“Dybala won’t be involved against Cremonese. He’s continuing his treatment and I’m really sorry for him, as I am for the others who are working to get back. He’s doing everything he can to make himself available but he still has this niggle that’s holding him back. He’s fully determined to recover as quickly as possible.”
“Soule hasn’t trained all week so he won’t be involved. Hopefully he’ll make it for our upcoming games.”
Those were the unfortunate updates on Roma’s two creative attacking midfielders heading into Sunday’s match against Cremonese at the Olimpico. That will open space for Lorenzo Pellegrini and Bryan Zaragoza to support Donyell Malen. And Gasperini was asked about the room for improvement for those two.
“I’d say so, definitely. Pellegrini has been playing regularly but it can happen that you experience a dip in form and lose a bit of sharpness. However, I expect him to start playing a decisive role again, starting with this game against Cremonese. He’s always made a big, consistent contribution to the team.
“As for Zaragoza, we need to give him a bit of time. He hasn’t been here long and we threw him straight in, giving him playing time and responsibility. He has some very good qualities and he’s already shown a bit of what he can do, but it takes a few games to properly adapt to the team and to become consistent.”
And speaking of Malen, Gasperini touched on what has made him such an instant success with Roma after being on the margins at Aston Villa.
“I don’t think Serie A is inferior; in fact, in many ways it’s more difficult, especially for forwards. Malen is an Aston Villa player and plays for the Netherlands so he’s an important player. When we signed him I said that I was convinced about his quality and the main reason I wanted him at Roma was because of his position. I told him very clearly: I think you should play in that position. He was often used on the wing in a 4-2-3-1 and ended up out wide, both in England and for his national team. I see him in that central role, where I think he can be decisive. A centre-forward doesn’t necessarily have to be one metre 90. The way I want to play football, with the attributes he has, I think he can perform at his best in that position. He can play in other positions too but I think this is his natural role.”
In addition to Soulé and Dovbyk, Roma will also be without Evan Ferguson, Artem Dovbyk, and Stephan Elk Shaarawy, leaving the attacking options behind Malen, Zaragoza, and Pellegrini limited. In his presser, Gasperini addressed the injury issues and spoke about the youngsters Robinio Vaz and Lorenzo Venturino, who are the main attacking options off the bench.
“Injuries are part of the game and always have been. It’s even more the case nowadays because there are lots of matches and that’s when most injuries happen. Games are played at a very high tempo and it’s not always possible to fully recover between one game and the next. As for us, I have 14 or 15 players who have basically never been injured – touch wood – but there have been situations that have had a big impact: [Artem] Dovbyk, [Evan] Ferguson, [Leon] Bailey, Dybala, [Stephan] El Shaarawy and others. They’ve been sidelined for long periods. When you add up the matches they’ve missed, or the months in which certain players have been unavailable, it obviously has an impact. Over the course of 40, 50 or even 60 games, it can happen that someone has to miss a game or two, like [Manu] Kone, and that’s par for the course. The real problem is when injuries drag on for weeks or months even – in that case it clearly has an impact on the team.”
“Venturino and Vaz are two very young players who were thrown into the action soon after arriving, partly out of necessity and partly to get a gauge of their maturity. They’re very different. Venturino is on loan. He played a few games for Genoa last season and scored a few goals but hasn’t played much this year. He plays in a position where we were short on numbers and I think with time he can help us.
“Vaz is a big investment the club has made. He’s very young too and has only really made substitute appearances so far, but he’s already scored some goals. The price tag is a bit of a burden for him because naturally it changes people’s perception. I’m trying to understand how useful he can be for Roma in the short term, because I’m sure he will be very useful in the future. We have to assess him carefully based on what we see in training and his substitute appearances. It’s not easy to slot straight into a difficult league like Serie A mid-season.”
Where Roma has regained full health is in the center of the park where Manu Koné is again available and expected to start. Ranieri was asked about the possibility of Koné starting with Pisilli.
“All four of the players you mentioned are doing well. We have a wealth of options in that area. Given the emergency situation up front, we have to consider if any of them could play in a more advanced role – a bit like with Pellegrini. They can adapt but they can’t offer the same attributes you get with proper forwards. In midfield we have plenty of cover and great options – they’re all performing well. When we’re back in European competition, having all these options will be a big advantage. Teams involved in multiple competitions need big squads and we’re definitely well equipped in the middle of the park.”
Another huge boost is the fact that Wesley is available after spraining his ankle while drawing a penalty against Napoli. However, he isn’t expected to start. He’s also one of three players—along with Evan Ndicka and Gianluca Mancini—who are one yellow card away from suspension. Gasperini was asked if he’d try to protect those players with the big match against Juventus a week away.
“Getting three points against Cremonese is essential. We need to be at our best and very determined because the points are important in every match and they’re always difficult to earn. We can’t look beyond this game.”
With that in mind, Mancini and Ndicka are expected to start alongside Mario Hermoso in the back three. However, as stated previously, Wesley is more likely to come off the bench, which opens a starting role for Kostas Tsimikas on the left wing. Zeki Çelik, who this week is rumored to have found a contractual pre-agreement with Juve, is expected to start on the right.
ROMA (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Çelik, Cristante, Koné, Tsimikas; Zaragoza, Pellegrini; Malen
