Gasperini's press conference ahead of Pisa

Here’s what our boss had to say:

Do you have a return date for your injured players?

“I think [Gianluca] Mancini will be back as early as next week. I hope Wesley will be as well – they’re both progressing positively. The injuries they suffered were less serious. As for [Paulo] Dybala, he’s doing pretty decently, but his situation is less predictable. I’d give him a week or two. The injuries that our players have had to deal with have definitely been detrimental from a certain point of the season onwards – I’d say from the end of December onwards - especially because they've been so long-lasting. 

“It’s not because of the number of injuries, per se. I’m talking about, for example, what happened recently to Wesley when he was on international duty. These are injuries that are expected in a squad of players who play so many games for so many months – missing one or two weeks, not months, is normal in football. We've had some long-term injuries, starting with [Evan] Ferguson, [Leon] Bailey, [Artem] Dovbyk and then Dybala and [Matias] Soule. I’m struggling to remember them all, but there have definitely been at least six or seven, over many months.

“This has been a really difficult season in this regard. We haven’t had all that many muscular problems – some, yes, recently with [Mario] Hermoso – but there have been lots of unusual circumstances Of course, there have been some niggles. Some players have had to miss the odd game, like Mancini recently. There have been players who had a similar situation to Mancini – I’m talking about broken noses, playing with masks and others with general aches and pains. We’ve certainly had a slump, due in part to this ongoing injury crisis, which we suffered before in attack because we had so many out of action. We lost Ferguson, Dovbyk, Dybala and Soule. Tommaso Baldanzi left, so he was no longer an option for us, and our defence suffered too.”

Has there been any need for you to convince the players that there’s a lot left to play for this season, especially regarding the future of some players which has been in doubt in recent days?

“No. Right now we’re not thinking about the future – our focus is on the here and now. What happened to the team in the second half in Milan has got to be avoided. There was a real slump, a collapse in spirit, and that's the one thing that must never happen. It’s because this is a team that has a clear conscience on how they’ve worked, how they’ve approached the games and how they've gone about their entire season. Anyway, we’ve got a team that bounces back - they're dedicated guys who are committed, motivated and who want to try to do their best.

“We’ve got a game on Friday, albeit against a team who are all but down. That being said, we know very well that Pisa are a tough team who have played well in recent games, and that you’ve got to perform to win these games. It's clear that we must now do much better in terms of results. We don't have much margin for error and we must start from this game. Some games in Serie A might become easier but they’re still tricky. We must play with unity and determination to stay in it. We know that if we win tomorrow, we'll move closer in the table to another team. Well, it depends on other results, but it’s in our hands to take that step forward.”

There's a month and a half left until the end of the season, and there are eight players who are due to leave in the summer. These include players on loan and players whose contracts are about to expire. I remember you saying some time ago that you'd never worked with so many players with an uncertain future in your career. I wanted to ask if there's any news on this front.

“This situation isn't new - it's been the case since the turn of the year. Given that it hasn’t been addressed it's remained unchanged - there’s absolutely nothing new. We’re talking about serious professionals. You can’t predict what will happen in a month or a month and a half - it depends on the owners' wishes and it depends on the players' wishes. The situation is very clear - the players whose contracts are up and the players here on loan could potentially be on the market for financial needs.

“These are situations that don't concern anyone right now. Following the 5-2 defeat in Milan, [Lorenzo] Pellegrini, at the end of the match, put himself forward for an interview. I don't know if we're capable of saying what will happen to anyone, but I know that these are all top guys. I owe a lot and I’m very grateful to this entire group of lads for how they've played the season so far. So, I’m not changing my mind after a defeat. However, I'm grateful and we really want to try to finish the season well. We’ve got an objective that's still achievable, albeit one which has become much more difficult, one that nobody had expected us to achieve, at least outside of Rome.

“We believed in this objective, and we still really want to try to reach it. This is the situation. Then, what happens a month from now is unpredictable, but if these are to be the last few games we’ll play as this squad we'll play to our full potential – it’s important to be clear about that. The assessment can then be either positive or negative, but not that we didn’t try and give our all.”

Can you explain what players like Neil El Aynaoui, Daniele Ghilardi, Bryan Zaragoza, and Robinio Vaz have lacked, or are still lacking, in order to establish themselves as consistent starters in this team?

“If you also see players as I do, I make choices. Obviously I pick Mancini but Ghilardi has played a lot. Vaz has played more here than at Marseille. There’s nothing lacking - everyone in this team has played and is getting game time.

“If you want Vaz to play instead of [Donyell] Malen, if you want Ghilardi to play instead of, I don't know, Ndicka, then sure, you’ve got a team, a team that can play consistently. There are players who are playing, who are coming into the fold who I think have also improved, including the ones you're talking about. If that's not enough for them, then I don't know what to say.”

Why do you think Roma aren’t good enough for fourth in Serie A? Is it the quality of some of your starting players, your subs, or simply because Roma have lost so many players recently?

“There’s no doubt that all of the setbacks we've had have been very significant. From a certain point in the league onward they undoubtedly took their toll. That doesn't mean we haven't always tried to stay as high up the table as possible. I’m talking about from when we were very high up, to when we slipped a bit, and now we're continuing this slide. Everyone is free to make their own assessments when it comes to a discussion of  a player’s quality, whether a player should start or not, whether the team can win the Scudetto, whether it can finish third, second, fourth, whether it’s better than its opponents, or any comparisons with our opponents.

“My assessment is that this is a team that we’ve put in the top four. We set that goal. Regardless of our opponents – who are of course formidable - we set that goal for ourselves. We want to reach it, and if we don't manage it, we'll have done our best to try to make it happen. It was an objective that we set. Then, if there have been injuries, if the team isn't complete or anything else then everyone is free to make their own assessments. We set our own objective.”

You reiterated the importance of keeping this team’s core, which needs to be strengthened and not dismantled. At the same time, a different vision has emerged from the club, suggesting that the future of several players who have been here for a long time might be up for discussion. Is there such a difference of opinion?

“I don't know. I'm thinking about playing these seven games and having the strongest possible group of players. I'm working towards achieving this goal as much as possible. Those are discussions that will be held in the appropriate places, as and when, by whoever makes them. I'm telling you that right now we’ve got seven games left to play. Regardless of objectives, we’ll be dedicated professionals until the end of the season and our final game against Verona on 24 May. It’s our duty.”

I'll move on to a question from our radio listeners. Why don’t you change your team’s approach in certain matches, like against Inter away, when you realise that things aren't working out? Why don’t you do what other coaches do, who react quickly by setting up a low block and defending if they see a bad omen?

“Up until ten minutes into the second half we were playing great in Milan, so there was no reason to. In ten minutes we conceded three goals and the game turned into something that was unprecedented for us so far this season. So in that respect, I think we've always performed really well, but then we lost a few too many games, very often due to specific incidents. I mean, we’ve won a lot of games – 18, in fact. I believe the way to go is to win games. It would be nice not to lose but instead draw the ones you can't win. In that respect, that’s what Roma is like. That's my way of interpreting football, that's my way of - not by chance - achieving objectives.”

I wanted to propose a hypothetical situation. It may seem rather silly, but here we go: Roma achieve their objective, Gasperini stays, Roma don’t achieve their objective, Gasperini leaves. Does this way of thinking bother you, in the sense that if you achieve your goals you can stay, but if you don’t you have to leave?

“Who’s coming out with this, anyway? If the management does this then it makes sense. However, I don't know who... I'm all for free thought. Everyone, especially the fans, are really important and they’re free to express any kind of opinion. It’s a way of thinking and it’s fair enough – if you succeed, good, if you don’t then be on your way. I can't say that the owners told me to get us in the Champions League this season – it was me. So that’s all well and good.”

We’ve got seven games left of your first season as Roma coach. At what stage of your process are you at?

“I think the main objective is always trying to improve teams, to make them increasingly competitive. When teams are more competitive and in turn have a better chance of getting results, everything is fixed, everything works. Everything runs smoothly. That's the only thing I think about - how to make teams increasingly competitive. When you do that, everything in football works.”

Can we expect El Aynaoui to start against Pisa?

“He hasn't played much lately - not since the Africa Cup of Nations. I think he's had some difficulties – he was carrying something. However, he's a fit guy, as I've said many times. During a spell before the Africa Cup of Nations he was doing very well and was playing with great consistency. As of late, in the games he’s come on as a sub or has started he’s not done as well as he did in the past. That being said, he’s in good shape, so I'm confident he can still do well.”

Is there any player you consider indispensable?

“As I said before, I think in order for teams to always try to improve – and not before considering renouncing what you already have - you have to understand what you're putting in. This is always the focal point, right? We all want, I don't know, [Lionel] Messi, [Cristiano] Ronaldo or whoever, but then that aside, you always have to understand the bigger picture - the goal is to improve teams over time. 

“I think Roma – based on what I saw on Transfermarkt - have signed 30 players in the last two years. Out of these players maybe four or five are playing for the team right now, maybe fewer. If you ask me - and I don't think I'm blaming anyone, but it's my hunch - maybe there's a need for different transfer targets. It’s also because Roma has had big players and fantastic teams over the years. The fans know what a good team is because they’ve seen them with their own eyes. Maybe I'm more inclined to that kind of idea than just signing 30 players, but that's my point of view. People may not agree but I take no issue with that.”

What kind of players do you hope to find available to sign in the summer?

“This is a choice the club has to make, but there are many approaches. One way is to go for players with very big contracts, as has happened before, and perhaps the owners no longer have any intention of doing that. The other is to go for young players, which I don't know if a club like Roma can deal with. That’s because if you field so many young players, you'll probably also reduce the team's ambitions. 

“Then there’s the ideal target, with the right cost and the right wages. Is it easy? No, but it might be possible. If that’s your target, that’s what you work towards. And if you can find 10 of them, great. If you find two, you get two. That's how I see the situation. Then you have to get things done, but first you have to understand the path forward - I think that's the most important thing. Today I was really keen to try to clarify as much as possible, so that for the next seven you leave me alone on these matters. Outside of these press conferences I don't talk to you, which you’re aware of. You all have my number, but if you look there's not a single message from me, not a single phone call from me. Maybe from the first days I arrived here, from when we met, period. So, I have no more news to give you. I told you everything today, and then we'll see each other again next week, when there's another great match. Enough, I wanted to be as clear as possible, also to clear up all this gossip, and I hope I've said I've been clear enough. Now, for me, Pisa tomorrow is what’s happening, and the matter of playing and whether we manage to get a win. Tomorrow night, we'll be a bit happier.”