Como 2-1 Roma – Gasperini fury at Wesley dismissal: ‘It’s pointless to comment on dives’

Gian Piero Gasperini cut a frustrated figure after Roma’s defeat at Como, directing his anger at the decision to send off Wesley for a second yellow card and lamenting what he described as a growing problem with simulation in the modern game.

The Roma head coach was in no mood to hold back when speaking to DAZN, with quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb.

“I have already seen the Wesley incident, today it is pointless to comment on this trend in football, especially regarding dives,” he said.

“It was unfortunately a decisive episode, just like the one for their equaliser. We defended the cutbacks well but in that moment we were not good enough. Some of it is down to us, and it is not a great moment, but these are glaring episodes that are hard to ignore.”

Gasperini shakes off defeat to focus on Europa League

Gasperini also acknowledged that the absence of Donyell Malen significantly reduces Roma’s attacking threat, though he was keen to frame it as a broader team issue rather than an individual dependency.

The Dutchman scored from the spot to give Roma the lead but was replaced with twenty five minutes left.

“We do rely on him, understandably, given how many goals we score,” he said. “He creates clear, clean chances every match, that means the team is working well and building correctly.”

His tactical assessment of the match itself was candid.

Roma had the tools to turn the game around after the break, he argued, but Como’s half-time changes, introducing key players before Wesley’s dismissal altered the contest, proved decisive.

With Thursday’s Europa League second leg against Bologna now looming large, Gasperini acknowledged there is little time to dwell.

“The players are young and some have experience, they must recover their energy quickly. The suspensions disrupt our continuity, but Thursday is an important match and we must be ready.”