Gasperini ranked third best Roma coach in debut year | OneFootball

Gian Piero Gasperini has surprisingly won over the hearts of Roma fans.

The Grugliasco-born coach, initially disliked by many Giallorossi supporters, has earned their trust by ensuring his team plays top-notch football.

The Roman club, after seven consecutive seasons out of the Champions League, returned to the Champions League, finishing third with 73 points on the final day of the season.

A well-deserved finish for Gasperini’s side, who never gave up and always believed they could achieve their goal.

The Grugliasco-born coach, however, isn’t satisfied and wants to improve: “The Champions League must provide the resources to make Roma stronger.” The coach is already focused on his second season as Roma coach. In the meantime, he has made club history with a remarkable ranking.

Gian Piero Gasperini, despite finishing third, has achieved an even more important goal: “It’s clear that results count, but the most important thing is having earned the fans’ credibility; it’s a bigger success than the Scudetto.”

This is certainly hyperbole, but it underscores the importance of having won over the fans, who were somewhat skeptical after his arrival. Analyzing Roma’s history, the impact Gasperini has had is rare among other managers.

Few coaches have achieved the same results as the Grugliasco-born coach in their first year on the Giallorossi bench, starting from matchday one. From Garbutt in 1927-28 to Gasperini, including the return of some managers starting from matchday one, out of 37 managers, only two have done better than the former Atalanta manager in the league: Di Francesco (77 points, third place) and Garcia (85 points, second place). The squads available to both, however, were much stronger than the latest version of Roma.

Nils Liedholm also finished third in the 1987-88 season, but his points average, even considering each win as 3 points (1.76), is lower than Gasperini’s (1.92). And let’s not forget those who managed to immediately win a trophy, like José Mourinho (Conference League), despite a lower league finish (6th).