, Inter and Real Madrid are two teams with enormous prestige and quality at the European level, and I think we’ve earned the opportunity to play Inter as league leaders and Real Madrid in the Champions League. It will be the moment to measure ourselves and see, against teams like these, what we’re capable of doing.”
Check back tomorrow as we kick off our coverage of Roma’s top-of-the-table clash against Inter Milan!
