⚔️ Gasp vs Ferguson: all the manager’s digs at his striker 😂 | OneFootball

When Evan Ferguson signed with Roma this summer, few could have imagined such a complicated relationship between the striker and Gian Piero Gasperini.

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The coach, during his years at Atalanta and previously at Genoa, has always been adept at enhancing the skills of his forwards. Andrea Petagna, Leonardo Pavoletti, and Duvan Zapata experienced career peaks that were previously unimaginable, while Gianluca Scamacca gained European status in just a few months. In short, his track record suggested that signing with the Giallorossi was the right move for the class of 2004 to relaunch himself.

Sideline Attacks

The Irishman's pedigree was certainly not bad either. Scoring 10 goals in a season at Brighton, several of which before turning 19, had immediately launched him into the elite of British football under the guidance of Roberto De Zerbi. In the following two seasons, injuries limited him significantly, but his talent appeared indisputable.

The story, however, took a very complicated turn. Just 5 goals in half a season, only 3 of which in the league. Sure, some physical problems played a part. But at the root of it all is a relationship between the player and Gasp that calling it contentious would be an understatement. The coach is no stranger to criticizing his players through the media, but with the Irishman, he reached unprecedented heights.

In the last match won 2-0 by Roma against Sassuolo, there was one of the highest points. Ferguson was substituted in the 39th minute due to severe blows to his back, but before that, Gasperini criticized every single choice he made on the field, spending the entire first half berating him, as reported by DAZN. In the press conference, however, he spared him and even reassured about his condition. A rare case, given all the vitriolic remarks he had reserved for him in the previous months.

Gasp vs Ferguson in 5 Acts

After a couple of months of formal statements, everything began on October 25th on the eve of the first leg match against Sassuolo. To a question about him, the response was "only yesterday did he have his first proper training session". A nice way to convey the feeling with the boy.

At that time, however, he was goalless. Let's move to December 14th, when he had broken his league duck and was coming off a brace against Celtic in the Europa League. The pre-Como press conference could have been the right opportunity to boost him, but instead, here comes the ruthless message: "We must ask ourselves if he is useful to Roma, not to me".

From this point on, from a super signing redeemable for 40 million, Ferguson began to be talked about as a surplus who wasn't even guaranteed to stay in January. This leads to December 20th, when against Juve he starts on the bench because Dybala is playing as the forward.

The team loses, he comes on and doesn't play a bad game. That's when the words become even harsher. "I'm not liking him, he hasn't embraced the Roma spirit" first and then the masterstroke: "Dybala is better as a forward any day". A gem that seems to have emerged from a manual on how to psychologically demolish your players.

Even a week later, the tone doesn't change before the Genoa match: "Show me you're hungry if you want your place back", was the response to those asking if he could return to the starting lineup. Ferguson would play and score in that game, only to repeat the feat 8 days later against Lecce. It seemed like the start of a new era, but the disastrous evening just experienced changes the perspectives once again.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.

📸 ANDY BUCHANAN - AFP or licensors