Il monday night Roma-Genoa is approaching. And the emergency in attack and defense continues for the Giallorossi. He confirmed it Gasperini at the press conference: “Dovbyk is not ready yet and will not be called up, we hope he will be ready for the following week. He is not yet able to kick. This week we have been able to work, even if some have had the flu. The biggest difficulty is that of Hermoso, we have to understand for tomorrow: he has a form of groin pain and it needs to be understood whether he can play or not.” The coach does not go into detail on questions regarding the market: “I don’t know, I don’t know the timing of the transfer market. Pellegrini is definitely a loss for us, he is a player who has done well despite the decline in the last few games. Unfortunately these injuries happen. Now there will be 9 important games in a month and having two players in the Africa Cup of Nations and the injuries of Dovbyk, Hermoso, Pellegrini and Bailey we have to grit our teeth and get the most out of everyone”.
Gasperini between Dybala and Ferguson
Dybala, therefore, could play a false nine: “Sometimes it was the only solution, but he can do that role very well. When he has some physical difficulties playing as an attacking midfielder is even worse. I have always hoped and counted on him because I know that if he is well the value of the team increases. We had a good period, then another setback and a less than optimal condition. The fact that we often insist on him is because he has a quality which, if brought to better physical conditions, can give us an advantage”. And then it’s always there the Ferguson card, targeted by the coach: “Dybala is a player of the highest level, and the discussion was about him. The choice of Dybala and not Ferguson arises from the fact that Dybala is a superior quality player. When he is well, clearly the first objective is to get him to feel good and find the best set-up. It’s not a direct comparison with Ferguson: it becomes difficult to find another player of this quality. Then, if there are other problems, unfortunately there don’t seem to be any immediate solutions. It was therefore not an anti-Ferguson speech. If Ferguson wants to take a step forward, considering that he is 21 years old and very young, he must not put it so much on the technical level, where the comparison is unthinkable, but on that of will, of hunger, of the desire to arrive, to understand where he is and perhaps to take his place with these weapons, which are more congenial than those of Dybala. I understand that sometimes it’s hard to tell things apart, but that’s the way it is. For the rest, the market will start shortly and we’ll see. I don’t want to go back to July and August, when we have already avoided talking about the transfer market. Tomorrow we have to play against Genoa, a tough match.”
On De Rossi’s Genoa
Gasperini does not think that Roma have limits: “No, in that respect Roma have nothing to envy of anyone. Indeed, perhaps they have something more and the match against Juventus also demonstrated this. In the first half and at the end we tried to recover the result. In terms of attitude and behaviour, Roma have always been top up until now.” IIt’s impossible not to talk about De Rossiwho will return to the Olimpico as Genoa coach: “He gave courage to the team, which is a great quality. He drew against Cagliari and Fiorentina, he had great courage against Atalanta. The league table is difficult for Genoa, but I am convinced that tomorrow we will have to scrape the barrel to put the best resources on the field to win the match. Because we absolutely need it”. Gasperini is also a great ex: “Genoa has many important players, not just Frendrup, and this year too there are interesting young people that the club is promoting following its philosophy. My experience at Genoa was very long, they were 8 wonderful years. Genoa is a piece of memory in my life. I have a great bond with the fans, they are very warm and passionate and in home games it is an added value. It is a beautiful place to play football.”
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