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Gasperini: standards rise daily, scudetto talk premature before 20 matches
·17 September 2026·45d ago

Gasperini: standards rise daily, scudetto talk premature before 20 matches

Source: Forza Roma

Gian Piero Gasperini has praised Roma's start to the 2026-27 season after four straight victories, crediting preparation and familiarity for the strong opening. "I hoped for it rather than expected it," he said. "We had the conviction of good training behind us, and a squad that started with an advantage compared to the start of last season: we've been together longer, we know each other better, we've already assimilated many things."

Gasperini highlighted the club's unity between environment, squad, supporters and hierarchy as Roma's greatest strength. He explained how the younger players—Lulli, Pisilli and Ghilardi among them—drive improvement through their hunger to learn despite playing in Serie A at a very young age, while established figures like Balerdi set a professional standard. He noted that the defensive solidity on display contradicts his reputation for attacking football, but attributed this to balance rather than a change of philosophy. Roma's return to the Champions League after seven years, he added, exposes the team to Europe's best sides and accelerates their growth.

On the striking partnership of Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen, Gasperini said: "Perhaps it's the fact that they are complementary—their characteristics fit well together. Dybala has the capacity to read Malen's movement even when he seems not to be looking at him, and the quality with which he serves him is remarkable. Malen for his part has an extraordinary capacity to turn into goals actions that seem simple but are not. It's a combination that works." He drew comparison between Balerdi and Franco Baresi, explaining: "With Balerdi I said Baresi, because by characteristics—obviously not by absolute level—Balerdi reminds me of Franco: the speed with which Baresi went to recover certain danger situations, the intensity with which he went into challenges, the security with which he set up play... It's in this mix of modernity and ancient qualities that I see the similarity."

When asked about scudetto expectations after four games, Gasperini was cautious. "The reality is that objectives can only be discussed after about twenty matches," he said. "Setting them after four or five games makes no sense. Of course we have confidence, of course we want to be high in the table, but right now this is the only concrete objective."

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Gian Piero Gasperini has tempered expectations around Roma's title credentials despite an impressive four-game winning streak to start the 2026-27 season. Speaking to Sky Sport, the head coach stressed that meaningful championship objectives can only be assessed after approximately twenty matches, not after four or five games. "The bar does not rise by setting objectives that are more or less achievable: it rises by improving every day," Gasperini explained, emphasizing that daily improvement matters more than public declarations of ambition.

Gasperini credited Roma's strong opening to squad familiarity and thorough pre-season preparation. The group benefits from having trained together longer than in the previous campaign and from having already assimilated tactical concepts. He singled out summer recruit Leonardo Balerdi as having made an immediately positive impact despite only partial preparation with the squad, describing him as a professional who arrived in shape and ready to contribute. Among younger players—Emanuele Lulli, Niccolò Pisilli, and Daniele Ghilardi—Gasperini highlighted their hunger to improve despite their youth and status as Serie A regulars. On the attacking partnership of Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen, he praised their complementary characteristics, noting Dybala's capacity to read Malen's movements and serve him with remarkable quality, while Malen converts seemingly simple chances into goals. Looking ahead, Gasperini identified upcoming fixtures against Inter and Real Madrid as opportunities to gauge the squad's true level, while also acknowledging Como as performing among the championship's best sides.

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Testo Originale / Source Text

“Si aspettava un avvio convincente con 4 vittorie in 4 giornate? E quanto conta questo percorso a livello mentale, dove pensa che possa migliorare ancora la sua Roma? “Me lo auguravo, più che aspettarmelo. D’altronde avevamo la convinzione di avere alle spalle un buon rodaggio, e una squadra che…”

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