Gasperini sees Scudetto credentials in Roma's response to Sassuolo
Gian Piero Gasperini says Roma are genuine title contenders after a 3-0 win over Sassuolo followed defeats to Manchester United and Real Madrid, with Inter still favourites but Lazio and Roma closing in.
Gian Piero Gasperini says Roma belong in the Scudetto conversation after they beat Sassuolo 3-0 at the Stadio Olimpico, a result that followed a 2-0 lead squandered in a 3-2 Champions League defeat at Manchester United, Football Italia reported.
Mario Hermoso broke the deadlock, Donyell Malen added a deflected second, and Rodrigo Mora finished through the legs of Duje Caleta-Car for the third, giving Roma a comfortable afternoon against a Sassuolo side that had lost five straight matches, according to Football Italia.
Why 28 shots produced only three goals
Roma managed 28 shots across the match, a figure that points to clear territorial and attacking dominance rather than defensive fortune, but one that also exposes how stubbornly Sassuolo resisted before conceding.
Alberto Aquilani adjusted his team's approach mid-game to try to contain the hosts, effectively retreating into a deeper, more compact defensive block once it became apparent his side could not match Roma for control of the ball.
That shift did not prevent the three goals, but it did limit the conversion rate from Roma's volume of attempts, a pattern worth tracking given how often opponents will now set up specifically to blunt Roma's forward line rather than contest territory with them.
Gasperini credited the manner of the breakthrough rather than the scoreline alone, telling Sky Sport Italia that his side produced "some very strong performances this evening, including a great Hermoso goal to break the deadlock," and that it was "not easy against a side that clammed up, but we played with quality."
Reading defeats as evidence rather than warning signs
Gasperini drew a pointed distinction between the manner of Roma's two recent European losses and their underlying performance level, arguing that both defeats to Manchester United and Real Madrid came after his side had been leading late in matches against elite opposition.
He said there are "defeats and defeats," noting Roma "lost only to Real Madrid and Manchester United" during a demanding run that also included victories and draws against Como and Napoli, and insisted those two losses "did come at the end of strong performances and against top level opponents."
He pointed specifically to Mario Balerdi's display in Manchester "until that unlucky moment," and described United's route back into that game as stemming from "an absurd penalty," framing the defeat as circumstantial rather than structural.
The broader point Gasperini made is about attacking range: Roma are now scoring, in his words, "in different ways and with different players," citing Hermoso finishing "like a striker" and an "extraordinary" display from Matias Soulé as evidence that the goal threat no longer depends on a single route to goal.
That variety matters tactically because teams like Sassuolo cannot simply set a low block against one obvious outlet; Roma have shown they can break opponents down through a centre-back's late arrival, a deflected strike, and individual quality at close range all in the same match.
Where Roma sit in a title race Gasperini still calls open
Asked directly whether he would accept second place in Serie A right now, Gasperini did not dismiss the idea, saying "there's no harm in dreaming, especially with the journey that we are on," while adding he does not know "what we could be capable of achieving."
He was careful to rank Inter above the rest, saying "as everyone says, quite rightly, Inter are the best placed to win," but added that "for the rest, all of us are in the mix, including us, and can have our chances."
He also flagged Lazio's recent form, noting they have "won nine of their last 10 games," before suggesting that any slip from Inter would open the race up: "if Inter slip up a bit, then everyone can dream and try to challenge."
The weekend fixture list works in Roma's favour on paper, with Inter facing Como and Lazio away at Napoli, a scheduling quirk Gasperini addressed with a line about Roma simply watching from the sidelines: "we're not interested in those games, we're just sitting perched on the fence peering at them."
Football Italia's reporting notes that the Sassuolo win should put Roma into at least third place depending on those other results, giving tangible shape to the title credentials Gasperini is now willing to discuss out loud rather than deflect.