Roma manager Gian Piero Gasperini gave his verdict following his side’s comfortable 3-0 victory over Celtic last night in the Europa League…
The Italian giants now just sit outside the top eight in the Europa League on 12 points with two matches to play and will be contenders for winning this competition in the second half of the season.
Meanwhile, Wilfried Nancy’s struggling Celts sit 24th and just marginally inside the top 24 places despite a heavy defeat. It is still expected Celtic will require four points from Bologna and Utrecht to have a chance of qualifying for the knockout phase in February.
Roma boss Gasperini had issues of breaking down Celtic last season when he managed Atalanta to a 0-0 draw against Brendan Rodgers’ Hoops side in Bergamo in the Champions League, but had no problems last night with his players easing past the Scottish champions.
An Evan Ferguson double and a Liam Scales own-goal saw the Italians go three up at the break and they took their foot off the gas in the second half.
However, Gasperini was delighted with his side’s performance, especially after suffering back-to-back defeats in Serie A in recent matches.
Speaking via Roma Press, the experienced boss said: “We needed it. It’s never easy to win away on these European nights in these beautiful, historic stadiums, packed with fans, full of people.
“We played an excellent match. The changes to the line-up? I changed five players to start the match because it was a time of the season when we also needed to make important assessments and do so in games that matter.
“This is a game that mattered, because as I said before, playing in these stadiums is never easy, with these teams coming off a string of very positive results.”
Gasperini also had high-praise for Celtic-linked Evan Ferguson. He said: “Ferguson? The result is important, but the performance is also important. I want him to play with this intensity and this spirit, with this unwavering pace. I want him to play and show his qualities on the pitch every time he goes out there.”
“As I said before, you have to be patient. These are young players who, suddenly, might turn around and show consistency and growth in their performances. It would be much better if that were the case, but it’s clear that we’ll talk about it later in the January transfer window. We still have several important games to play.”
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