Roma and Fiorentina take center stage tomorrow, closing out Matchday 35 with a Monday night fixture at the Stadio Olimpico. While the Viola have occasionally batted the Giallorossi for a spot in Europe, our purple-clad pals have fallen on hard times this season, spending most of it near the relegation zone. However, thanks to an impressive stretch in which they’ve won six of 10 matches across all competitions, including a six-match unbeaten run in Serie A, Fiorentina has been one of the hottest clubs
in the league over the past two months.
While Roma can’t quite match that feat, Gian Piero Gasperini’s club has eked out three wins and a draw in its past five matches, keeping its faint Champions League hopes alive. The capital club received a helping hand from 4th-place Juventus and 5th-place Como last week, as both clubs dropped points before Roma dusted off Bologna in a 2-0 victory.
Como was kind enough to falter once again, drawing Napoli 0-0 on Saturday, while Juventus hosts Verona this afternoon. If Roma’s canine cousins can topple the Vecchia Signora, the capital club will wake up Tuesday morning level with Juventus on 64 points with three matches remaining. Ifs aside, Roma must focus on the task at hand: defeating Fiorentina.
Match Details
Date: May 4th
Kickoff: 20:45 CET/2:45 EDT
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Roma
Referee: Luca Zufferli
Despite their impressive form, Fiorentina is walking a tight rope. After routing Cremonese 4-1 on March 16th, the Viola’s well has run dry, as they’ve managed only four goals in their past five matches. It’s a pattern Roma fans know all too well, so it will be interesting to see which club’s already thin margins hold firm tomorrow.
As important as tomorrow’s match might be, Gasperini struggled to keep the focus on Fiorentina in his pre-match press conference, as the press continued to pepper him on questions about the club’s future direction.
Still, there were some interesting nuggets in Gasp’s presser, so here are some of the highlights.
How are Manu Kone and Paulo Dybala feeling ahead of this match against Fiorentina? How important is the presence of the club owners when it comes to making plans?
“Kone has recovered, while Dybala had already made a full recovery last week and played for a part of the game. They have done even better these past few days, so they will both be available on Monday. Corbin Friedkin’s presence is a clear sign: the owners are starting to work not only on the end of the season, which is our priority right now, but also on long-term planning.”
Has this been a transition season? When will you start planning the future?
“There are two simultaneous fronts right now. There’s the league, where there is still much to do and much going on. On Monday night, we are playing a very important game against Fiorentina, a team who have had a positive streak lately – I think they currently hold a streak of seven consecutive positive results – and they have recovered from a difficult situation in the standings. They are a talented team; they may have struggled this season, but they are still competitive. We are completely focused on this match because we are still in it with four matchdays left this season. We must also look at the other teams’ results, but we are well aware of the standings and we must remain concentrated on this final part of the season. The team have shown an excellent attitude from the very start, and we want to keep this up in these four final matches, which will all be important, with one of them also being the derby. Of course, there will also be talks about the future, but now is not the time for that. I’m not trying to avoid the subject. I don’t want to talk about it because the season is still ongoing. When the time comes, I’ll try to be as clear as possible, also towards the fans, who want to know what the club’s plans are, rightly so.”
Do you think you can make up with Frederic Massara? What can you tell us about Roma Women winning the league title?
“Right now, I want to talk about our upcoming match against Fiorentina. As I’ve already said, we are working on two fronts simultaneously: one is the league, which includes Monday’s game, a very important one indeed. Apart from that, we’ll have time to talk about it properly and when the time is right. It will largely be up to the owners to judge these matters. One front is clearly visible, namely our matches, while the other one requires time as it concerns the next season. I don’t want to go into details right now, although at a later stage we’ll have to clarify what we intend to build. The women’s team winning the league title was beautiful, it was great. We need to follow their example. Perhaps winning the Scudetto is still a distant goal for us, but our objective must be to become as good and competitive as they are. Congratulations.”
Have you had the chance to talk about your future with the club owners? Do you have a meeting planned?
“That should be the case. I hope that’s what is going to happen. However, now we are completely focused on our upcoming matches and the league, and that’s how it should be. When the time comes to talk about the future, that’s what we’ll do. It seems as though we are getting close to that moment, but when it comes everything must be as clear and transparent as possible.”
How do you assess the overall performance of the players whose contracts are expiring at the end of the season?
“This has been an unusual season, with many players with expiring contracts and many on loan. It wasn’t easy to get to four matchdays from the end with such a level of engagement and remain competitive and still in the hunt. It was a risky situation. I am very grateful to the players for this, as they have shown great professionalism and loyalty. The reaction we saw in Bologna, for example, means a lot. All I can do is thank them because their performances have shown that they are fully committed to the team, and their objective is to get the best possible result. This needs to be acknowledged because there’s more to it than just technical and athletic values: a team must also have moral values, which are crucial for a football team. That is the foundation we must build on. If you can also add top-level players to further enhance the team’s quality, then you’ve really hit the jackpot.”
Roma have been struggling in the final minutes of their matches. Is it a physical problem or is it related to the players’ attributes?
“If we look at those figures, we’re probably faring far better than other teams. The fact that we’re in fifth place in the table is proof of that: it means that in many ways the team are doing well. It’s also true, however, that in the final minutes we’ve been unable to pick up points as other teams – sometimes our direct rivals – have been able to in similar situations. This needs to be taken into account and we need to work on it to improve.”
If Roma can recapture a bit of their attacking magic from the first half of last week’s win over Bologna, where Donyell Malen and Neil El Aynaoui traded goals (and assists), Gasperini may not have to worry about the final minutes on Monday evening. Still, given everything that is at stake and how pesky Fiorentina can be, this will require all of Roma’s mettle.
