With a tight turnaround after Sunday’s difficult 1-0 win over Sassuolo, Roma had very little time to enjoy the fruits of their labor. While Sunday’s victory put the Giallorossi even with Napoli at the top
of the table, after watching Antonio Conte’s club dispatch Lecce on Tuesday, the pressure was on the capital club as they welcomed Parma to the Stadio Olimpico—anything less than a victory today would see Roma fall behind Napoli at the top of table.
After surviving a tricky and, at times, dreadfully slow first half hour, Gasperini’s gradually took control of the match, receiving goals from Mario Hermoso (assisted by Paulo Dybala) and an 81st-minute strike from Artem Dovbyk, which proved to be the difference in tonight’s match.
Here are some of the highlights from Gasperini’s post-match press conference with Sky and DAZN:
On tactical changes, finding balance and his club’s efforts:
“Yes, we struggled in the first half hour—partly our fault because some things aren’t clear yet,” the manager said. “Then we found the right balance, attacked at length in the second half, and scored. The match became much easier, although that late goal caused a moment of concern.”
“I’m pleased—Dybala is really fit, and so is much of the squad. Morale is high, and the team is in a good moment. Technically, we can always improve. Even tonight we developed some good patterns, and I’d say we’re growing.”
Gasperini also highlighted the defence’s role in the attack.
“Today, they performed well. Moving Mancini to the right gave us extra momentum. Hermoso on the other side also has a greater tendency to come forward and play. Ndicka was solid in the center. These three can be rotated depending on the match, which is a strength. Celik sometimes plays as a defender, sometimes as a wing-back. Gradually, we’re also finding resources in attack, and we’re improving in that area.”
On Leon Bailey’s ongoing recovery and match fitness
“He needs to find condition. We probably rushed him back a bit. He needed another week or two after a long layoff. He started on Sunday but perhaps wasn’t fully recovered physically and was clearly struggling—he wasn’t his usual fast, explosive self.”
When asked about Ferguson and Bailey, the manager explained:
“Evan had an ankle problem that had been bothering him for weeks. He got strongly jostled, likely a sprain, and couldn’t continue. Bailey was struggling—he’s coming back from a long injury, and we may have put him in too soon. To avoid risk, it was better this way. Perhaps neither had fully recovered from Sassuolo. The first half hour was difficult, partly thanks to Parma and partly because we needed time to settle. Once we did, we controlled the game.”
On the season objectives:
“They’ve changed. We were supposed to train tomorrow afternoon, but we moved it to the morning. Then we train Friday, Saturday, and on Sunday we go to Milan. If we win, we’re first. Otherwise, we’ll hope for other results,” he said with a laugh.
Regarding Soulé’s disallowed goal:
“That incident at the end of the first half didn’t go in our favor. They’ll need to explain why similar, even identical, situations are judged differently. Mistakes can happen, but previous errors were also present. There shouldn’t be different interpretations; it creates confusion.”
On Dovbyk and Hermoso:
“At first, I thought Hermoso wasn’t in Roma’s plans. But he stayed, and from day one of training he had a positive impact—professional, disciplined, and technically strong. Dovbyk? I’ve said for weeks he’s growing physically. He had chances against Lille, Fiorentina, Inter, and Sassuolo. Today’s goal was a good one. I’m happy with these players. We’re working with them. Tonight, Ghilardi made his debut. We have a large squad, but as the season goes on, everyone will get time.”
On tactical decisions, like starting Ferguson:
“We played with Dybala, Bailey, and Soulé, focusing on technique, exchanges, and speed. Bailey didn’t seem fully recovered from Sassuolo, so I preferred to change. We always had three attackers on the field; height and strength didn’t matter. Dybala, Dovbyk, or Ferguson could play up front. In the second half, we played with wider forwards.”
On Roma’s progress early in the season:
“The thing that pleases me most is that we’re growing, even in our play. Tonight we had good patterns, though we struggled the first half hour. Sometimes I may not be clear enough on the field, or someone doesn’t know the opponents well. Then, with a few shouts and instructions, we find our shape, become tough, and hard to break down. Even by the end of the first half, Parma had little threat. Clearly, you still have to score, but if you dominate, it’s likely to happen.”
Gasperini also touched on the progress he’s seeing:
“Certainly in our patterns and speed of play. Even after the goal, we had fast actions. Often we face teams that sit deep; our best games have been against slightly more open opponents. Mancini provided good push, Hermoso as well. We’re growing, we have more options, and substitutions often make a difference. It’s definitely a good period.”
And finally, on Cristante’s new, old role:
“He’s moved back and he’s happy,” he said with a laugh. “He can play many roles—defender, holding midfielder—and now he’s returned to what he was. If I did the same thing every day, I’d get bored, and I think it’s the same in life for everyone.”
