Gian Piero Gasperini spoke to the media earlier today ahead of Roma’s Europa League meeting with Viktoria Plzeň. While his tone was steady and still optimistic, his responses gave off a clear undercurrent
of caution heading into a match that many have written down as a guaranteed three points. After falling short against Inter over the weekend due to a lack of offensive firepower, Roma must be looking to reassert themselves through a Europa League smackdown, but Gasperini was quick to remind everyone that this competition punishes arrogance. “We mustn’t be presumptuous against teams we don’t know,” he warned—a line that summed up both his respect for the opponent and his awareness of how tricky these group stage fixtures can be.
Injury news once again took center stage, with Gasperini confirming that Angeliño will miss out. “He’s undergoing some tests and I can’t go into the details,” he said. “We all hope he’ll be available soon.” As for Leon Bailey, the Jamaican winger who notched his first appearance for the club against Inter and looked remarkably intriguing? He’s back in the mix, but still not yet ready to start. “It’s unlikely he’ll start,” Gasperini admitted. “The important thing is that he’s recovered, but he’ll need to recover fully as a player, and that will take a few weeks.” It’s certainly a frustrating wait for Romanisti given that Bailey profiles as a player who could add spark and unpredictability to Roma’s attack, but patience seems to be the word of the week.
That patience extends to squad rotation as well. Gasperini reiterated his preference for fluidity over fixed hierarchies, giving a bit of a non-answer regarding his preferred starting eleven by saying, “For me, everyone’s a starter.” I can’t fault that philosophy too much, though, given the intense schedule Roma is now handling both in Europe and Serie A. Looking ahead, Gasperini singled out Jan Ziółkowski for praise—tempered praise, sure, but an excellent sign for the 20-year-old center-back just brought in from Poland.
Roma may not be at its best offensively, but the message from Gasperini still rang clear from this presser: respect every opponent, keep building the right mentality, and let the football—and not the name on the opposition’s shirt—decide the outcome. The goals will come if those ideas are maintained.
Here’s the full transcript of Gasperini’s presser for those looking for the deep dive:
“Angelino? He’s out. He’s undergoing some tests and I can’t go into the details. We all hope he’ll be available soon. For the rest, everyone is available.”
“Bailey? For me, everyone’s a starter; anyone who plays is a starter. It’s unlikely he’ll start; the important thing is that he’s recovered, but he’ll need to recover fully as a player, and that will take a few weeks.”
“It’s an important match, we need to move forward in the competition. The group isn’t the easiest, we’re trying to pick up points game by game. We want to get back to winning ways.”
“The match against Inter gave us a different level of confidence. We had ten shots from inside the box against a strong team. That’s a good sign.”
“I think a rotation of attackers is necessary in every team, that’s why I’m not talking about starters. By playing every three days, in the same match there’s the possibility of using multiple players, especially in attack, as all teams do.”
“Against Inter, we conceded too early. I wanted us to play with a thin attacking trio that didn’t provide any reference points. I’m satisfied with what we tried to do, but unfortunately, the quick goal created problems for us.”
“Italian football is having great difficulties. We mustn’t be presumptuous against teams we don’t know. We must be careful and play every match with the right mentality.”
“Ziolkowski has impressed me. I’ve seen him in training and I know he’s a promising player. He has good qualities. However, he has a habit of sliding tackles a lot; that’s the only flaw we need to address.”
“For tomorrow, Cristante and Ndicka are the only ones I still have to decide whether to play them from the start or during the match.”
As well as his comments to Sky Sport separate from his normal presser:
“Matches like yesterday’s [Napoli’s 6-2 loss to PSV] demonstrate how playing in Europe carries risks at all levels, and not just when playing against the most prestigious teams. In the various leagues, there are clubs that are highly prepared, both physically and technically.”
“Cristante and Ndicka could be rested. It’s just due to the fact that they’ve been playing all the time lately, and since we’re at full strength – except for Angeliño – we’re taking advantage of the week to give them the chance to train regularly.”
“There was a good reaction against Inter after conceding a very early goal. The team was able to create chances, but this isn’t a great time for us to finish. Tomorrow, too, we’ll need to show our attacking prowess and finish better. Dovbyk and Ferguson? For all teams, attacking players rotate frequently.”
“Bailey? He has different characteristics than the other strikers, he has speed and a shot, he’s used to playing a lot on the wing and he returned a few days ago. With Soulé, Dybala and all the strikers we have, I’m convinced we can do something good.”
