Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini addressed the press at the Fulvio Bernardini training centre in Trigoria on Monday 26 October, two days ahead of Roma's Serie A ninth-round match against Cagliari, which kicks off on Tuesday 27 October at 20:45 at the Stadio Olimpico. The coach was speaking just over 48 hours after the dramatic 3-3 draw at the Maradona against Napoli. Paulo Dybala is the only possible returnee from injury and is close to being back in the squad, with Gasperini saying he has good confidence and will decide that afternoon whether Dybala goes on the bench. Rotations are probable, but will depend on the opponent. Cagliari are coached by Fabio Pisacane.
Gasperini also addressed the recent controversy with Massimiliano Allegri. Asked about the impact of Allegri's comment, he said: "I didn't hear it, you reported it and surely it was like that. There are the numbers, the testimonies, the data, on last year's matches. I haven't read a favourable comment on this observation, which was without doubt unfortunate. There's no need to add anything else." On the squad's progress, he said the improvement is continuous, adding: "We have reached a way of playing and facing matches that we can repeat over time. There is growth across the whole squad but also individually in many players. The environment also pushes us to be brave and proactive, to face the toughest matches and always do our part."
On Matías Soulé, who has been described as a technical leader, Gasperini said: "Unfortunately he had a stop for a groin problem. But this year he restarted from the first half of last season. The other evening he was extraordinary, but the previous ones were also of high level. He is 23 and sometimes we forget it. He still has margins of maturity in every aspect that can make him ever stronger. He is playing in several roles, even on the right, as a full-back, and the other evening he played as a trequartista and scored. He has an important maturity and confidence. He loses fewer balls but can still improve. He works very well to grow, and he was also called up with Argentina, which is another good sign."
On Lulli, who is close to a contract renewal, Gasperini said: "No, there we have four players doing very well. Rensch is doing very well, Molina has a very high performance level, Wesley is now a player of absolute value. I'm happy for Lulli, he deserves it. Everyone's goal is to improve individually to make the team even stronger." On conceding in big matches, he said: "Our attitude is always very positive. The goals are all different; in those against Real Madrid we were more at fault than in Anguissa's, who scored a masterpiece. We are not machines, sometimes we make technical errors. The approach however is always positive." He also praised the defensive set-piece work and said Hermoso had defended on Diomandé, Vinicius and then Endrick against Real. On the three draws in big matches, he said: "They were three different but good games. In all three we came out very well, we perhaps deserved more but certainly not less. We haven't won but neither have the others." On Napoli, he added: "We found ourselves 2-0 down but we came back and had the confidence we could win. Then we thought we had lost it and then we equalised again. We must look at the 90 minutes."
On injuries, Gasperini said Koné is unlikely to be available before the international break, while Svilar could return on Thursday or Friday but with doubts. He added: "We hope to have him for Manchester or for the last one against Sassuolo." He said the squad must focus on itself, noting the spell without Svilar and others such as Dybala, Koné and Pellegrini, and that the injuries are a consequence of playing every three days. Asked about regaining possession in the opponent's box, he said: "We have been working on it for a long time. It is not always like that, but looking for recovery even in the opponent's area is a characteristic we have often put on the pitch."
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Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini met the press at Trigoria on Monday 26 October, on the eve of Serie A's ninth-round match against Cagliari at the Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday 27 October. The main question was Paulo Dybala. Gasperini said he was "quite confident" the forward could be on the bench, with the final decision to be made that day, and that Roma would probably rotate depending on the opponent. Forza Roma reports that Dybala has returned to partial training after a small calf muscle injury, and that a bench role could come as early as Tuesday.
Gasperini called Massimiliano Allegri's recent remarks about Roma's big-match record "without doubt unfortunate," saying he had not heard the comment himself but had seen no favourable response to it. On injuries, he said Manu Koné is unlikely back before the international break, while Mile Svilar could return on Thursday or Friday but with a doubt. Gasperini hopes to have him for "Manchester or for Sassuolo," a line Forza Roma and GialloRossi both carry.
On conceding in big matches, GialloRossi quotes Gasperini saying Roma were "more to blame" for the goals against Real Madrid than for Anguissa's strike, which he described as a moment of brilliance. On the three draws, he said Roma "perhaps deserved more but certainly not less." GialloRossi adds that Gasperini named Rensch, Molina and Wesley when asked about Lulli, who is close to a contract renewal, a detail Forza Roma does not include. Forza Roma also reports Gasperini listing Dybala, Koné, Svilar and Pellegrini among the absentees behind the team's recent results.
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