Gasperini’s presser ahead of Sassuolo clash: “We have to start scoring goals.” | OneFootball

Gian Piero Gasperini addressed the media on the eve of Roma’s match against Sassuolo.

“We have to play as a unit in attack as well as defense, playing with positions, movements, and runs,” said the Giallorossi boss when asked about Roma’s scoring woes.

“We have to get into the box, we have to close down, we have to do many things. Just as you have defensive organization, you can have it in attack too. Especially now.”

“We have to keep working; we’re getting our players back. We’ve got Dybala back, we’re also getting Bailey back. We have all our attacking players; we have to make a positive change in that area too.”

On the team’s drops in concentration, “There could be various reasons. There are periods like this, sometimes we took the lead. But it’s a fact: in Florence we managed to turn things around, but in the last two games we conceded two bad goals.”

“Against Inter we had the reaction we needed, while the other night we needed to give more, even though the team responded. The team finished, like against Inter, with a positive second half. This shows that we’re in good shape physically.”

“Ferguson has appeared in nine out of ten official matches. The only one he didn’t play in was the one in Florence. The pitch speaks for itself; about the rest, anything and everything can be said. He’s always shown that he can provide answers on the pitch, even if the answers aren’t positive right now.”

“To be honest, for the first time this season, I saw him train properly yesterday. He’s a 21-year-old, coming from leagues where he hadn’t played much, not exceptionally well, so you have to wait. He’s in another league, in another country, in another dimension. Guys this young can have very low performance periods.”

“But you have to be ready to trust him. Then, if he asks me for explanations, you can’t always explain everything. So, you wait, you work, and the answers come from the pitch.”

“Regarding playing with an attacking reference point, I don’t think the center forward has to be necessarily tall and big; there are many ways to play. The important thing is to be effective; it’s not necessary to play with A center forward with stature and physicality. For me, other things matter more: technique, speed, ability to pass, to play triangulation. Then, if you have a player up front who solves your problems, the road is much shorter.”

“We can say many things about this group, we can admit its limitations, and we must accept them, but behaviorally, it’s a strong, healthy group, and in that respect, defeats can’t be justified by attitude. Attitude will never be wrong, it can’t be wrong, otherwise, yes, that would be a problem.”

“Dybala? He can play, he’s physically fine. He did well the other night. He has good stamina, from what I can see. He’s in good shape, like all top-level players. The only problem is that he’s fit, without any physical issues. He also needs to start hitting the ground running, scoring goals, providing assists—these are the important things because he’s a striker, he doesn’t need to play in midfield.”

“He can help the team in disengaging play, but he’s essentially a striker. He’s a player who’s very valuable when he shoots on goal, provides assists, and creates danger. And he’s fine now, very well, that’s something that gives me hope.”

“We’re battling. This is a tough league. Did you see the top-seeded team play against a newly promoted team yesterday? This is a league where you have to be convinced that it’s not easy to achieve great consistency. Every game in our league is very difficult. I don’t have time to get down about a loss, even if it really bothers me. I can’t think about it because we’re there; everything else is fine, we can say anything and the opposite of everything. But we have to look at ourselves, improve ourselves.”

“Right now, the main difficulty is scoring goals, especially at home. We have to resolve and work on that. It’s not about the number nine, the false number nine, it’s about who plays and goes in. Who knows how to shoot, who knows how to stop, who knows how to combine, and who goes to score. There are examples of teams that have done it with a center forward, with space, or without a center forward. If you have the opportunity, shorten the path; otherwise, you have to go down that path.”

“The January window? I don’t think January brings any fantastic things, based on my experience. What matters are the characteristics, yes. But it’s not a January issue; I’m not even thinking about it right now. I just want to improve a situation that’s penalizing us, that makes us appear even worse than we are.”