“Would I sign for second place? No, it's great to play this championship.” Gasperini is serious , and to prove it, in addition to the facts, there are now also the words of the coach who for the first time this season puts aside rhetoric and superstition by throwing down the gauntlet to Inter . At the Olimpico, Roma also overcame Sassuolo, moving two points clear of Inter and one point behind league leaders Lazio , awaiting tomorrow's matches between the Nerazzurri and Biancocelesti. So, it's better to play with an open face . Gasperini, unlike some of his colleagues, doesn't put the pressure on his opponents and decides to give the fans words that smack of pride and ambition , without placing limits on a team that still has enormous room for growth.
So no, you're not signing for second place . And it would be a sacrilege to do so in November, after all the good things Roma have shown they can do so far. A team still far from their perfect form, decimated by injuries that have prevented Gasperini from fielding his best lineup, and which has nevertheless managed to remain undefeated in the league , scoring 31 goals in the first 11 matchdays , the best attack in Serie A, and to compete with anyone in the Champions League, despite achieving less in Europe than it deserved. Numbers that certainly don't guarantee the Scudetto , but which make it at least premature to set a limit on the Giallorossi's ambitions now. And then why sign for second place when not even Inter, despite being the favorites, have proven to be the unbeatable battleship described by the press ? Gasperini knows this well and, faced with a contract that seems like an early surrender, he preferred to tear it up without thinking twice . Why settle before even discovering how far this Rome can go?
From Manchester to ballet with Monte Mario
If Manchester showed for the first time the face of a Roma that can also be fragile and inexperienced , at the Olimpico we saw again the team capable of holding Real Madrid in check for more than three quarters of the game. Against Sassuolo it was a collective elation that even infected Gasperini, who after the final whistle let loose in a dance with the Monte Mario fans . Whether it's Saturday Night Fever or the coincidence with Dancing with the Stars , what is certain is that Gasperini is increasingly enthusiastic about the creation he coveted, built and now enjoys . "I'm very satisfied. It's always great to win and tonight we did it with personality and quality ," said the coach, who now can count on the international break to take stock of this first phase of the championship and, above all, to rejoin the injured Dybala, Svilar and hopefully also Mancini and Rensch.
Meanwhile, the goal is to maintain focus upon returning from international duty . The break can also pose challenges, as Gasp himself stated: "This break interrupts the championship once again. It's disappointing to lose so many players due to friendlies or low-quality matches." This is especially true because immediately after the break, Roma will face Parma and, more importantly, PSG , in a match that could already be decisive for the Giallorossi's Champions League campaign. Now, however, they're celebrating their eleventh consecutive positive result in the league and perhaps even taking the stage to jinx their opponents in the league. There's always time to dance, but it's still too early to put a stamp on this season.
