Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini says he is confident Paulo Dybala can recover in time to be included on the bench for the match against Cagliari at the Stadio Olimpico. Speaking at his press conference to preview the league fixture, Gasperini said: "The only possible one is Dybala's, but we'll see this afternoon. We'll try to get him onto the bench. I'm quite confident. Today is the first training session and it already feels like the eve of the match, I'll decide today. We'll probably rotate, but we'll see depending on the opponent." Roma drew at Napoli in their last outing, and Cagliari, coached by Pisacane, come to the capital after a defeat to Bologna.
Gasperini was also asked about Massimiliano Allegri's comment on Roma's big-match record. He said: "I didn't hear it, you reported it. 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 undoubtedly unfortunate. There's no need to add anything else." On the improvement in the team's level, he said: "It's continuous, the goal is always to get better. There's never a limit to that. 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 some players. The environment also pushes us to be brave and proactive."
On Matías Soulé, who has been described as a technical leader, Gasperini said: "Last year he had a stop because of his groin problem. This year he has restarted from where he left off last year's first half of the season. The other night was extraordinary, but so were the matches before it. He is 23 and sometimes we forget that. He has room to mature that can take him to be ever stronger. He is playing in several roles, including on the right, as a full-back, and the other night 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 hard to grow, and he has also been called up by Argentina."
On Lulli, Gasperini said: "We have players who are doing very well there. I'm happy for Lulli, he deserves it. Everyone's goal is to improve individually to make the team even stronger." On whether the team concedes too much in big matches, he said the attitude is always very positive, adding: "The goals are all different. In the ones against Real Madrid we were more at fault than in Anguissa's, who scored a wonder goal. We aren't machines, sometimes we make technical errors. The approach, however, is always positive. On set pieces we have been very solid apart from a few games. Opponents also matter. We have conceded to everyone." On Roma changing defenders during comebacks, he said: "A bit of both. With five substitutions it can happen that you change defenders because opponents bring on fresh and very strong players. Against Real, Hermoso marked Diomandé, then Vinicius and then Endrick. In that role you need fresh players. We also have a good tendency to score in defence, especially in the air. They are very effective. It's part of finding solutions during the match."
On the three draws in big matches, he said: "They were three different but good games. In all three we came out of them very well. I don't know if we deserved more, but certainly not less. We didn't win, but neither did the others. The path is definitely positive." On what is missing to win big matches, he said: "They are balanced games, where you play on the quality of finishing. In Naples we found ourselves 2-0 down but came back and had the confidence we could win. Then we thought we had lost it, and in the end we drew again. We must look at the 90 minutes. We had difficulties, but overall we came out of these matches very well. If I weigh up what we gave and what we got, we leave these games aware we played on an equal footing."
On injuries, Gasperini said Koné is unlikely to be available before the international break. Mile Svilar could return on Thursday or Friday, but with a doubt. He added: "We hope to have him for Manchester or for Sassuolo." On the squad's stretch without Svilar, Dybala, Koné and Pellegrini, he said: "We are holding up and getting results. When we are at full strength it is better, but over a season it will happen to the others too. It's because we play every three days. Playing this often brings injuries, you have to accept that." Asked about winning the ball back high up the pitch, he said: "We have been working on it for some time. It isn't always like that, but looking for the recovery even inside the opponent's box is a feature we have often put on the pitch."
Story Coverage2 sources on this story
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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