Gasperini expresses surprise at Ranieri criticism in tearful pre-Atalanta press conference

Gian Piero Gasperini said he was caught off-guard by comments made by Roma's advisor Claudio Ranieri about his appointment last week, as he ended his press conference in tears ahead of Saturday's reunion with his old club Atalanta.

Gasperini was appointed by the Giallorossi last summer after enjoying a wildly successful nine-year stint with Atalanta, who he led to Europa League glory in 2024.

He succeeded Ranieri in the Italian capital, with the former Premier League title winner moving upstairs into an advisory role, following a spell as their interim coach last season.

Roma are sixth in the table with six games remaining, only three points adrift of Juventus in the final Champions League place. Atalanta, the visitors to the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday, are four points behind them in seventh.

But all is not well between Gasperini and Ranieri, with the latter suggesting Roma were unable to attract their first choice for the head coaching role ahead of this season.

Ranieri said three other coaches turned the job down before Gasperini came in, as well as rubbishing claims that the coach was not sufficiently backed in the transfer market.

"There was an interview last Friday, in which Ranieri created some situations, but to me, it was an incredible surprise," Gasperini told reporters.

"There had never been a different tone between Ranieri and me, both in the press conference and between us. I didn't expect it.

"And in many years, I had never been subject to such tones. From that moment, I've avoided any comment, firstly, to not hurt the club, the team or the Roma fans further.

"We have an important game tomorrow, as we still have a chance for Europe. That's the important thing. I'd be glad if we could only talk about the match.

"I've had to deal with this media impact. But I've shifted the focus entirely to the technical side. I repeat, for me, the priority was not to cause any harm to the team. I expect people to understand this and support the team even more."

Asked if he could see himself staying in Rome beyond the end of the season, Gasperini replied: "You keep asking me about other things, but I want to talk about the match. I said I don't want to create problems, and this question creates problems."

Reflecting on his time with Atalanta, Gasperini grew visibly emotional and was in tears by the end of his press conference.

"When I was at Atalanta, I saw Roma as a benchmark. If we beat Roma, we would reach Europe. Now I see it the other way around: if we beat Atalanta, we deserve to play in the Champions League," he said.

"In Rome, there is everything you need to do well. In Bergamo, I succeeded because the environment around me was united, and the club's work was extraordinary.

"Think about the transfers made and how the money was reinvested. The anomaly of Atalanta was that we were playing in Europe while still making a profit.

"That was not just thanks to me, but above all to a very capable club, which worked in harmony with the coach."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Roma – Donyell Malen

Since FIFA introduced the winter transfer window in 2001-02, only two players who joined a Serie A side midway through a season have scored more goals in that campaign than Malen this term (10).

Those strikes put him level with Zlatan Ibrahimovic for AC Milan in 2019-20, and only behind Maxi Lopez for Catania in 2009-10 (11) and Mario Balotelli for Milan in 2012-13 (12).

Atalanta – Nikola Krstovic

Atalanta's Krstovic (5.4) and Roma's Malen (4.5) rank first and second, respectively, for the most shots taken per 90 minutes in Serie A this season (minimum 10 appearances).

The Montenegro international has had 83 shots in total, amassing 12.2 expected goals (xG), though he has underperformed those figures with nine goals.

MATCH PREDICTION – ROMA WIN

Roma have lost six of their last seven Serie A matches against Atalanta (D1), including the most recent four in a row.

The Giallorossi have not lost five consecutive games against a single opponent in the competition since doing so versus Milan between 1988 and 1990.

However, Gasperini's side have won two of their last three Serie A matches (L1), as many victories as they managed in their previous eight (D3 L3). They are hunting their first pair of back-to-back wins in the competition since beating Lecce, Sassuolo and Torino in January.

Atalanta have not suffered consecutive defeats under Raffaele Palladino, though they were beaten 1-0 by Juventus last time out.

La Dea have won just five of their 15 away games in Serie A this season (D6 L4), and in their previous nine Serie A campaigns (since 2016-17), the Bergamo side have only once registered a maximum of five away wins after 16 matches – in 2023-24 (five).

Roma have secured 11 victories in 16 home matches in Serie A this term, and despite the off-field turmoil, they are slight favourites to reach 12 home wins in a season for the first time since 2016-17 (14).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Roma – 40.4%

Atalanta – 32.1%

Draw – 27.5%