Gian Piero Gasperini says that the way Massimiliano Allegri’s outburst at the end of Roma’s 3-3 draw against Napoli was reported was ‘unfortunate’, and has provided injury updates on the likes of Paulo Dybala, Manu Kone and Mile Svilar ahead of his side’s upcoming test against Cagliari.
A full round of midweek Serie A fixtures is coming up over the next few days, beginning with Sassuolo vs. Lazio at 17.30 GMT on Tuesday. Roma will be in action at the Stadio Olimpico later on tomorrow evening, hosting Cagliari at 19.45 GMT.
It has only been a few days since Roma’s last Serie A match, which ended in a 3-3 draw against Napoli. Leonardo Balerdi’s late equaliser prompted a fiery reaction from Napoli head coach Massimiliano Allegri, who was sent off and has since been given a two-match ban for his actions.
Gasperini was asked for his take on the incident and his thoughts heading into Tuesday’s game against Cagliari at his pre-match press conference on Monday afternoon.
Gasperini’s pre-match press conference ahead of Roma vs. Cagliari
Gasperini began by confirming that there is a possibility of having star attacker Paulo Dybala back in the squad on Tuesday night.
“In terms of recovery, the only one that might be possible is Dybala, we’ll try things out this afternoon to see if we can have him with us on the bench. That in itself would be a positive. I have a lot of confidence.
“In terms of rotations, today is our first training session and it’s already the eve of the game, so I’ll have to decide today. Probably yes, but we’ll see based on our assessment of the opponent. We have a squad that is capable of rotating well.”
After Saturday’s dramatic 3-3 draw against Napoli, Allegri was heard sounding off in the tunnel, claiming ‘they put the Champions League in Roma’s pocket last season. It’s always them. I paid for it with Milan’.
Gasperini was asked if he’d heard those remarks and whether he had a response.
He replied: “I didn’t hear them, you reported them. The numbers are the sum of everything that we did last year. I didn’t read any comments about that, which was certainly unfortunate.”
Roma have now gone 15 matches unbeaten in Serie A, a run that dates back to a 5-2 defeat against Inter at the beginning of April.
“We have continuity and we have to move forwards,” Gasperini says. “Our goal is to continue improving and there’s never a limit. We’ve been able to repeat the things we want to do on the pitch which is bringing us results over time. We continue to go about matches in the same way. Our squad is growing and we have a club that pushes us to be proactive and courageous.”
What has Gasperini made of Soule’s development during his time at Roma?
He said: “Unfortunately he had a period where he had to stop because of pubaglia and lost a few months from that. This year he started where he left off. Saturday’s game was extraordinary. Sometimes you forget that he was born in 2003 and that at 23 years old, you still have a lot of room for improvement.
“What he’s done this year, playing in multiple roles on the right and the left but also sometimes as a central attacking midfielder, has been great. He’s losing the ball less, there are still a few things he can improve on, but he’s working hard to continue growing. He was called up by Argentina and that’s an encouraging sign.”
And what about Emanuele Lulli? Reports suggest that he is on the verge of signing a new long-term contract, but Gasperini doesn’t appear to ‘trust’ him in big Serie A or Champions League matches just yet.
“We have four players in that position who are doing well,” Gasperini argued. “Rensch is doing well, Wesley is a great player and Molina has put in some great performances. I’m happy for Lulli and he deserves everything he’s getting. The goal is for us to all grow individually.”
There were also injury updates on Manu Kone and goalkeeper Mile Svilar.
“Kone is unlikely to return before the break, but Svilar could return on Thursday or Friday and we could even have him back for next week. Maybe in Manchester, if not against Sassuolo in the last game before the break.”