THE "FIRST STALEMATE" EFFECT: ANALYZING GIAN PIERO GASPERINI’S HISTORIC FIRST DRAW AS ROMA MANAGER
Gian Piero Gasperini praises Roma's youth and "extraordinary" Donyell Malen after a 1-1 draw with second-placed AC Milan.
Gian Piero Gasperini gave Roma some well-earned credit after their 1-1 draw with second-placed Milan. “They’re always a threat,” he said. “Even when you feel in control, they can hit you out of nowhere.”
It almost felt like déjà vu—Roma had a rough night at San Siro back in November, missing a bunch of chances (including a Dybala penalty) and losing 1-0. This time, Koni De Winter put Milan ahead, heading in a Modric cross from a short corner. But Roma didn’t waste their spot-kick—Lorenzo Pellegrini stepped up and finally beat Maignan from the penalty spot.
Gasperini liked what he saw from his team. “Both of our main penalty takers—Dybala and Malen—had already come off, so we were all looking around, thinking Cristante would take it. But Pellegrini took charge and nailed it,” he told DAZN Italia.
Modric said Roma controlled the first half, but without the penalty, he wasn’t sure they’d find an equaliser. Gasperini more or less agreed. “When Milan goes in front, they’re deadly on the break, especially when they bring on fresh legs like Pulisic and Fullkrug,” he said.
“Losing this would’ve been a bitter pill. If we’d managed to go ahead, I think we could’ve won.”
The January signings, Donyell Malen and Robinio Vaz, have given Roma more options up front. “Malen’s fantastic as a centre-forward. He’ll get fitter with time, but even today, up against a deep Milan defence, his movement was outstanding. We’re convinced he’s a great addition.”
Gasperini couldn’t help but joke about the team’s youth. “This group is so young—I thought we were building an under-25 squad, but at this rate, we’ve got a bunch of under-20s,” he laughed. “We just played the team sitting second in Serie A and walked away feeling stronger.”
Milan, with their reputation for lethal counter-attacks, looked ready to punish Roma after scoring first. But Roma’s defence stood tall. “We deserve credit for that. Milan has sprinters everywhere—Leao, Pulisic, Nkunku, and even Rabiot. They’re always dangerous, even when it looks like you’re dominating. How many times have we seen them turn games around at the last minute?”
“My defence this season has been incredible, and keeping Milan quiet tonight says a lot about our determination.”
Not everything went right, though. Manu Koné limped off with a suspected muscle strain just before the hour mark—another headache for the medical team. Mario Hermoso is also out for at least a month, but Daniele Ghilardi stepped up in defence. “He did well against Stuttgart, too. Ghilardi’s grown so much since the start of the season—he’s learnt when to step in and when to hold back. You can really see the difference a few months make with these young guys,” Gasperini said.
This draw is actually Gasperini’s first ever with Roma. Up until now, it’s been 19 wins and 10 defeats across Serie A, the Europa League, and Coppa Italia.
With this result, Roma catch up to Napoli in third place, but they’re still nine points behind Inter at the top. Maybe more importantly, Juventus are just one point back in fifth, and now Como have joined the race for those Champions League spots.
RADJA NAINGGOLAN SLAMS NAPOLI’S SCOTT MCTOMINAY AS "JUST AVERAGE" IN TV RANT
Radja Nainggolan has sparked controversy by calling Napoli's Scudetto winner Scott McTominay "average" in a scathing TV interview.
Scott McTominay’s journey from Manchester United to Napoli has been wild. He’s helped the club win a Scudetto, snagged a Ballon d’Or nomination, and his goal tally is impressive. But not everyone’s sold on him. Even with all those honours, one Serie A legend isn’t convinced. Radja Nainggolan slammed him as just “an average player".
After McTominay’s £26 million jump from Old Trafford in 2024, he took off. He won the Serie A MVP, clinched Napoli’s fourth Scudetto with a spectacular overhead goal against Cagliari, and made a big mark in Italy. Still, Nainggolan, never shy with an opinion, tore into him during a TV interview. Despite McTominay racking up 26 goals in 76 games and getting a Ballon d’Or nod, Nainggolan didn’t hold back. “I don’t like him,” he said on Sky Calcio Unplugged. “He gets his goals, 12, 13, 14 a season, but his general play? He doesn’t have the technique to move between the lines. He’s just average.”
And he wasn’t content to leave it at that. Nainggolan compared himself to today’s names, arguing he was better than both McTominay and Inter’s Hakan Calhanoglu at his best, though he admitted Nicolo Barella sits above him. “At my peak, I was better than McTominay and Calhanoglu, but Barella is on another level,” Nainggolan said. “He doesn’t always score a lot, but when he does, it matters, and you always feel his presence on the pitch. I like De Bruyne, too; he sees things nobody else does. He’s above me, and Modric...he’s always been world-class.”
Of course, Nainggolan’s take doesn’t really jibe with life in Naples. McTominay has become something of a hero there; his face is on murals around the city, the fans have dubbed him ‘McFratm’ (McBrother), and he helped Napoli win the Supercoppa Italiana in December 2025. Even if Inter seems ready to grab the Serie A crown back, McTominay’s reputation hasn’t dipped. His knack for scoring from midfield has been crucial for Conte’s side.
Nainggolan also touched on Belgium’s so-called “Golden Generation” and why they didn’t deliver a major trophy, despite stars like Lukaku, Hazard, and De Bruyne. He knows the team well, having made 30 appearances before retiring after he got left out of the 2018 World Cup squad. “We had Lukaku, Hazard, De Bruyne, and Courtois. Too many superstars, too many egos,” Nainggolan said. “Everyone wanted to be the star, to be the most important guy, and that just doesn’t work.” His take pretty much confirms what fans suspected: there was plenty of talent, but not enough unity.
MANCHESTER UNITED AND CHELSEA ENTER RACE FOR DISCOUNTED €50M-RATED RAFAEL LEãO
Discover why Rafael Leão’s value has plummeted at AC Milan and which Premier League clubs are leading the race to sign him.
Just a year ago, everyone was buzzing about Rafael Leao and his rumoured €120 million move to Chelsea. Fast forward to this summer’s transfer window, and it looks like AC Milan’s ready to let him go for nowhere near that amount. Manchester United, along with a few others, are circling, hoping to get him for much less.
Last week, Gazzetta dello Sport broke the news: Milan now values Leao at just €50 million. That’s a wild drop, especially since six months ago they slapped a €100 million price tag on him.
So what happened? Why did his value tank so quickly?
Perception plays a big part. Leao’s estimated transfer value hasn’t actually changed that much. FootballTransfers’ algorithm had him pegged at €72.5 million last July, and now he’s at €70.7 million. But Milan’s own estimate? That’s fallen off a cliff.
Last summer, Milan wanted €50 million above the algorithm’s number. Now, they’re ready to accept an offer that’s €20 million below it.
Leao once had everything going for him in Milan. In the 2021/22 season, he carried them to the Scudetto, racking up 11 goals and 10 assists. Clubs were fighting over him, and in 2023, Milan rewarded him with a hefty €7 million salary and a massive €175 million release clause. That’s when top European clubs started sniffing around for a record-breaking deal.
But the new contract didn’t spark another big season for Leao. In his next campaign, he scored 15 goals and managed 14 assists, but fans started to turn, especially after two weak outings against Roma in the Europa League.
Things haven’t improved since. Early in the 2024/25 season, Milan benched him for disciplinary reasons, and he seemed pretty unfazed, something that sparked more criticism. He’s had some public clashes with head coach Max Allegri, too. Despite still being Milan’s top scorer, he hasn’t scored in two months. And the fans? They’ve booed him at home games, most recently against Juventus and earlier against Udinese.
Now, Milan looks ready to move on. Leao’s raw talent is still obvious, but at San Siro, the excitement has faded. SciSports, the data analytics folks, show his performance is in “significant decline” based on their SciSkill rating. Still, they think he can bounce back.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan plans to hold off until the World Cup, hoping Leao puts on a big show for Portugal and builds hype again.
He’s still got admirers. Arsenal’s been keeping tabs on him, FootballTransfers said back in February. Chelsea, Liverpool, and United are all in the market for a left-sided attacker and would jump at the chance to grab a rejuvenated Leao.
Sure, the €120 million rumours are a thing of the past. But the old Leão, the top-class player, is still in there somewhere. He just needs the right club, coach, and a fresh start.
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