Gasperini’s press conference ahead of Roma v Genoa

 Here’s what he had to say.

A week spent training, except on Christmas Day. Are all Roma players available, apart from Leon Bailey? What’s Artem Dovbyk’s physical condition like?

“Dovbyk is not ready yet, so he won’t be called up; hopefully he will be back the following week. He’s training, he’s getting ready, but he can’t kick the ball yet. Apart from that, our week had some breaks in between because of Christmas, but we were still able to work, even though there’s a bug going around. Our main problem right now concerns Mario Hermoso and we still have to decide what to do tomorrow. He’s got a form of groin injury and we have to decide whether he’ll be able to play or not.”

Would you like to share a memory of your time at Genoa? What’s your opinion of Morten Frendrup?

“It’s not just Frendrup: Genoa have other very good players too. In fact it’s typical of Genoa to develop certain players and then sell them. This year too they have a few good players who are doing well. I spent long periods of time at Genoa. Five years the first time, three the second. Those eight years meant a lot in my life. They’re an important memory: when I first arrived, the club was in Serie B, and two years later we were playing in Europe. Their president was different, but I had a great relationship with him. The second time I coached Genoa they were struggling a bit, but that time too we went to Europe in my second year. I have a strong bond with Genoa fans: their passion is an added asset for the team, especially in their home games. It’s a great place to play football.” 

Does Lorenzo Pellegrini’s injury mean that Roma needs to ramp up its transfer activity? And do you expect a signing in the first week of January?

“I don’t know; I don’t know what the transfer window timing will be. Certainly not having Pellegrini is a problem for us. He’s been a player we’ve relied on a lot, even though he underperformed in our last few matches, but he also had some great performances. Unfortunately, injuries happen. We’re about to have nine games in one month with two players at the Africa Cup of Nations, Pellegrini, Dovbyk recovering, Bailey and Hermoso. We’ll have to give it everything and aim as high as we can. Everyone must do their very best.”

Paulo Dybala has been in the starting line-up six times: on five occasions he started as a centre-forward and on one as an attacking midfielder. Did you make this decision because of the two centre-forwards’ shortcomings or is it an adjustment of your initial idea?

“Sometimes it was the only viable solution, but he can play very well in that position. When he has some physical problems, as has unfortunately been the case lately, playing as an attacking midfielder is even worse. I’ve always had great expectations with him. I know that if he feels well, the entire team’s level goes up. We had a good period, then a relapse, perhaps not an optimal condition. We are continuing to focus on him because if he reaches a better physical condition, he can be an extra asset for the team.”

Are the team’s limits just technical and therefore something that can be solved with a few signings, or is it also a matter of mentality?

“No, in fact in terms of mentality Roma are just as good as any other team, perhaps even better. Our match against Juventus was proof of that, both in the first half and toward the end of the game, when we tried to get back into the game. In terms of attitude and behaviour, Roma have always done a great job.” 

Have you cleared things up with Evan Ferguson after your comments on him at Torino? Have you discussed the possibility of terminating his loan? Speaking of which, since Dovbyk won’t be playing, is he an option or will you “always be going with Dybala”, as you said after Juventus v Roma?

“I’ve already explained that Dybala is a top-level player if in the right physical condition. And that is exactly what the question was about, why Dybala and not Ferguson. So I stand by what I said. Dybala is a high-level player and his condition is clearly not good. My goal is for him to reach optimal physical condition because it’s hard to have another player with his quality. Then, if other problems emerge, he doesn’t always perform as well as he could. If I have to choose between this type of player and another one, I will always choose Dybala. It wasn’t about Ferguson. Ferguson needs to perform well.

“Compared to Dybala, since he’s 21, he’s very young. They just can’t be compared from a technical point of view, but they can be compared in terms of ambition, wanting to succeed, knowing where he stands, and taking the other player’s place by using attributes that are more suited to the game than Dybala’s. I know that distinguishing these things is sometimes hard, but it’s true. As far as the transfer window is concerned, it will start on 3 January and we’ll see. I don’t want to go back to July and August. I’ve already avoided discussions on the transfer window. We have to play against Genoa tomorrow and it’s going to be a difficult match.”

Speaking of the difficult game awaiting you tomorrow, what do you think Daniele De Rossi has brought to his team?

“Courage, which is a great asset for any coach. It’s a great asset in general, in all fields. Genoa are a team that have reached good results. They played with great courage against Atalanta as they played with a one-man disadvantage for virtually the entire game. It’s a good asset. I think that despite the table it’s hard for Genoa. We’ll have to use all the energy we have to win; we really need to win, particularly at this moment.”

Would talking about the transfer window mean casting some of the players that are available in a bad light? And does the open window affect some of your decisions?

“It does not because we have just the right number of players, so it’s hard to pick the wrong line-up. But the transfer window does have an influence on us, it has an influence on everyone. It’s disrespectful towards those who are giving it their all for this team.

“It also has an impact there’s a whole world telling players, ‘Go here, go there.’ And that can have an effect on them and they may lose something. But points are just as important as they were one month ago and will be next month. This situation will continue for a long time. People talk more about the transfer window than about matches and we as coaches are against transfer windows being so long.”

With Dybala and Matias Soule in the starting line-up, Roma score less. Is it just a coincidence?

“I don’t think about whether a player is in the starting line-up or comes on later in the game. Soule has been a reference point for this team. Pellegrini has also played a lot, while the rest of the time was allocated equally between Dybala, Dovbyk, Ferguson, [Tommaso] Baldanzi, maybe Dovbyk a bit less because he suffered an injury, and a bit [Stephan] El Shaarawy. Those are the players we have and that’s how we’ve allocated the minutes. Playing in the first 50 minutes of the match isn’t necessarily better than playing in the remaining 40. But it’s true that we’ve delivered less than we should’ve.

“It’s the problem we’ve had not for one match, but rather since we started preparing. Compared to last year, we also lost [Eldor] Shomurodov and [Alexis] Saelemaekers and we gained Bailey and Ferguson. Bailey has had some injuries, while Ferguson has made his contribution. I have to say that everyone has done an excellent job bringing Roma so high up in the table and keeping us there. We have every intention of keeping this up. We’ll see what happens, if something happens. I’ve never really believed in the January transfer window, I’ve always said this. Even if we sign new players, it takes time for them to settle in, so I’m counting on the players we already have.” 

Can Manu Kone improve in the attacking phase?

“One must always try to improve and go the extra mile, but sometimes we should focus on what we have rather than what’s missing. Because otherwise we risk losing what we have. Personally, I believe that Kone has done very well. Then there’s always room for improvement.”

Could tomorrow’s match be Niccolo Pisilli’s breakthrough game? And could he join Genoa?

“I’ve already said what I think about Pisilli. He’s a very interesting player, he’s good, he doesn’t only have good prospects, he’s got a lot to offer right now too. He’s had less space because [Bryan] Cristante, Kone and [Neil] El Aynaoui have all done very well. Like all young players, it would be better for him to play more. If he could do that at Roma, I’d be happy. And I hope he’ll do that at Roma. Right now, I have three midfielders, so Pisilli leaving the team is out of the question.”