Pisilli: ‘Baldini and Gasperini share the same DNA – and that’s why I feel at home with Italy’ | OneFootball

Niccolò Pisilli has drawn a striking parallel between Italy interim coach Silvio Baldini and his Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini, describing both as coaches who demand intensity, high pressing and a relentlessly proactive approach to the game, while also revealing that Baldini’s influence extends well beyond the tactical.

Speaking at a press conference from the Coverciano training centre amid Italy’s training camp, the 21-year-old midfielder was full of praise for Baldini’s character as much as his coaching.

“The coach is a very genuine, sincere person who transmits deep values to us,” Pisilli said, with quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb.

“He often speaks to us about things that go beyond football. It is up to us to take them on board. In the two or two and a half hours of daily training he tells us we must be 100% focused on what we are doing, because those hours are where our improvement as footballers and as people happens.”

BOLOGNA, ITALY – JANUARY 12: Niccolò Pisilli of AS Roma during the Serie A match between Bologna and AS Roma at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on January 12, 2025 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Pisilli credits patience and hard work for Roma breakthrough after difficult start under Gasperini

On the connection between Baldini and Gasperini, Pisilli was specific.

“I link the two coaches in their desire to press high, to go and get opponents early and to always be proactive,” he said.

“At the start of the season I had difficulty finding space, but I always tried to give my maximum in training and absorb what the coach was asking of me. In December I got more opportunities and I think I was good enough to take them. Fortunately the season ended in the best possible way, both personally and as a team.”

Pisilli also addressed Italy’s painful World Cup qualification failure with characteristic honesty.

“It was a massive disappointment, we all wanted to be playing at the World Cup this summer,” he said. “Inside the pitch we gave everything we had, but a series of episodes and circumstances influenced the game. The team was 100% focused on the objective.”

Looking ahead, he called for Italy to continue giving young players the platform they deserve.

“I hope there will always be more and more space for young Italians because many of us have shown during the year, even with our clubs, that we are great footballers,” he said.