Gasperini praises team effort in win over Bologna: “This team has character.” | OneFootball

Gian Piero Gasperini spoke highly of his team in the aftermath of Roma’s win over Bologna in the first game of the season.

After the match, the Italian coach spoke to Sky Sport.

“I want to applaud my players. It was the first match, things on the pitch can’t be precise but we started off with the right attitude against a difficult team that did very well. This gives us a lot of motivation.”

“The new signings? We’re talking about very young players with huge potential. Tonight they’ve already given a great demonstration of their value, along with the team, which is compact.”

“I’d seen it in preseason, especially abroad, where it’s not easy to play in packed stadiums. Tonight against a strong Bologna, we showed a lot of great things. The fact that the fans appreciated it is very nice.”

“It’s difficult to rank tonight; we were really compact and close to each other. The attackers also did well defensively; they were always compact and aggressive, and they got to the ball first.”

“We also played with quality; we deserved to take the lead in the first half hour. In the second half, we didn’t give up. We did well in all areas; if we’d been more focused, we could have scored the second goal, but the fact that we had to struggle is another positive, a sign that this team has character.”

“We played with courage, it’s not easy. Bologna has dangerous attackers and a quality bench. We played with great consistency in recovering the ball. I’m satisfied, it’s the first match and it’s not easy for anyone, not even for experienced teams. Having played with this spirit, in this stadium and against this team gives us great strength and a great confidence.”