Gasperini Keeps Feet on Ground Amid Rising Title Talk

Early-season optimism is crackling in the capital, but Gian Piero Gasperini is doing his best to keep both feet on the ground.

After an encouraging start to the Serie A campaign, excitement has surged around his side. Results have brightened the mood, the dressing room has started to whisper about big targets, and the city is already dreaming of something more than just a good season.

Gasperini hears it all. He just refuses to let it run away from reality.

The coach spoke to La Gazzetta dello Sport about the growing noise, the ambitions inside the squad, and his bond with a fanbase that has seen enough football to know the difference between a good week and a great year.

Bryan Cristante and Lorenzo Pellegrini have already gone public with talk of major objectives and even the idea of a title celebration at the Circo Massimo. That kind of language can ignite a city. It can also weigh on a team.

Gasperini chose a different tone.

Ambition, he stressed, is non‑negotiable. But it has to be anchored in daily work, not parades imagined in September.

“You should never stifle dreams,” he 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 line cut through the euphoria. Dreams allowed. Day-to-day still in charge.

The coach also turned his attention to the streets and stands of the capital, where the shift in atmosphere is impossible to miss. The passion has always been there; what he sees now is something sharper, more seasoned.

“The passion was always there, now I see enthusiasm, but mature, aware,” Gasperini said. “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.”

It is a revealing stance. The city is buzzing, the players are daring to picture the biggest prize, yet the man in charge is drawing a clear line: enjoy the surge, respect the grind.

The dreams can wait for spring. For Gasperini, September belongs to reality.