When Evan Ferguson signed with Roma this summer, few could have imagined such a complicated marriage between the striker and Gian Piero Gasperini.
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The coach, during his years at Atalanta and previously at Genoa, has always shown great skill in enhancing the qualities of his strikers. Andrea Petagna, Leonardo Pavoletti, and Duvan Zapata reached career peaks that were previously unthinkable, and Gianluca Scamacca gained European status in just a few months. In short, his résumé suggested that signing with the Giallorossi was the right move for the class of 2004 to relaunch his career.
Sideline Attacks
The Irishman’s pedigree was certainly not bad either. Ten goals in a season at Brighton, several of which came before he turned 19, immediately launched him into the upper echelons of British football under Roberto De Zerbi’s guidance. In the following two seasons, injuries limited him quite a bit, but his talent seemed indisputable.
The story, however, took a very complicated turn. Just 5 goals in half a season, only 3 of them in the league. Of course, some physical problems played a part. But at the root of it all is a relationship between the player and Gasp that calling “conflictual” would be an understatement. The coach is no stranger to criticizing his players through the media, but with the Irishman, he has reached unprecedented heights.
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In the last match, a 2-0 win for Roma over Sassuolo, there was one of the high points. Ferguson was substituted in the 39th minute due to heavy blows to his back, but before that, Gasperini criticized every single one of his decisions on the pitch, spending virtually the entire first half berating him. In the press conference, however, he spared him and even reassured everyone about his condition. A rare case, given all the barbed comments he has reserved for him in recent months.
Gasp vs Ferguson in 5 Acts
After a couple of months of routine statements, it all began on October 25th, on the eve of the first leg against Sassuolo. When asked about him, the response was «Only yesterday did he have his first proper training session». A great way to show his rapport with the boy.
At the time, however, he hadn’t scored yet. Let’s move to December 14th, when he had finally broken his duck in the league and was coming off a brace against Celtic in the Europa League. The pre-Como press conference could have been the right occasion to boost his confidence, but instead came the ruthless message: «We have to ask ourselves if he’s useful to Roma, not to me.»
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From that moment on, from a top signing redeemable for 40 million, people started talking about Ferguson as surplus, and it was not even certain he would stay in January. So we get to December 20th, when against Juve he starts on the bench because Dybala is playing as the striker.
The team loses, he comes on and doesn’t play a bad game. That’s when the words become even harsher. «I’m not liking him, he hasn’t embraced the Roma spirit» first, and then the masterstroke: «Dybala is better all day long, even as a striker». A gem that seems straight out of a manual for psychologically demolishing your own players.
Even a week later, things didn’t improve before the Genoa match: «Let him show me he’s hungry if he wants his spot back,» was the response to those asking if he could return to the starting lineup. Ferguson would play and score in that game, then repeat himself 8 days later against Lecce. It seemed like the start of a new era, but the disastrous evening just experienced changes the outlook once again.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.
📸 ANDY BUCHANAN – AFP or licensors
