Gasperini’s comments after Cremonese v Roma

Here’s what he had to say.

You celebrated Evan Ferguson’s goal very enthusiastically. How intense of an experience was that for you?

“We’re happy for him, of course, but overall it was a very important goal for all of us. It made the score 2-0, and while we’d had other chances earlier in the game, we were playing well and creating many major chances, that second goal made us realise that we could win.”

You don’t like having five substitutions, but those players were crucial today. The substitutes played a key role in today’s match. Are substitutions necessary?

“Yes, they are, and I use all of them. If I had more, I’d use even more. But if your question is whether I like this type of football, my answer is that I’m not thrilled about it. Football is also about stamina: the best teams have better chances of winning over 90 minutes. With five substitutions, the game is more balanced but sometimes not as beautiful.”

You were angry before you were sent off. What exactly was the reason for that? We saw Filippo Terracciano not getting booked, Jan Ziolkowski getting a yellow card, then a penalty being awarded and then being overturned. Or was it the referee’s attitude?

“You listed many things all at once [laughs]. They all happened in the final minutes of the first half, which were very tough for us. However, I didn’t say anything during the second half, not one word. The fourth official could’ve called me out when the penalty was awarded and then overturned, but not on that occasion in the second half. They made two very bad mistakes. If he had to intervene, it should’ve been in the first half, not in the second. He called the referee twice – a very poor presence in that area. They have very little to do close to the benches; in this case he behaved very poorly.”

In the first half we really liked how Tommaso Baldanzi moved and your attacking play.

“I really liked him and I liked how we moved up front. We missed a few passes in the beginning, but then we created a lot of chances. Baldanzi put the opponents to the test and was dangerous; he has unusual attributes and you can also play in that position the way he does. I’m happy for him. About the third goal: when you score a goal like that, it means that there’s been a turning point in you: we have more chances now, we’re more assertive and confident that we can score.”

There’s a graffiti of Gasperini as a wizard in Rome. His ingredients are grit, passion and sweat.

“I look like a cross between a witch and Merlin [laughs]. I agree with the ingredients. They’re the right ingredients, the main ones needed; then we can add some spices and salt.”

To keep dreaming?

“To keep playing the way we’ve been playing. I’ve already said this: there’s nothing wrong with dreaming when you’re doing great, but we know very well that dreams rarely come true. It’s very nice to experience this dream and we will enjoy it as long as we can. We pretend to wake up and sleep a bit longer – that way it will last longer.”