Torino coach, Marco Baroni, stated: “Currently, due to team needs, one striker starts and the other comes on, but I like the idea of playing strong players together.”
Tomorrow at lunchtime, Torino will face Gasperini`s Roma at their home stadium. Roma is a formidable opponent, currently with a perfect record and a top-tier squad. The added challenge comes from the enthusiastic atmosphere that will fill the Olimpico stadium. This morning, Marco Baroni led the final training session at Filadelfia and then shared his vision for Torino`s performance in the capital. “We will need a match of great substance and personality,” explained the Torino coach, “because Roma has been at the top of the league for eight months. These are precisely the matches that test our level. The only thing we cannot do is play at a slow pace against this Roma; duels and tempo will be crucial.”
Pressure and Identity
During the week, President Urbano Cairo emphasized the need to “start doing well, to achieve good results.” Baroni calmly accepted the president`s invitation: “It is absolutely true, and I can assure you that we are working every day for the result. After the Fiorentina match, I said that we laid the first brick, and this must be the team`s mental strength. We thrive on pressure, we feed on pressure; every day we renew a challenge with ourselves, and I like that.” Torino comes off a good home performance against Fiorentina and is progressively building its precise identity based on solidity and balance. “The team has always put in a lot of effort in training, and this is the most important aspect that immediately struck me about these lads. I don`t like excuses, but to work, to assemble, and to find a precise identity takes time. We are on the right track even if we haven`t had many training sessions together. We will work hard to find maximum conviction in all aspects.”
Player Rotations and Squad Updates
For tomorrow`s match, Torino is expected to continue with a 4-3-3 formation, featuring a goal-scoring rotation between Simeone and Adams. Baroni stated: “They are both strong attackers, and I have spoken with them. At the moment, due to team needs, one starts the match and the other comes on. However, we are working for the future so that they can play together. Especially in the striker role, I like to play strong players together, but this will be possible when the team has found its identity and solidity. They can play together.” Regarding Ismajli and Zapata, he added: “Both are doing well; Isma has returned after a minor stoppage. With Duvan, we work side by side every day to try to reduce that small gap, but he is an extraordinary and incredible professional. Both are ready to contribute to the team.” The only unavailable player for tomorrow will be Masina, who “returned from Morocco with fatigue.” On the new signing Nkounkou, Baroni commented: “He has strength, a physically energetic presence, and a good foot. He is quickly trying to integrate into the team`s work and understand our football and our league.”
The Impact of Asllani
Regarding Schuurs` return, Baroni indicated that “it will still take time; we have given ourselves a waiting period, and we will evaluate in January, as he cannot be used at the moment.” The inclusion of Asllani in the squad was an important move by the club because it provides Baroni with a player of unique characteristics and will allow the central midfielders (such as Casadei, Gineitis, Anjorin, Ilic) to better utilize their strengths. “I agree,” Baroni affirmed, “Asllani is a player we were missing, and we were good to acquire him. We are working with Christian to address small gaps that can help him both offensively and defensively. It is clear that we should not think of him as the sole resource or source of play; the entire team must contribute to this. However, thanks to his characteristics, he can offer us solutions that we might not have had in the squad and will help our central midfielders, who are more focused on movement and covering space, to enhance their own qualities.”
