Gasperini: ‘Roma better than expected, but will be a battle to the end’
Gian Piero Gasperini didn’t expect his first Roma season to ‘go quite this well’ after catching Napoli in third, but warns the Champions League places ‘will be a battle to the end.’
The Giallorossi knew that other results had definitely gone their way this weekend, as Napoli, Milan and Juventus all lost, even if that allowed Como and Atalanta to close up towards the top five.
They took almost an hour to break Cremonese down at the Stadio Olimpico, eventually thanking two corners with a Bryan Cristante header and his flick on for Evan N’Dicka, before Niccolò Pisilli sealed the 3-0 result.
Gasperini surprised by Roma growth
“We struggled in the first half, it wasn’t easy to break them down in the final third, but then we moved Cristante closer to Malen, scored on a corner, and it opened the floodgates,” Gasperini told DAZN Italia.
“I hoped that things would go well here. When I saw the reaction from these lads in the first few training sessions, I was convinced we’d do really well. Maybe not quite this well, but the spirit from the first days was ambitious, solid, and with many young players who are growing.
“Lads like Pisilli, Venturino, Ghilardi and Ziolkowski are maturing well, it’s very satisfying to see.”
Roma had not scored from a corner since the game against Lecce, when it was scored by Artem Dovbyk on January 6.
“Cristante had scored like that against Fiorentina, he has goals from set plays in his capabilities, we tend to alternate the movements on these dead ball situations. Apart from taking the kicks well today, I think we moved well too and created the space.
“I see a lot of teams getting goals from set plays this season, we were a bit behind, but caught up with two tonight.”
This victory was also achieved without injured Paulo Dybala, Matias Soulé, Artem Dovbyk, Evan Ferguson and Stephan El Shaarawy.
Mario Hermoso also pulled out in the warm-up with a muscular problem, replaced at the last minute by Daniele Ghilardi.
“I am fortunate to have a lot of senior players who helped me so much at the start, inspiring everyone else. They’ve been great professionals, the new arrivals also settled in well. Undoubtedly, it was a very positive atmosphere before I arrived, as Claudio Ranieri created the right situation here.”
Roma are now in joint third place with Napoli and extend their advantage over Juventus in fifth place to four points, a precious cushion considering they go head-to-head with the Old Lady next weekend.
“Sunday will be a very important game, a win would be a big step forward. However, with my experience at Atalanta and qualifying five times in seven years for the Champions League, we pretty much always decided it in the final couple of rounds,” insisted Gasperini.
“There are teams coming up behind us too, like Atalanta and Como, so it will be a battle to the very end. This evening’s victory was necessary to give us a small advantage going into the next few weeks, which could yet prove decisive.”