El Aynaoui: ‘Gasperini is a very demanding coach’ to keep Roma in first place

WALSALL, ENGLAND – AUGUST 06: Neil El Aynaoui of AS Roma is put under pressure by Boubacar Kamara of Aston Villa during the pre-season friendly match between Aston Villa and AS Roma at Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium on August 06, 2025 in Walsall, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Neil El Aynaoui is impressed with the ‘demanding’ nature of Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini. ‘We all know exactly what we need to be doing on the pitch.’

The midfielder is a newcomer to Serie A from RC Lens, making the move in a €23.5m plus add-ons deal in July.

He has made seven appearances so far this season in the Giallorossi jersey, between Serie A and the Europa League, and admits Italian football is extremely hard work.

“Gasperini is certainly a very demanding coach, who has his own ideas and enormous levels of experience,” El Aynaoui told Sky Sport Italia.

“He knows exactly what he wants to see on the field, so we have long training sessions, both studying videos and on the pitch so that we can put what he wants into practice.

“We all pay close attention and listen to what he has to say, because he is such a demanding coach. This is why we all know exactly what we need to be doing on the pitch.”

El Aynaoui part of strong Roma midfield

It would seem to be working, because Roma are currently joint top of the Serie A table alongside Napoli after six rounds.

“He is focused a great deal on defensive solidity, but we are also working on the attacking phase, as he wants more players to flood forward into the opposition penalty area. Now it’s up to us to follow his instructions.

“The atmosphere in the stadium is fantastic too. It’s so fortunate for us players to have the fans behind us like that, also for my family who attend every home match.”

El Aynaoui was born in France, and spent much of his childhood in Spain, but has chosen to represent Morocco at international level.

This is following in the footsteps of his father, who was the most successful professional tennis player in the history of Morocco.

“I learned the art of sacrifice from my parents,” assured the midfielder.

“In football terms, though, my idol has always been Andres Iniesta. I grew up in Barcelona, so Iniesta was that reference point, while in France I’d point to Paul Pogba.”

The dedication to Iniesta is also why El Aynaoui chose to wear Number 8 at Roma.

“I play with heart and run hard, giving my all on the field. I can improve in my finishing when going forward, and my positioning when defending, but I’m working on these aspects every day in training.”

Roma will defend their leadership in a showdown with Inter at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday evening, kicking off at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT).