“I’ll let him start right away, no problem, but he needs to train, we’ll take fifteen years off him (laughs, ed.). We’re getting to know each other about Zaragoza; he’s trained with us a few times, played
regularly for Celta, and is in decent condition. He obviously needs to get to know his new situation as best he can. He’s available for tomorrow. I haven’t decided yet whether he’ll start, we’ll see, but the intention is always to quickly integrate the new players, also to give him more opportunities and a quicker integration into the team.”
Those were Gasperini’s comments on Roma’s latest signing, Bryan Zaragoza, ahead of Roma’s second consecutive Monday match. With the Giallorossi still dealing with a long list of unavailable players, it’s looking like Zaragoza could be in line for a debut start. He’s currently being tipped over Lorenzo Pellegrini for the second attacking midfield spot alongside Matías Soulé by many of the major Italian outlets.
That duo will play in support of Donyell Malen, who remains Roma’s only healthy striker as both Evan Ferguson and Artem Dovbyk remain out. Gasperini was asked about Ferguson specifically.
“Ferguson has an ankle problem, the fourth sprain he’s suffered. Last year, he was sidelined for a year due to ankle surgery, so this guy’s biggest challenges are of this nature. We’re trying to get him back on his feet, but every time he changes direction, he risks a small sprain. He has one on each side, but the one he had surgery on didn’t completely resolve the problem. We’re all working hard to get him back on track, but it’s not easy for him either: he goes from moments of happiness to moments of intense discontent and depression. Each time, it takes weeks. The last time, if I’m not mistaken, he hurt himself on a dive to avoid a photographer. Whenever he’s been available, he’s always been used, but that’s his problem. In fact, this year has gone better than last year, when he practically never played.“
Additionally, Gasperini will again be without key players Manu Koné and Paulo Dybala. Adding to Roma’s attacking woes is the fact that Robinio Vaz is expected to miss a few weeks with a calf issue as well. Stephan El Shaarawy also remains out, and Gasperini ruled out Mario Hermoso as well. These were the updates he provided, even mentioning that Soulé is playing through an issue.
“Hermoso has a very bad bruise on the instep, a hematoma. He’s having trouble putting his foot on the ground and putting on his boot, but we hope he’ll be available next week, like Dybala. Dybala had a bad knee bruise, but the ligaments aren’t affected and it’s nothing serious. Venturino had the flu and is recovering. Soulé has been suffering from pubalgia for weeks, but with great spirit he always manages to recover and play. It’s clear he’s not at his best; he’s going through a new phase because he’s playing so much, something that’s never happened to him before. It often happens to young players when they increase their playing time so much. It’s not a serious condition, he lives with it: sometimes he’s better, sometimes worse, he’ll get over it. Don’t ask me about Dovbyk, you know. Kone? Let’s hope so, he’s working well. I don’t think Vaz is a big problem; I think he’ll join the team between Tuesday and Wednesday.“
With Koné still out, Gasperini was asked about the possibility of Lorenzo Pellegrini dropping deeper into the midfield.
“Right now, Pisilli is also here, and he’s doing very well. They’re three reliable players. Koné isn’t here, but they’re all very reliable: all three can play, two can play, and then one can come on as a substitute. From that standpoint, I feel pretty well covered. Pellegrini is versatile and could even be deployed in that role in certain matches.”
The expectation is that he will position Cristante and El Ayanoui in central midfield, with Zeki Çelik and Wesley occupying the wider areas. Gasperini emphasized Cristante’s importance to the team under various Roma managers.
“As for Cristante, I think his performances speak for themselves. Right now, he guarantees physicality in the air, shooting ability, and great tactical intelligence. The same thing that applies to Ndicka can also be said for El Aynaoui, who played a remarkable number of games in the Africa Cup of Nations, even finishing with a fairly serious injury, and then there’s Pisilli. That’s who we are, you don’t want to play Cristante (he laughs, referring to the journalist, ed.).”
With Hermoso ruled out, Daniele Ghilardi will join the backline alongside Gianluca Mancini and Evan Ndicka. Ndicka, along with Wesley, is just one yellow card away from suspension ahead of next weekend’s crucial match against Napoli. Gasperini was asked about the Ivorian’s performances since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations.
“Ndicka, in my opinion, has had some good games. It’s not easy to come back after Europe and especially after the Africa Cup of Nations, which is a competition that really drains you, both physically and mentally. However, he has settled back into the league and the team. It’s clear that he too may need to regain his strength, but he remains an absolutely reliable player.”
Gasperini was also asked about Angeliño being left off the European roster moving forward and what that means for his role in the side.
“Angelino has made excellent progress over the last ten days. He’s gained over four kilos in weight, and his blood tests have also improved significantly. We’re all convinced and hopeful that he, first and foremost as a person, can fully recover as a player. Unsure of the timeframe, this choice was made based on the UEFA list because we needed to include three new players. The important thing, however, is that he recovers well, and then, if he can’t be used in Europe, he can start playing in the league. When I consider that he’s back to his former self, Angelino is an excellent player, and we’ve lost a lot without him. We can’t wait for him to be back to his former self.”
ROMA (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Ghilardi; Çelik, El Ayanoui, Cristante, Wesley; Soulè, Zaragoza; Malen.
