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GIAN PIERO GASPERINI PROVIDES DYBALA CLARIFICATION, SENDS MESSAGE TO FERGUSON

Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini admits his team has a goalscoring crisis, stating striker Evan Ferguson "is not responding" and Paulo Dybala must provide more goals and assists ahead of their Serie A clash with Sassuolo.

Gian Piero Gasperini Provides Dybala Clarification, Sends Message to Ferguson
Gian Piero Gasperini, Head Coach of AS Roma, looks on during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD3 match between AS Roma and FC Viktoria Plzen at Stadio Olimpico on October 23, 2025, in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

While Gian Piero Gasperinini maintains that he made amends with Paulo Dybala, he cautions that Evan Ferguson "is plainly not" responding appropriately for Roma.

At 14.00 GMT on Sunday, they will play their next match against Sassuolo at the Mapei Stadium.

The Giallorossi have been faltering lately as their ongoing goal-scoring issue has gotten worse, leading to back-to-back losses to Viktoria Plzen and Inter.

For a team led by Gasperini, who is having serious trouble after nine years at Atalanta, this is an uncommon issue.

Gasperini is having trouble scoring goals for Roma.

In his press conference, the coach stated, "It is true that the biggest difficulty is that this team is not accustomed to assaulting the opposition's penalty area, but the good news is that this is something we can fix with training."

"We must play as a team with the appropriate positioning to shake off marking in both attack and defence. Everyone must return to full fitness before they are required to respond.

Ferguson was Gasperini's first choice striker at the beginning of the season, but Artem Dovbyk has since filled the position when Dybala is not used as a False 9.

Gasp continued, "Ferguson needs to respond on the pitch, and he is clearly not doing that at this time."

I only witnessed his first truly effective training session yesterday. At the age of 21, he is not used to playing this frequently. His only choice is to put in more effort, but we need him to become more self-assured.

A centre-forward does not have to be large, tall, and physically strong; they also need to have speed, skill, shooting ability, and the ability to work well with others. A person can solve many issues if he has all those qualities.

Following Thursday's Europa League loss to Viktoria Plzen, some Roma supporters were jeering, but there was also tension when Dybala implied the club was "sluggish" and "underestimated" the challenge.

Although Gasperini disagreed, he did add that the strikers in particular needed to "look in the mirror" and ask themselves why they had not been scoring recently.

In order to understand how to attack the space, play in those risky places, and create those scoring opportunities, Gasperini clarified, "I meant that we all need to work together."

"We all confirmed our viewpoints in the locker room, even though I did not agree with Dybala's remarks at the time. It is not acceptable for us to be slow or underestimate our opponents.

"We acknowledge that this squad is now limited, but their attitude is not deserving of criticism. That would be extremely concerning.

For the first time in several months, Dybala played ninety minutes on Thursday.

"He can play tomorrow; he just needs to start scoring goals and dishing out assists more often." Since he is a striker, he cannot perform the duties of a midfielder. It is comforting that he is now becoming physically fit.

Before Gasperini's arrival, Roma played drastically differently, and he is quick to note that this is still a work in progress.

"Jeers must be tolerated by the team as a whole as well as by individuals. We respond by working hard. Whoever is wearing the Roma jersey has my support; they need to know how to respond to a subpar performance.

"The process is just getting started, and there is a lot of space for improvement."

TIRED OR TOUGH? THE CONFLICTING ITALIAN MEDIA REPORTS ON SCOTT MCTOMINAY’S PERFORMANCE

Scott McTominay and Napoli suffer Champions League elimination after a 3-2 home defeat to Chelsea's clinical Joao Pedro.

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Napoli and McTominay crashed out against Chelsea

Scott McTominay had a rough night as Napoli crashed out of the Champions League on Wednesday. The reigning Serie A champs missed out on a play-off spot after losing at home to Chelsea.

It was a wild night in the Champions League, and Napoli ended up as one of the biggest letdowns. Even with home advantage against Liam Rosenior's team, they only managed to finish 30th overall. Chelsea, on the other hand, walked away with sixth.

McTominay, along with Manchester United loanee Rasmus Hojlund, couldn’t stop Napoli from falling 3-2 in Naples. Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez opened the scoring, but Napoli hit back before halftime thanks to Antonio Vergara and Hojlund.

But after the break, Joao Pedro bagged a brace and sealed Napoli’s fate. The Italian press didn’t hold back in their reviews of McTominay’s performance.

Il Napolista gave McTominay a 6 out of 10. They liked his grit but pointed out he lost possession a few too many times in midfield. Still, they said he was a threat going forward—enough to give Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez something to worry about. But in the end, it just wasn’t enough for Conte’s side.

Il Messaggero also gave him a 6. They called his first half “average”, even though the game was played at a high level. After halftime, they thought he looked tired and didn’t live up to his usual standards.

Corriere dello Sport was a bit more generous with a 6.5. They praised his fighting spirit—classic Premier League style—and said he gave it everything he had. But as Serie A’s current MVP, expectations are high, and he just couldn’t find the goals Napoli needed.

Essere Partnopei matched that 6.5 rating. They praised his energy and said he was as active as ever, moving the ball well. Still, his efforts couldn’t keep Napoli from being knocked out.

Napoli Magazine skipped the ratings but said McTominay wasn’t at his best. He’s a key player for Conte and stayed committed, but it wasn’t enough to push Napoli into the next round.

"DON'T JUMP SHIP!" — ANTONIO CONTE’S EXPLOSIVE WARNING TO NAPOLI STARS AFTER JUVENTUS ROUT

Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund fail to fire as Juventus crush Napoli 3-0. Discover Conte’s defiant post-match reaction.

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Napoli slip to fourth as title rivals capitalise on defeat

Napoli just fell nine points behind in the Serie A title chase after Scott McTominay and the rest of the squad took a heavy 3-0 loss against Juventus.

The defending champs barely put up a fight at the Allianz Stadium in Turin. Juventus looked sharp, closing the gap with Napoli to just a single point. Right now, Gli Azzurri sit fourth with 43 points, Juventus are right behind on 42, and Inter still lead the pack with 52. If Antonio Conte’s side wants to catch up, they’ve got a lot of work to do.

McTominay played the whole match for Napoli but couldn’t change the game. Frustration was obvious for the visitors. Rasmus Hojlund, on loan from Manchester United, struggled again and didn’t make much of a difference up front. While his parent club edged out Arsenal 3-2 in London, Hojlund missed two decent chances in Turin. He hasn’t scored for Napoli since late December.

Romelu Lukaku finally got back on the pitch after his injury, but with just 12 minutes left, the result was already settled. Juventus were two goals up—Jonathan David bagged the first, Kenan Yildiz added another, and Filip Kostic finished things off near the end with a third.

Napoli are still missing another Scot, Billy Gilmour, and creative midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is out hurt as well. Next up, Chelsea comes to Naples on Wednesday night. Napoli really needs a win to stay in the hunt for a Champions League play-off spot.

Conte faced up to the defeat but made it clear Napoli aren’t about to give up on the Scudetto—even with all these injuries.

Conte didn’t sugarcoat things:

“As long as it was 1-0, it felt close—like we might grab a draw,” he said. “But after their second goal, things opened up, and then they scored a third. Credit to them, but also to my guys. There’s not much to say or criticise. Even here in Turin, they gave everything.

“Sometimes you get past these obstacles, sometimes you don’t. For the first time in my career, I had to bring on a player [Giovane]. I’d never even seen him in training—a kid who just joined us Saturday. That tells you something about what we’re dealing with right now.

“But we’re not quitting. We know the situation, and we’ll keep pushing. It feels like we’re out at sea in a storm, but we’re not bailing. If someone wants to jump ship, fine—they can swim to shore. The rest of us are staying on board, ready to fight with everything we’ve got, whatever comes our way.”

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