Gasperini's pre-Sassuolo press conference

Read what the boss had to say below.

It seems you're not over the injury emergency just yet. Can you give us an update on the situation? The other emergency seems to be the timeframes in the transfer window. Can the owners speed up those timeframes?

​“Having the owners here is already a great sign. It's a sign that they're here and want to deal with the situation. The fact that they're staying several weeks is because they want to try and look after the team. Not that they didn't do that before, but now they'll be able to do it in person.

“As for the team, Wesley's not ok today. We'll see tomorrow. He has strong flu-like symptoms but we hope we can recover. Apart from that, we'll be without [Bryan] Cristante through suspension. We'll have [Gianluca] Mancini and [Mario] Hermoso back but we've lost [Artem] Dovbyk. It certainly is an emergency situation, as it has been for a few games now.”

What are the dangers of this game against Sassuolo? There's a lot of talk about Giacomo Raspadori. Do you see him more as a centre forward or a second striker?

“Tomorrow is a dangerous game. Sassuolo are having a good season, although they lost to Juventus. I've seen Milan draw with Genoa, Juventus draw with Lecce, Napoli draw with Verona, and those things should be noted. Up until now we've perhaps done better in this type of game, but it just goes to show how evenly balanced the league is. You have to be at your best in every match. It was important for us to bounce back against Lecce the other day, regardless of our absences. It shows the lads are training well and enthusiastically, not with difficulties. These players always know how to respond properly.

“As for Raspadori, have you ever heard me talk about transfers or about Raspadori? Has anyone here ever spoken to me about transfers through messages or phone calls?”

In the summer you did.

“In the summer I was talking about strikers, in July and August. Now, have any of you heard me talking about the transfer market? You're very good, very well informed, fantastic. I read what you write and you do your jobs very well, but you don't hear about it from me. People know everything: fine. But I'm certainly not the one feeding these rumours. I only talk about Roma players, who are the ones going out onto the pitch and getting results for Roma. I can give my opinion on my players, not on any others.”

Can you tell us about your silence after the Lecce match?

“I thought it was better for you to talk about what Roma had managed to do – which was to go and win at Lecce despite the injury emergency. If you talk like last summer, you complain about the strikers. If you don't talk, you're attacked anyway. So let's not talk about transfers. I say that because you guys know absolutely everything. There's no need to add anything else. You have your sources and you're experts in that respect. There's no need for me to tell you anything else. Tonight I'll watch Sky and Gianluca Di Marzio will know everything, as you do, so keep going. You really are very good.”

Are the 36 points you've got in the first half of the season in line with your targets or have you overachieved?

“This is another thing I can't say much about. Personally I'm happy, very happy. Roma have a strong, competitive core. Roma's target must be to strengthen the team and make the squad even more competitive. It's difficult because some players have expiring contracts and others are on loan, so if we look a bit further ahead, if we can do something in January, we can only improve. If I look to the future, it's a bit more complicated. Having the owners here is a great sign. We can come out of the January transfer window a bit stronger but we have games to play now. Back-to-back games: the Coppa Italia on Tuesday and no one will recover for that. Cristante will return but we'll lose Mancini and we can only lose more players. Hopefully we won't. This is a key period with nine matches to play in a month. We also have the Europa League and Serie A. Playing two games in a week is different to having to play three for several weeks, but it's all experience and it can help you to make assessments, playing against teams with objectives and strong squads. We need to think beyond the present and try to make the team stronger.”

Do you still need to strengthen in defence?

“These are strategies that I discuss with the club. I talk to the club about these things. You should never bring in players just for the sake of signing someone, although we are a man down in defence. With [Evan] Ndicka away, we have four. Tomorrow we'll have five academy players on the bench. When you can't turn to the first team, you turn to the academy.”

As a coach, are you happy to coach the players on the pitch, knowing that the club is doing its best?

“I enjoy working on the pitch because we have a close-knit group of players who are giving their all for Roma – and that includes the players whose futures aren't exactly clear. That's the best guarantee. Having the owners here for so long, being around every day, is worth more than the 36 points we've earned.”

Will you watch the Africa Cup of Nations match between Cameroon and Morocco tonight?

“I hope the final will be between Morocco and Ivory Coast because of our two players. I can only wish them the best. It means they've been trained well.”

Today you've repeatedly stressed the importance of having the owners here in Trigoria. How much contact do you have with Dan Friedkin during the year?

“I hope we have more and more. They have lots of activities but when I talk to them we're always in line with what they would like to do and what I would like to achieve here. But we have to actually do it. And it's a bit more complicated. Them being here helps make things happen.”

What's Angelino's condition like? Could he play tomorrow?

“This is a medical issue that must remain confidential. It's a health matter too. Any news should only be given by the doctors. All we can do is hope he gets well and then can play.”

Do you feel this team you're working with is 'yours'?

“We have to start with what there is. I thank the players for their willingness. Personally I think we've done well, but we might not win the title or get into the Champions League. I don't know what will be a satisfactory result on the pitch but in these first five months I've been gratified by the games we've played and what we're trying to do. And also by the fact people respect me. We know we're doing everything we possibly can.”

How much is Claudio Ranieri around on a daily basis? And are the imminent contract renewals for Mancini and Cristante partly down to your input?

“These are club matters. I have an excellent relationship with Ranieri. He had to undergo a knee operation and for a while he couldn't play... [laughs] but he's training again now. Recently he's been here a lot. I always enjoy talking about football with him. He's very discreet and he respects my role, but we always have nice chats.”