Gasperini: ‘Roma would have more points if Malen arrived earlier’

Gian Piero Gasperini insists Roma ‘would have a few more points’ if Donyell Malen had arrived earlier in the season, as they have ‘regrets’ at a 2-2 draw with Napoli.

The Giallorossi had hoped they would break their drought of wins in big games, and had twice gone in front with goals from Malen, who has now scored five goals in his first four Serie A games.

However, Napoli fought back both times with a deflected Leonardo Spinazzola strike from distance, and Alisson Santos drilling in from the edge of the area.

Gasperini: ‘Malen ideal striker for Roma’

“We often end these games with young lads who need to grow, gain experience and character. These are fundamental minutes in matches where we need fresh legs, which the younger players do have, but it also means missing out on experience,” Gasperini told DAZN Italia.

The January transfer window has certainly changed the options available for Roma, as this evening Malen scored twice, including on an assist from Bryan Zaragoza making his first start for the club.

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Napoli 2-2 Roma

“I have always been convinced Malen has the ideal characteristics for my style of football, as he is a complete striker, he can get shots away quickly, is fast, can combine with his teammates. This is a side that needs a striker like him, who is scoring frequently also because we put him in a position to be consistently dangerous.

“He’s only been with us for five games, so we can keep improving I feel, especially if we get Dybala, Soulé or El Shaarawy back to full fitness, we can be more competitive.”

Paulo Dybala, Manu Kone, Artem Dovbyk, Evan Ferguson and Stephan El Shaarawy didn’t make the trip, with Matias Soulé and Mario Hermoso not fully fit.

Wesley was seen limping badly and with an ice pack strapped to his left ankle after winning the penalty from Amir Rrahmani, but it was Malen who stepped up, despite not taking many spot-kicks in his career.

“It was a very important penalty, but I had seen him in training, he takes good free kicks as well as penalties. Milinkovic-Savic has saved a lot of penalties, so it was tough, but he hit it hard and precise. Well done,” revealed Gasperini.

This result means both Napoli and Roma surge ahead of Juventus in the standings, now sitting third and fourth, despite not managing to win a single head-to-head clash.

“We’ve had a positive attitude throughout the season, which is why we are fourth in the table. I am not afraid to say that if we’d had Malen in the first half of the season, we’d have a few more points right now, but the overall approach has always been the same,” added Gasperini.

“We went very close to results against the big teams and stumbled at the last hurdle in many of them. It has been better in the second half of the campaign, because we held Milan and now Napoli to draws, leaving both games with regrets that we came so close to victory.”