Gasperini: ‘Roma showed our best and worst’ in 4-3 defeat to Bologna
Gian Piero Gasperini admits Roma showed ‘our best and worst’ in the Europa League exit to Bologna, but also pointed to the lack of alternatives. ‘I dreamed of repeating certain attacking situations’ from Atalanta.
The Giallorossi were always chasing this tie, both in the first leg that ended 1-1, then here coming back from 3-1 down to force extra time with goals from Evan Ndicka, Donyell Malen and Lorenzo Pellegrini.
It was ultimately decided by the fresh legs of Nicolò Cambiaghi, whose snooker shot finish sealed the 4-3 victory on the night for Bologna, 5-4 on aggregate.
Gasperini frustrated with Roma highs and lows
“It was certainly a fascinating match, naturally we leave it with great regret, because we saw us at our best and our worst tonight,” Gasperini told Sky Sport Italia.
“The best was almost the entire game, the worst was in the goals we conceded, which meant we were always chasing the comeback, despite doing some really good things. It’s a pity that after this performance, we also made these mistakes.”
The defensive errors saw Bologna surge into a 3-1 lead, although Gasperini reserved criticism also for Gianluca Mancini’s complaints after a tussle with Rowe for the opening goal.
“Mancini stayed down after a shirt tug, so Rowe was free to go forward. It was an anomalous situation, but unfortunately, we were naïve.”
Roma’s difficult spell therefore continues, as now they are without a win in five competitive games and slipped down from fourth to sixth in the Serie A table.
“When you reach this stage of the season, the levels go up, so does the pressure, and the fatigue makes itself felt too. This is a team that has spirit, because it conceded with a penalty just before half-time, it came back from 3-1 down, it felt like the momentum was behind us,” noted Gasperini.
“When you make mistakes like this, then you can lose games, that’s clear.”
Manu Koné went off injured in the opening minutes, yet Gasperini made only two substitutions in the 90 minutes, then four overall out of a possible six, because there is a bonus slot in extra time.
The options in attack were limited in the absence of Paulo Dybala, Matias Soulé, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson, while Lorenzo Venturino is not on the UEFA list.
“In extra time, there was some fatigue, but we couldn’t make changes. Bologna put on three quick and fresh strikers, so it was tough. Clearly, if you are missing four or five players all in the same section of the squad, you will suffer in the long run.
“Despite that, we have brought in an extraordinary Malen who has made our attacks a lot more dangerous. In the first half of the season, we found goals from various different players, but the lack of attacking options is something we’ve been carrying since the start of the season.”
Gasperini won the Europa League trophy with Atalanta, but has found the shift to Roma very different, including tension behind the scenes with the club forming this squad.
“I came to Roma with the dream of repeating certain attacking situations, but due to injuries or not being able to sign players with those characteristics, we never quite managed to recreate that. Nonetheless, my players have always put in so much effort, including tonight.
“Over the last week or so, against Como and Bologna, I cannot complain too much about my players, as they put in a strong performance.”
Another January signing made an impression this evening, as Robinio Vaz came off the bench and constantly troubled Jhon Lucumi, winning a penalty too.
“Undoubtedly, he is very young and a big investment, which weighs on him because of the expectations. He needs time to grow, but has vivacity and strength, he can be useful, but in order to aim higher, you need players with more experience and pedigree.”