Gasperini on Roma ambitions: 'We would not mind bringing the Scudetto forward'

José Mourinho will return to the Olimpico as an opponent for the first time since his dismissal from Roma, with the reunion set for next week. The Real Madrid manager, now in his current role, gave an interview to Corriere dello Sport in which he reflected on his bond with Roma and what to expect when he faces his former club. Mourinho emphasized the pain of his Roma exit but said he has maintained respect for the institution. "You know how much it hurt me to leave Roma, but there is not a word from me against the club or the ownership," he said. "I leave cleanly. It may not seem like it, but I am a very educated person and I leave with the feeling that Roma will always be my home. And that has been the case at Madrid too." He compared his connection to Roma with few others in his managerial career, drawing parallels only with his earlier relationship at the club. "The day I arrived I saw 1,000 people. I didn't understand why—I hadn't done anything yet. I didn't think I deserved it, but that is Rome and I understood it afterwards. Our relationship is special because they understood that I didn't care about my image or my relationships with Italian football politics, the press or the ownership. I only cared about what was good for Roma and the Romanisti. I fought for them, I gave everything." Mourinho credited the 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League triumph—Roma's first major trophy in two decades—as the peak of his connection with the supporters. "We won a cup that means a lot to a club that hadn't won so much," he said. He also referenced the aftermath of the final in Budapest and subsequent disciplinary action from UEFA, noting: "When the final ended, I go on holiday and when I return I'm already dead for what UEFA made me pay. What happened to Taylor at the airport is not my responsibility—it's the insults in the garage and I should only pay for that. And I paid for this in the relationship with Roma's ownership since they had a different approach. At that moment I was already out." When asked whether he felt the same affection for Francesco Totti, Mourinho said: "Francesco is untouchable. I will always be behind him. Roma has a beautiful history with historic players; I also think of Bruno Conti, whom I love." On the atmosphere he expects to encounter, Mourinho said: "I don't expect anything. I expect only respect and that's it. I haven't yet started preparing for that match—neither as a manager nor as an old boy coming home. I haven't thought about this yet. I have to defend myself and prepare to do my job well, and to do that I need to try to forget where I am and against whom I'm playing. I did this with Inter or Chelsea. At Roma it never happened to me, and I must say it will be different. I will take the road that leads to the Olimpico as an opponent. It will be the first time I go there without the passion of the Romanisti fans. And I will have to prepare my players for this."

Italy Under-21 coach Silvio Baldini has credited playing time at club level as the foundation for young players' development into the senior national team, citing Niccolò Pisilli as a prime example. Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Baldini reflected on Pisilli's trajectory: "I think of Pisilli at the start of last year, when he wasn't playing at Roma. Then he was used and arrived in the senior national team. If these boys don't play, they don't progress. Talent must not be imprisoned by tactics." Pisilli, a Roma academy product, has emerged as a key figure in Baldini's Under-21 squad. The coach praised the overall quality of his group, asserting that many are ready for the step up to senior football. Baldini stated: "Eleven or 12 of them are absolutely ready for the senior national team, all it takes is selection. I don't choose—for me they're like my own children."

Gian Piero Gasperini has outlined Roma's ambition to win the Serie A title within three years, but stressed the club would be open to accelerating that timeline. Speaking to Corriere della Sera from his wine business, the Roma head coach explained his footballing philosophy through the lens of his new wine label "3-4-3", emphasizing that numbers matter less than collective effort. "The fundamental aspect is playing as a team: believing in collective work, where attackers defend and defenders attack," Gasperini said. "In football, as in wine, nothing is invented. It is team spirit that creates the difference. You need application and altruism." Gasperini reflected on his managerial journey, including difficult moments that tested his conviction in his methods. He acknowledged the Inter dismissal as perhaps his lowest point but credited Atalanta's sustained faith in him, even during periods without results, as crucial to his resilience. His relationship with Bergamo remains profound—he described it as "the longest and most intense stage of my existence as a football wanderer" and noted he retains his home there, suggesting an openness to the club's future. He candidly discussed the adjustment to Rome, joking about struggling with the local cuisine: "The biggest problem is its food. I have to be careful with carbonara, I'm getting too fat." On Roma's title ambitions, Gasperini stated: "Our plan was to arrive there in three years. We wouldn't mind moving it forward. But we are aware the road is long. In football there are no straight roads or clear paths. There will be ups and downs. If we manage them, who knows..." He left the door open on a potential return to Atalanta, saying: "Who can rule it out? One thing is certain. I didn't sell my house in Bergamo."