Gian Piero Gasperini praised his squad's character after Roma bounced back from their midweek defeat to Real Madrid with a win over Genoa, making seven changes to the side. Speaking to Sky Sport, the head coach said the team had unlocked the game with a fantastic move, adding: "I wasn't in any doubt about this. I know this group well, and I know that from a character point of view it is extraordinary, but the match was not easy. We unlocked it with this fantastic move. I perceived it from the bench, but it is even more beautiful like this. The second half was certainly of value. The first half was in difficulty, even on these long balls, which was not easy to manage. Then we came out well."
Roma's response follows the same pattern as last year, when a defeat was answered by a reaction from the group. Gasperini noted that a year ago at this stage Roma had 1-0 wins, while today they have 17 points against 15 a year ago. Goals scored have risen from 7 to 16. Donyell Malen is part of the explanation, but not the only one. Gasperini said: "Well, it was not easy. Last year I had just arrived, and we have made progress in the meantime. Malen was not there, and Dybala was very little there. Now we have greater knowledge. It has been 15-16 months, and we have accumulated matches and satisfactions. We have a goalscoring ease that we did not have last year, and I have to say our goals are generally of excellent quality, like those tonight. Mora, who is not a giant, came close to scoring with a header. We have assimilated many situations and many possibilities to reach the net."
Asked whether the Genoa game would be harder after the Real Madrid match, Gasperini said: "Both things. Losing in that way was devastating. We put in a performance of real value, we thoroughly deserved the result, the chances and the quality of our play. We made it complicated for ourselves in seven minutes with three corners that were the product of nothing, against a team that was in great difficulty and no longer creating anything. That gave us an enormous amount of irritation. I had no doubt we would react like this, even with so many absences. I deliberately chose to change a lot. These players had energy about them, and many of them experienced the Real match from the bench, so from that point of view I was sure we would not fail. Then there was Genoa to face, who certainly do not have Real's champions but who posed us problems tactically. In the second half we understood better how to deal with this team."
Gasperini added that the response was important for younger players who had not had much playing time until now. He said: "Very much so. It was a difficult match, especially in the first half, then in the second we understood how we had to play them. With so many absences but also so many very young players of value, I knew that in terms of the response we would not fail."
On Castro, who could replace Malen not only when forced but in other circumstances, Gasperini said: "Absolutely yes, there may also be occasions when they can play together. He is a player I have always counted on a lot, we have always been convinced of him. He has great margins, he has extraordinary skills. He will give us a big hand."
Asked about the difficulty of managing a period like this, with matches so close together and all so important, Gasperini said: "First, there is one exception to make immediately: it was not nine starters out. Those who played tonight are part of the Roma squad, and they all know very well that their minutes will be very high in the end. This was the third match in seven days. We need everyone to feel like a starter. Everyone will play a lot."
