The words of the Giallorossi coach: “We need to win. Dybala is a player of the highest level, Ferguson must be hungrier. Pisilli’s departure is not an option now”
Editorial team
December 28, 2025 (modified December 28, 2025 | 2.36 pm)
Tomorrow at 8.45pm Roma by Gian Piero Gasperini hosts the Genoa all’Olympic in the postponement of the 17th matchday of Serie A. The Giallorossi want to return to success after last week’s away defeat against Juventus and close a calendar year with the Scudetto in the best possible way. In front of a Griffin that with the arrival of the ex De Rossi he changed gear, but is coming off two knockouts. On the eve of the race, Gasp speaks in press conference to present the last race of 2025.
GASPERINI AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE
Apart from Bailey, is everyone available? In what condition does Dovbyk arrive? “Dovbyk is not ready yet, he will not be called up. Let’s hope it will be the following week, he is training and preparing but is not yet able to kick and therefore play. The week was a bit interrupted by Christmas, but we were able to work even with some flu around. The biggest difficulty is Hermoso, we need to understand in view of tomorrow: he has this form of pubalgia and we need to understand whether he can play tomorrow or not“.
What memories do you have of the two adventures at Genoa? What do you think of Frendrup, who seems like you might like him too? “It’s not just Frendrup, Genoa always has young players and important players in its ranks that it values and then sells, in the nature of the club. This year too there are some excellent young players who are doing well. My experience was long, 8 years divided into two circumstances, one of 5 and one of 3. They were 8 beautiful years. Genoa is home for me, it is an important piece of memory in my life. I arrived in B in a team that came from C, in two years we went to Europe. In particular, I had a great relationship with the President. When I returned the company was in difficulty and we returned to Europe in the second year. There is a great bond with a very passionate fan base, warm and attached to the team, an added value especially at home. It’s a nice place to play football“.
Does Pellegrini’s injury create further urgency on the transfer market? Do you expect any grafts in the first days of January? “I don’t know, I don’t know the timing of the market. It’s certainly a loss for us, he’s a player we’ve counted on a lot even if he’s had a bit of a decline in recent games. He made truly important performances. Unfortunately, injuries happen, that’s what we feared. From tomorrow to January 29th we will play 9 matches in a month, all very important. The two players in the Africa Cup of Nations, Dovbyk, Pellegrini, Bailey, Hermoso… you have to tighten up a lot and get the maximum and the best from everyone“.
Is Dybala’s choice as center forward dictated by the shortcomings of others or is it a solution he arrived at by changing his mind compared to his initial ideas? “Sometimes it was the only solution, but he can do that role very well. When he has some physical difficulties, as unfortunately we have found in this period, playing attacking midfielder is even worse. I have always hoped and counted on him, I know that if Dybala is well the value of the team increases and the consideration of the attack increases. We had a good period, then another relapse and maybe a less than optimal condition. I insist on him because I realize that he has qualities which, if brought to the best condition, can give us a further advantage“.
Are Roma’s limitations just technical or is there something missing in their attitude and mentality? “No, in that respect Roma have nothing to envy of anyone and, indeed, perhaps they have something more. The match against Juventus also demonstrated this, both in the first half and at the end of the match when he tried to recover the result. In terms of attitude and behaviour, Roma have always been top“.
Was there a need for clarification with Ferguson after Juve? Have you asked to stop the loan? Does Dybala have any chance tomorrow or his whole life? “I have already explained that Dybala is a very high level player, if brought into good condition… I confirm that Dybala is a high level player, my goal is to get him well and in the best condition. But not only towards Ferguson: it becomes difficult to find another player of these qualities. Then if there are problems he cannot achieve a certain performance. If we have to choose between this type of player and another, I will choose Dybala for life. It wasn’t a Ferguson thing. Ferguson has to do a good thing: he is 21 years old, he is very young, compared to Dybala he must not put it on a technical level, because the comparison is unthinkable, but on the level of will, of hunger, of the desire to get there, trying to steal his place with weapons more congenial to him. I understand that sometimes it’s hard to tell things apart, but that’s the way it is. The transfer market will start on the 3rd, then we’ll see. I don’t want to go back to July and August, tomorrow we have to play Genoa and it’s a tough game“.
What did you notice that De Rossi gave to Genoa? And what worries you? “He gave courage, which is a great skill for coaches and in general. The team recovered in Cagliari and drew 2-2 against Fiorentina, they played a game of great courage against Atalanta playing with 10 men for the entire match. This is a nice skill. Although the ranking is difficult for Genoa, I am convinced that tomorrow we will have to scrape the barrel to find and deploy the best resources to win the match. We absolutely need to win, especially right now“.
Do you agree with Chivu when he says that talking about the transfer market is a lack of respect towards his players? Does the market influence your choices in the field? “No, also because we are so correct that we struggle to get the wrong formation. The market affects everyone, it is not respectful to those who are giving everything for this team. But it conditions, because there is not only the team, the fans, the coach, but also the whole world around the players that conditions and influences them. This runs the risk of taking away a bit of focus at this moment, where points count. This is a situation that lasts too long on the market, we coaches are against letting it last that long. We talk more about the market than the matches and the coaches don’t like this“.
Is there a coexistence problem between Dybala and Soulé? “In this team the mainstay was Soulé, then Pellegrini played a lot. The others are more or less evenly divided between Dybala, Dovbyk, Ferguson, Baldanzi, a little El Shaarawy. It’s not a given that playing the initial 50 minutes is better than playing the following 40 minutes. We produced fewer goals than was necessary, which has been the critical point since the start of preparation. Compared to last year, the team lost Shomurodov and Saelemaekers and Bailey and Ferguson arrived: Bailey due to injuries, Ferguson made his contribution. A team that already had some problems ended up accentuating them. They were all very good at managing to bring Roma so high despite this situation and maintaining Roma so high in the standings until now. We intend to continue, then if something happens… I have never believed much in the January transfer market, even if players arrive it takes time to integrate them. I rely heavily on those who are there“.
Koné is still missing something in the offensive phase: have you talked about it with him? Are you trying to improve this fundamental? “You always have to try to improve yourself and do something more, but sometimes you also have to focus on what you have and I don’t know what’s missing. By always saying what is missing, you run the risk of losing what you have. And this applies to all things. Then everyone has their own characteristics, but personally I think that Koné didn’t do well, more. Then everything can be improved“.
Could this also be Pisilli’s match? Could he possibly look for minutes away from Rome, perhaps at Genoa himself? “I already had my say two weeks ago. He’s a very, very interesting and good guy, even in the immediate future and not just in perspective. He found little space in Roma due to the performances of Cristante, Koné and El Aynaoui. I have a lot of regard for Pisilli. Like all young players, it would be better for him to play more. If he could do it in Roma I would be happy, and I hope he can do it in Roma. And in any case, at the moment, we have three midfielders: his removal is absolutely not a possibility“.
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