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Gasperini reflects on Roma's victory at Torino
·14 September 2026·2h ago

Gasperini reflects on Roma's victory at Torino

Source: Forza Roma

Gian Piero Gasperini praised Roma's performance following their away win against Torino, highlighting the partnership between Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen as a defining strength. Speaking to DAZN after the match, the head coach emphasised the quality and complementarity of the two forwards: "The satisfaction is there from everyone, and it is beautiful for fans and those who love football to see two champions who can materialise practically every match with goalscoring situations and dangerous opportunities. Beyond being strong individually, they complete each other greatly, they have crucial combinations that they manage to turn into goals."

Gasperini explained his decision to substitute Malen during the match as part of a broader strategy to develop the squad. "We absolutely must grow the squad as much as possible," he said. "This was our third match in eight days, and especially the strikers, if they always play 90 minutes, cannot repeat themselves in every game. If we can spare them 20–30 minutes, they can play more matches in a week. We also have the necessity to have players grow who must become important in the wake of champions like Malen and Dybala. They must not only take the technical example but also one of temperament and desire to perform, desire to be decisive and protagonists. If we manage this, the squad becomes stronger."

On the nature of the victory, Gasperini noted it differed from Roma's three previous league wins through its tactical demands. "It is undoubted," he said. "Torino also made important changes tonight that raised the level of the game. We played an excellent first half, although in quality in the final 16–20 metres we could have done a bit better. We played a very good match, and then there is also the opponent who can change cards on the table with fresh and dangerous people. We had to live through temperament, perhaps being a bit less beautiful but always concrete and strong in defence. In the end we also doubled, but this is fundamental."

Gasperini compared defender Leonardo Balerdi to Franco Baresi, calling him "a strong defender, very strong. Certainly a modern defender, strong physically and fast. Without name-dropping someone, a central defender like that was Baresi. But without going to invoke him, for how he interprets the role with aggression and speed in recoveries plus participation in the game... Baresi was number 1 in absolute terms, nobody touches him, but as characteristics we are there." Looking ahead, Gasperini acknowledged Roma's upcoming fixture against Inter, recalling last season's encounters. "We have a few days," he said. "Last year there was a difference. On the return we took a bad thrashing but from there the true Roma was born. There was an escalation, not only of results but also of attitudes, behaviours and mentality. In the first match it was more contested, we conceded a goal early but perhaps we deserved something more. Inter is the team of reference in our league for everyone, it is a strong team and rightly indicated by all as the strongest. Although in my opinion Como are very close to them. It is also an opportunity for us to measure ourselves and do better than our recent matches."

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Story Coverage2 sources on this story

Roma secured an away victory against Torino in a performance that drew praise from head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. While Donyell Malen was named the match MVP, it was defender Leonardo Balerdi who earned particular commendation from his manager. Playing all 90 minutes, the Argentine centre-back made decisive interventions throughout and impressed Gasperini with his modern defensive approach.

In his post-match assessment, Gasperini offered an extraordinary compliment to Balerdi, drawing a comparison to Franco Baresi, one of Italian football's greatest defenders. "Balerdi is a strong defender, very strong," Gasperini said. "Physically strong and quick. Baresi was number one absolutely, no one touches that, but in terms of characteristics we are there." He highlighted Balerdi's aggression, speed in recoveries, and participation in the game as hallmarks of his interpretation of the role. Gasperini also praised the partnership between Paulo Dybala and Malen, noting their complementary strengths and ability to create and convert chances consistently.

Discussing his substitution of Malen during the match, Gasperini emphasised squad development and rotation. With three matches in eight days, the coach explained that protecting strikers from full 90-minute outings allows other players to gain crucial experience alongside established champions. Looking ahead to an upcoming fixture against Inter, Gasperini acknowledged the challenge while reflecting on last season's encounters, describing Inter as the league's reference team and noting that such matches provide opportunities for Roma to measure progress and improvement.

AI synthesis of all sources below — always check the originals.

Testo Originale / Source Text

Gian Piero Gasperini ha parlato ai microfoni di Dazn al termine del match vinto in trasferta contro il Torino. Queste le sue parole: La Dybalen è nata proprio qui 8 mesi fa: nella sua testa che emozioni ci sono e quanta soddisfazione c'è per il percorso fatto finora? "La soddisfazione c'è da parte…

Read the full article in Italian at Forza Roma.

Read original on Forza Roma

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