Gasperini's take on Bologna first leg

This is what the boss had to say: 

You struggled a little to create openings in the first hour or so, then that break by Bryan Cristante and Lorenzo Pellegrini coming on shook the team up a bit.

"Bologna obviously made a very physical game of it with lots of long balls, a bit like Genoa, and we weren't always able to win the second balls. They seemed to be a bit stronger. Afterwards we did better, we adapted, but I must say that we created several dangerous situations in the first half too. We weren't quite on their level in this type of game, but they were allowed to get away with a lot of things and the atmosphere definitely had an impact as well.”

Federico Bernardeschi got Bologna's goal.

“He was superb at times and Bologna clearly have some excellent players, but I have to say I think it's probably a fair result because we fashioned various dangerous situations of our own.”

What was key to the match?

“Second balls are key nowadays. Lots of teams implement a really high pressing game and that often forces you to go long because it becomes risky otherwise, unless you have incredibly good technical players. Very often we end up playing 'rugby football' on the second balls. Then there are lots of variables as to whether you can get into the opposition half and create goal-scoring chances. I think it's partly a seasonal thing. I think once the weather changes and the temperature changes, a bit like in the last 20-30 minute of games, we'll start seeing more possession play. I think that might start happening soon.”

Do you think you can complete the turnaround in the return leg? What have you learnt from this game, regarding team selection too?

“You probably need bigger players up front for this 'rugby football'. When the game is played like this, it's much harder to build play with technique because there's so much physicality involved. We have a very young team – certainly today we did – so we might have a bit less strength. But we got into the game over the 90 minutes. The match in Rome will probably prove decisive but both teams are capable of playing a different way.”

Could we see Roma taking a bolder approach at the Olimpico next week?

 “It had nothing to do with not being bold enough. I think we created four or five situations, maybe a few more, so it wasn't our approach that was wrong. We have to consider our opponents too, and they're very good opponents, but our performance wasn't bad at all. We struggled at times over the 90 minutes but we were also playing at a difficult away ground where everything was amplified. I don't think we'll see the same thing at our stadium: it will be more balanced. We'll need to create situations by using the ball well and we're confident we're capable of doing that.”