Gasperini hails Donyell Malen as a star for Roma fans

Gian Piero Gasperini explained on Monday evening in Turin why he brought on Donyell Malen, the only Roma‑Dutch, after exactly one hour on the bench; the substitute scored in that hour and Roma eventually won 2‑0. The referee blew a whistle from the technical area after the substitution, after which the supporters cheered.

Malen leads Roma to victory

The only goal of the match up to that point had been scored by the Dutchman, and his strike put the Roma side 1‑0 up. In stoppage time Niccolò Pisilli determined the final score as a 0‑2 victory for AS Roma.

"This was our third match in eight days," Gasperini begins. "Then you can't have players play ninety minutes every time. If we manage to give them twenty to thirty minutes of rest, that can make the difference in the long term," explains the 68‑year‑old coach of the Roma side further.

"The players behind Malen also need to step forward and be ready to play a leading role. Then the whole team becomes stronger," adds the coach, emphasizing the role of the teammates.

Alongside Malen, the other Dutchmen Marten de Roon and Devyne Rensch were also on the pitch. De Roon played for half an hour, while Rensch came on in the 88th minute.

Gasperini on rotation and top scorers

"It's wonderful for the supporters and for everyone who loves football to see stars like Malen and Dybala working together," says Gasperini. "They create dangerous situations out of nowhere in almost every match. It is clear that these two players individually possess an enormous amount of quality, but as a duo they also complement each other. They find each other excellently and thus create goals in many matches," he concludes.

With the three‑goal haul in Turin, Roma currently holds the top spot in Serie A, level with Internazionale on points. The Italian league has now played four matches.

Next weekend the number one and two will face each other at the Stadio Olimpico, a duel that will directly decide the top of Serie A.