Rome: Gian Piero Gasperini loses his temper in the press room: “Stop it!”
On the eve of the match against Torino, Gian Piero Gasperini praises Malen: “It’s hard to believe these extraordinary, out-of-the-ordinary numbers. He’s done something special, consistently. These numbers are extraordinary also because of how they were achieved. Of course, I knew he could become important for us, but we’ve gone beyond that. Mora? I see a very talented player; he’s very young and deserves consideration. He still needs to develop physically and tactically. He just arrived, but based on what he’s shown so far, he’s a top-tier young player. I don’t think there are any young players in the world right now who are playing a more prominent role than he is.”
However, another question about the defense caused the Roma coach to lose his temper: “Stop with this hierarchy talk—it makes no sense for the team. They’re all important players—Ghilardi has developed, Koulierakis has arrived, and we already knew Balerdi was a top-tier player. If we start talking about hierarchies, it doesn’t work. In teams that compete in the Champions League, everyone’s a starter; otherwise, it just leads to controversy. We need to have a solid group like the one we have, always placing our trust in each player. There’s no single standard for managing periods packed with matches. We’re kind of playing it by ear; the days between matches will become fewer after the break. Generally, what I do is choose a player when he’s in good form and wait for those who need to recover. We all go through cycles; we have to make the most of one player or another at any given moment. Everyone is reliable; we never rule anyone out just because one player starts over another—otherwise, we’d get caught up in a never-ending cycle of controversy.”
On De Roon: “He’s a player who, for years, has carried Atalanta’s name to the top of the world stage, achieving something extraordinary. Now he’s with us, and we’re lucky to have him—unfortunately, it wasn’t his choice. It wasn’t part of Atalanta’s plans, so what was he supposed to do? Stop playing for other clubs altogether? I’m glad he’s here with us; he’ll be incredibly important. He’s not just a small flag but a banner stretching across the entire stands for that team and that city. He’s getting into better shape now and will be important for us.”
On Dybala: “If he’s healthy, he always plays—there’s no doubt about it. If a player is healthy, he plays; if he needs rest, then it’s only right that he gets some time off. Tomorrow we’ll face a determined team, and if you’re not at your best—in Italy as well as in Europe—you can’t assume you’ll win. And in Turin, we’ll need a great game to pull it off, as always. The only thing we have to do is forget about the last game we played.”
