I Envy Mourinho / Gasperini: No Team in Europe Can Match Real

Gian Piero Gasperini, at a press conference ahead of the Roma-Real Madrid clash, called the Madrid side a European giant and spoke about Mourinho.

According to "Sports Three", the 68-year-old head coach of Roma jokingly admitted that he is jealous of Jose Mourinho's ability to convince managers to attract expensive stars, and noted that the current Roma is very different from Mourinho's era, but it is a competitive team. In this game, Koularakis is back in the lineup, but Cristante will be absent.

Tomorrow night at 22:30 Rome will host Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid in a crucial match of the European Champions League at the Olimpico Stadium. At 13:30 today, Gasperini sat in front of the journalists together with Donil Mullen in the conference hall of Fulvio Bernardini camp in Trigoria.

Real Madrid is a team full of stars, but it has not yet found its true identity and is not in a very good position in the La Liga table.

"I don't know, it will be clear tomorrow on the pitch. We are in a very good situation and we are highly motivated to test ourselves against one of the biggest teams in Europe, even if they still need time to settle. "Let's not forget that they beat Inter and this is a very prestigious match whose points in the table are very important."

What steps should Roma take to join the big teams in Europe?

"Comparing ourselves to Real Madrid is not correct, because this club's position in the world of football is unattainable; They are the most proud team in history and have the most fans in the world. Therefore, we should not be compared with them in general, but our criterion is the performance of 90 minutes tomorrow on the field. In the recent games, we faced Inter and Como, which are among the best teams in Italian football at the moment, and now we are facing one of the toughest powers in Europe. Our main goal is to measure our caliber in this challenge and see how much we can compete with the giants of the continent."

Mourinho had a memorable time in Rome. What is your message for the audience at Olimpico?

"The warm welcome from him is completely natural and Mourinho's right; The fans have a special fondness for him and Mourinho deserves all the applause and respect he will receive from the stands tomorrow. These are real and undeniable feelings. However, I believe that when the starting whistle blows, all these feelings will go away and all Roma fans will support their team in one voice."

What are the differences, shortcomings or advantages of your current team compared to Roma under Mourinho?

"These two teams are completely different. At that time, the new owners had just arrived and there was heavy investment and a lot of splurging. But today's Roma is a young, growing and truly hard-working team. We are a faithful team that reached the Champions League with merit and this promotion brought valuable financial and spiritual achievements for the club."

Will you ask Mourinho to recruit Andric for the January transfers?

"I don't think so at all. Currently, the transfer market is not important for us. Our focus is all on tomorrow's game, which is a big European event for the club after a long time."

Will you play in the defensive line tomorrow night with the same style and strategy as always?

"The same strategy brought us to third place last season. There is no reason to change the basic structure of our game, but we are fully aware of Real's quality. They are a team that just when you think you have them in check and they are in trouble, they pour their venom and score goals; This is the birth certificate of big teams. "Of course, tomorrow we will play more alert and focused than ever, but our tactical identity will remain intact."

Are you hoping to set a trend beyond your past performance?

"This is my goal and all my efforts. We have only started the Rome project for a year, while we built Atalanta from a much lower level. In Atalanta, we won the Europa League, which was an extremely difficult tournament. In general, working in Europe is difficult for all Italian representatives. Now is not the time to make promises; We have to grow the team step by step and we have a long way to go."

What is the special feeling and characteristic of confronting Mourinho? Which of his qualities do you wish you had in yourself?

"It depends. Inter of his time was an unstoppable army, while Roma grew step by step with his presence. His record says it all. If I'm going to ask him for anything, it's the same charm and language that convinces clubs to reach out and buy him the best players in the world with astronomical figures (laughs).

What is the mental and physical state of the team after the defeat against Como? The latest status of Koularakis and Cristante?

"Koulairakis is ready to play and back, but Cristante needs more time to come back. We don't have any new injuries, although the match against Como was very physically demanding and took a lot of energy from the players. However, the team has a very high spirit to enter this battle with full motivation."

What is your technical opinion about the conditions of Real Madrid this season?

"They may not be in perfect harmony yet, but they are full of defining stars and gems. I believe they will only get stronger with time. "They are a very dangerous team and they have the quality to win any match."

At what level do you see Real Madrid as a contender this season?

"The real answer will be determined on the field of the Champions League. When you make a combination of several big stars, the team cohesion may drop a bit at first; They are still building team harmony. "Champions League games are a good opportunity for them to test their mettle against integrated teams that may not have as many stars as Real, but are more cohesive in terms of team structure."