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Rome, Gian Piero Gasperini spoke during the press conference presenting tomorrow’s match, scheduled at the Mapei Stadium at 3:00 PM

Rome, Gasperini speaks

Below are Gasperini’s words on Rome and the upcoming match against Sassuolo

PAULO DYBALA IN AZIONE (PHOTO BY SALVATORE FORNELLI)

Can you explain the self-examination the team needs to do? You mentioned it after the defeat against Viktoria Plzen… “It is a self-examination that the team must do, the players must do. Or, if we want, it is also an invitation… I don’t know if I used the right word, ‘consciousness,’ however, beyond the term, the intention is to work technically and tactically on the team, on the game. It’s not a matter of… if I used ‘consciousness’ I used the wrong word, but it was referring to working on movements, freeing up space, attacking depth, playing in more dangerous zones, which are definitely inside the box. It’s not outside the box, it’s not that comfortable central area to receive the ball, but for attackers, the decisive area is when you are close to the box, near the box, inside the box, on the goal line. These are the spaces and areas where you create the conditions to score or assist in scoring. Everything else is preparation. So, it was meant in this sense. I have never used the word ‘flabby’.”

Why can’t this team manage to come back? “Sometimes there are periods like that, other times we were in the lead. But, taking the example of the Florence match, we managed to turn it around. I must say that, considering these last two games, we conceded two really ugly goals. However, especially against Inter, we had all the reaction we needed. We were not very lucky. The other night we probably should have done more, even though the team’s reaction was there and was clearly visible. As with Inter, we played a definitely positive second half, showing that we are in better physical shape.”

About the attack with the false number nine? Did something happen with Ferguson? “He has played 7 league games and 3 cup games, so 10 in total, and has participated in 9: the only one he didn’t play was the one in Florence. The things that are being talked about are not related to the field, you can say or believe anything else. He has always shown on the field that he wants to provide answers, even if at the moment the answers have not been positive, quite evidently. If I have to tell the truth, yesterday for the first time this season I saw a correct training session from him. He is a 21-year-old boy who doesn’t come from extraordinary leagues, he comes from a context where he has hardly ever played, and in this period he has played more than in the whole of last season. Probably, in another league, in another country, in another dimension, young players like him can go through very low periods of performance. However, you always have to be ready to give them confidence and wait for them to react. If you ask me for explanations, you can’t always explain everything: you wait, you work, you do, and the answers must come from the field, not from elsewhere. On playing with or without a center forward, I don’t interpret football thinking that the number nine must necessarily be tall or big: you can play in many ways. The important thing is to find effectiveness. It is not necessary to always have a tall or physically strong center forward. Football is full of examples: what matters, in my opinion, are other things, other situations—more technical, speed, shooting, skill in shooting, hitting, exchanging, triangulating. There are many variables. If you have a player up front who solves many problems for you, the path is much shorter.”

Did Dybala’s statements bother you? Will he start tomorrow’s match? “Yes, also because I absolutely did not consider it true, right? Then after, together with all the other guys, speaking in the locker room, sometimes—especially after the match—words may not truly represent what you intend to say. But the meaning of the speech was quite clear. The word ‘flabby’ does not exist, the word ‘underestimation of the opponent’ does not exist in this team, because this group does not deserve it. And I want to reiterate: it does not deserve it. This group, yes, we can say that sometimes it has limitations, and we can accept it because mistakes happen and we must accept them. But behaviorally, it is a very strong group, very healthy, and from that point of view, defeats are never justified. The attitude will never be wrong, and it should never be. Because, if it were, then it would be a problem. Dybala is fine, he can play. From what I see, he has good endurance, good fitness, like all high-level players. The only problem is that he is well, that he has no physical problems. When he is well, even technically he has no difficulties. He too must start to patrol the box, to score, to assist: these are the important things, because he is a forward, he doesn’t need to play in midfield, like midfielders do. He is a player who can start from further back, maybe in the disengagement or in the reaction phase, but essentially he is a forward. He is a player who is worth a lot when he scores, when he assists, when he creates danger, when he attacks the goal, when he shoots on goal. And now he is fine, he is very fine, and this is something that makes me think positively.”

In these last matches, we have seen many changes in the defensive department, which was perhaps the most certain. I imagine out of necessity, to expand rotations and verify the players. However, I think of Ziolkowski on the right, who was presented as a substitute for Mancini but was used wide; on the left, Wesley, who came on in the second half but had given better responses on the right. I would like to understand what kind of responses you have had from these changes and if, in the two approaches with Inter and Plzen, you think they have created some confusion because some individual errors seemed to be linked to these role changes.
“I agree, absolutely. There have been many changes, but you also have to consider the number of consecutive matches. In the end, Ziolkowski played half an hour the other night and also a few minutes in Florence, but we are playing every three days: it is normal to have to make some changes in defense. For the rest, I have always fielded Celik, Hermoso, and Mancini, with a few changes. Wesley, for example, played very well on the left against Inter, like Celik on the other side. All these role adaptations are normal: Wesley is right-footed but can also play on the left, as often happens in many teams. I think he played two excellent matches, and that’s what really matters. I didn’t play them out of position, I simply adapted to the needs of the moment. It is clear that, playing every three days, sometimes you need to insert an extra attacker or change the formation, adapting someone to play on the wing, as it was, for example, with Soulé. This is the effect of the five substitutions: depending on how the match goes—if you win, if you lose, if you have to come back—you cannot be rigid. One goes out, another comes in, and consequently the positions change. You have to be flexible, it’s part of modern football.”

You have often said that certain formation choices are dictated by emergency situations. Do you think we are really in an emergency situation right now, to the point of playing with a false nine and keeping starters in that role on the bench? Today, do you feel comfortable saying that your team is a glass half full or half empty? Did you imagine finding yourself in this position in the standings? Are you satisfied? “Yes. Well, I have three stickers… We are battling. This is a tough championship. Did you see yesterday? Pisa went to win against the league leaders. It is a championship where you have to be there, convinced. It is not easy to have great consistency of results: every match, in Italy, makes a difference. There are many teams very close. I don’t have time to be discouraged by a lost match: as much as it annoys and bothers me, we have to think immediately about the next one, because we are there. Everything else is fine: you can say everything and the opposite of everything, but we have to look within ourselves, try to improve, and take steps forward. At the moment, we have a main difficulty—because there can be many—but the most evident one is scoring goals, especially at home. And that is the first thing we need to solve. It’s not about the false nine or the natural center forward: whoever is fit, who knows how to shoot, who knows how to stop, who knows how to press, who is hungry and goes to score, plays. The examples in football are endless: there are teams that have scored with or without center-forwards, with mobile or bulky forwards. The important thing is to find the right path because if you don’t score, football loses its essence.”

You said that if you have a strong center forward, the road to improving in attack is shorter. However, you also reiterated that the team is what it is, and that you must improve with the players you have available, without losing hope. So I ask you: are you looking for this strong attacker in the coming months or in January? Is it your will, the club’s, or the management’s intention? “I don’t think there are fantastic things in January, that’s my experience. The important thing is the characteristic. In attack, characteristics matter: the wide attackers, the central strikers, it depends on what you need. Maybe something can be assessed, but I don’t think a great opportunity will arise in January. However, at the moment, I am not even thinking about the market: I am thinking about improving this situation that is penalizing us and, in some ways, making us appear worse than we are. It is clear that the defeat in the Europa League the other night hurts, it’s painful. Losing to Inter had already bothered us, but losing the other night, against a team we shouldn’t have lost to, weighs heavily. However, playing every three days, the only goal is to improve. Also through experiments, as you said, and through tests. Many players have been out: Dybala missed two weeks, others have had problems. You have to try, get on the field, and see what happens, more than in training, because there is no time. We work on the matches and build from there. And then there are the attackers: we have six or seven, so the only thing is to increase effectiveness through daily work”.

The two players in particular, Ziolkowski and Dovbyk, did not have such a positive game. How has Dovbyk reacted in these two days to the boos he received at the Olimpico? And how did you see them both? “The boos, when you lose at home, are understandable. They are for a player, like for everyone. The reaction must be to immediately make up for it, to go on the field in the next match and earn applause. As long as a player is in Roma, from my side, he needs to be supported: the boos refer to the performance, but from my side, everyone must be encouraged and supported. Everyone must react after a non-positive match, work, and improve. The goal always remains the same: to grow and improve. We are still in an initial phase, but I believe that compared to other teams, we have good margins to do better. It’s not that difficult: we can only improve”. These are Gasp’s words on Roma

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Doubt in Torino. Franco Israel’s conditions could make him miss the match against Genoa. The match will take place at 12:30.

The goalkeeper of Torino is in serious doubt for the match against Genoa; the trauma to his right rib, suffered in the match against Napoli, does not seem to have fully healed.

During the match against Napoli, the goalkeeper received a nasty blow which was then evaluated by the medical staff of the granata. The result: the goalkeeper was unable to complete his normal weekly preparation and, for this reason, does not seem to be included in the lineup of twelve against the Grifoni.

Today, however, we await the official medical report on the condition of the twenty-five-year-old Uruguayan.

If the results are not positive for Franco Israel, then it will be the turn of his substitute Paleari.

Torino, currently in 15th place in the Serie A standings, is waiting for the official results of the goalkeeper Israel’s physical condition.

MARCO BARONI ( PHOTO BY SALVATORE FORNELLI )

What happened to the Torino goalkeeper and what to expect in the coming hours

The player received a blow during the match against Napoli (in which the granata won 1-0 against the Neapolitan team). A joy broken by the injury that appeared, from the very beginning, quite serious.

To worsen the mood of the Turin club, the player’s absence in the weekly training session (to prepare for the match against the Ligurians) and, therefore, rumors about his health status have increased.

This absence itself would suggest, regardless of the verdict, that the goalkeeper will be absent on the field tomorrow, Sunday, October 26, but what is most breath-taking is the medical report.

Genoa, the team that is bottom of the Serie A standings, could take advantage of this forced stop to try and secure three much-needed points. At this point in the season, in fact, the Ligurians must try to drastically change their fate, otherwise a future relegation seems more than likely.

The team of Marco Baroni must instead keep their eyes on the horizon and not lose concentration in order to continue to stay in the middle of the table and then, who knows, even try to climb up the ranks.