Gasperini backs Roma - Lazio at any hour in derby push
Gian Piero Gasperini said roma - lazio would have been played at any hour because Roma are driven by the race for fourth place. He also called the Sunday 12 kickoff poor planning as the club chases Champions League qualification with two matchdays left.
Gasperini on Roma timing
“Siamo così motivati per la corsa al quarto posto che avremmo giocato a qualsiasi ora,” Gasperini said ahead of the derby. The point was direct: Roma are not treating the kickoff time as an excuse, even if he said “certo non è stato un buon esempio di programmazione” about the decision to schedule the match at 12 on Sunday.
He framed the derby as a harder assignment because Lazio are “un’ottima squadra” and, in his view, have finished their season with one clear motive left. “L'insidia di una partita così? La Lazio è un’ottima squadra, hanno finito la stagione e la loro unica motivazione forte è impedire alla Roma di raggiungere il massimo del traguardo,” he said.
Dybala and Trigoria
Gasperini also moved from the derby to squad matters, saying Paulo Dybala has no fitness problems and that talks on a renewal are still open. “È importante che entrambe le parti, proprietà e giocatore, abbiano questa idea,” he said, adding, “Io lo trovo molto positivo, quando c’è la volontà da entrambe le parti si può trovare la soluzione.”
That conversation sits inside a season where Roma have already mathematically secured Europa League qualification, left behind Bologna, Atalanta and Lazio in the standings, and are three points behind Napoli with two matchdays to go. Gasperini described the ownership’s presence as useful too: “Con lui a Trigoria c’è meno gente che riporta le cose,” he said of Ryan Friedkin, then added, “La società è qua, sta facendo molto.”
Friedkin and the January point
He linked that involvement to January, saying Friedkin’s arrival can lead to something happening and pointing to Malen as the example. The message was broader than one transfer: Roma’s head coach is tying the derby, the league race and Dybala’s future to the same stretch of the season, with the club still in position to push the table further before the final two rounds.
