Gasperini discusses Roma’s objectives for the season | OneFootball

Roma manager Gian Piero Gasperini gave a lengthy interview to Corriere dello Sport in which he discussed various topics concerning the Giallorossi’s new season.

“Ranieri was the first one to speak to me. He started contacting me quite some time before. I don’t know if it was December. It was still in its embryonic stage, I didn’t know what I’d be doing in June. I had a feeling it would be my last year in Bergamo.”

“What convinced me to move to Roma? The fact that there’s incredible passion in Rome. I believe that right now, in Italy, Rome is, along with Naples, the most passionate and exciting place.”

“And perhaps Rome even more than Naples, because Napoli has won the Scudetto. In Rome there there’s more hunger for football, more desire to get results, where there’s such a deep, visceral love for your team, the motivation is incredibly high. It’s also a great time for Italian stadiums, which are once again filling up.”

“What’s impressed me the most since my arrival? The players. They’ve really given me credit and availability. Regardless of their circumstances. This is a team with players whose contracts are expiring, on loan, or about to leave. There’s a great sense of unity; everyone feels the responsibility of playing in a big club.”

“How can we continue to grow? By looking at the present. Unfortunately, right now we’re not in a position to think about the future; the future is yet to be designed.”

“So we’re living in the present. And the present is what’s leading us to approach these two matches with great seriousness, with a great desire to play them. We know we have so many passionate people behind us, and this partly explains our excellent start.”

“Luck? That doesn’t hurt. It’s a nice skill, I must say that there have been other teams that have turned games around or won them in the final minutes. We weren’t lucky in defeat, but in some victories, yes. But it’s a fairly common thing.”

“How to bolster Roma’s attack? I think it’s a shame that Dovbyk left for international duty. I see him growing, growing physically. This is the most important thing because he’s essentially a strong player, both physically and technically, and to perform he needs to be in great shape.”

“I’d like to get him to optimal condition, with the belief that he can exploit his potential again. We’re working in that direction. He did well in Florence. We need to instill in him great confidence and a sense of belonging; he needs to know that the team is behind him.”

“Much has been said about our attack, but we scored two goals on Sunday in Florence. It’s clear that up until now, Dybala, Pellegrini, and Bailey have given us two half-times in three. With them back, our quality will increase significantly. Dybala’s quality is truly top-notch. Pellegrini is a player of absolute value. And Bailey will give us a big hand. We were a bit unlucky with Bailey. With those three and Dovbyk, we’ll have a different depth. Because in football, everything is enhanced by attacking play.”

“The Freidkins won me over at our first meeting when I realized that, beyond their world-renowned entrepreneurial strength, they have a great passion for football. The best thing I can do for Roma is to strengthen the relationship between them and the city. Because it’s hard to find such generous ownership in the world of football, right?”

“They are very much involved in what we do. How do I communicate with them? Ranieri helps me with English.”

“Roma aren’t a Champions League quality team yet. This increases the merit, right? The merit of these guys. And in the meantime, it’s clear that we hope to grow; we also know that our lead is quite casual. We’ve played the games, though; it’s not like anyone gave them to us. Now the direct clashes begin, we’re measuring ourselves against the biggest teams, but it’s true that this team can improve; it has considerable room for improvement.”