Gasperini: ‘Malen will score ton of Roma goals, he’s in the Vialli mould’

Gian Piero Gasperini cannot hide his joy at Donyell Malen’s arrival for Roma after the brace to beat Cagliari. ‘He is in the Gianluca Vialli mould, he will score a ton of goals.’

The Giallorossi knew that this was a big opportunity to recapture fourth place after Juventus were held to a 2-2 draw by Lazio last night.

They certainly took it, as Malen bagged a goal either side of half-time to secure the 2-0 victory, beating a Cagliari side who were coming off three consecutive wins, yet had just one shot on target.

Gasperini feels Malen brings ‘vast repertoire’ to Roma

“Undoubtedly it was a very good performance, the first half especially was played at a strong tempo,” Gasperini told Sky Sport Italia.

“We were coming off a defeat to Udinese, but the team showed great strength of character to react to those difficulties, and also played some very good football. It’s a pity we didn’t score more goals, as it left the game somewhat open, but it was good.”

Malen really was the striker that the coach had been looking for, having criticised the movements of Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson, which the former Aston Villa man seems to already understand so well.

“I am convinced he will score a ton of goals this season, so we must know how to give him the right service for his characteristics. We’ve got quality in the attack that is difficult to contain now, as he has a vast repertoire,” smiled Gasperini.

In the post-match interview, Malen had been asked if he wanted to follow in the footsteps of Serie A’s ultimate Dutch legend Marco van Basten, and blushed at the comparison.

“Van Basten was physically very different too, but I do see more similarities with Vialli, in his power, the movement to shake off markers, diagonal runs attacking the space, there is something in the Vialli mould,” insisted Gasperini.

There was also a debut for January signing Bryan Zaragoza, who seemed considerably more impressive going forward than when defending.

Now that the transfer window has closed, did Gasperini get all the characteristics he was looking for to challenge the others in the fight for the top four?

“We always try to be up to the standards of our rivals. We have caught Juventus, while Napoli and Milan are there, Inter have gone by now I think, Atalanta and Como are not far behind us. If we are up there after 24 rounds, that is important, but we want to keep growing in attack.

“The arrival of Malen certainly gives us much more. Now we hope to get some of the players back from injury, but it’s undeniable you need a prolific and efficient set of forwards, otherwise you will not achieve the prestigious targets.”

Cagliari only really threatened Roma with the attacks of wing-back Marco Palestra, who Gasperini had launched into the Atalanta squad last season.

“Palestra was born in 2005, so he’s a kid, but already a top player. We started training him with the youth team at the age of 17, but seeing as Atalanta had an Under-23 team set up by then, and we had a lot of alternatives in the role, he played for them.

“He played a bit in Serie A and the Champions League last season, so it helped, but he is now really flourishing at a young age.”

In an unusually good mood, this was also a rare match without a single VAR intervention.

“It was wonderful, it’s the best! It means everything went smoothly, we didn’t see a lot of stoppages either, so we got to see more football. When the referee sees it all and is able to judge without cameras, that’s the perfect match.”