Early-season optimism has swept through the Capital, but Gasperini is determined to keep both feet on the ground.
With his side making an encouraging start to the Serie A campaign, the coach has found himself at the centre of a growing wave of excitement. The dressing room has started to whisper about big targets. The city has begun to dream out loud.
Gasperini, speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, welcomed the new mood but moved quickly to draw a line between ambition and illusion.
Bryan Cristante and Lorenzo Pellegrini lit the fuse with recent comments about major objectives and even the idea of a future Scudetto celebration at the Circo Massimo. The words resonated with supporters who have waited years to feel this kind of energy again.
The coach didn’t shut that talk down. He redirected it.
“You should never stifle dreams,” Gasperini said. “The important thing is knowing that, when the alarm goes off, reality is something else. Then, if you live reality in the right way, you can even make it match with dreams. But these are not conversations for early September.”
That last line tells the story. The season is still stretching out in front of them. For Gasperini, the only meaningful response to early momentum is daily work, not grand declarations.
A city that knows the game
Away from the training ground, Gasperini took time to describe the atmosphere across the Capital and his bond with the supporters. The connection, he suggested, is built on mutual understanding rather than blind euphoria.
“The passion was always there, now I see enthusiasm, but mature, aware,” he explained. “More than people outside Rome believe. You don't fool Roma fans easily.
“They have had great champions, great teams. They know football. Today they are satisfied fans. It's my big gratification, seeing them satisfied.”
That is the balance he is trying to strike: a squad daring to dream, a fanbase seasoned enough to read the signs, and a coach intent on making sure that, when the alarm goes off, the reality they wake up to still gives them something to celebrate.
