Di Francesco's pre-CSKA press conference in full

Tuesday's game at the Stadio Olimpico gets underway at 21:00 CEST.

Read what the boss had to say ahead of that important game, as he was asked to reflect on Saturday's home defeat to SPAL and update reporters on the fitness of some members of his squad.

How are you preparing the team for the match after the SPAL game?

"You don’t just prepare for how you’re going to approach games in the last two hours. We started well on Saturday in terms of our desire to take the game to them – we fell down on the final ball and then in the second half we lost our way. Only those players that weren’t involved trained yesterday so today I will see how the players are. We need to rebuild a few things mentally."

How do you explain the highs and lows you’ve had this season?

"That’s what puzzles me more than anything. I want to get back to a positive situation where we’re consistent in our playing style. The reaction in the second half was disappointing. Often, when things get tough, we lose focus. If we want to improve we need to be able to come through difficult periods and focus on what’s going to enable us to win games.

"We showed that we were a better team than SPAL in the first half and you have to take advantage of that. However, once we fell behind, we weren’t able to get back into the game."

How are Daniele De Rossi, Aleksandar Kolarov and Patrik Schick?

"They may all recover. I’ll have the definitive response on De Rossi and Kolarov after the session today. If they’re both fit, they’ll be in the squad. Schick had some muscle inflammation but he trained yesterday – he was still feeling some slight discomfort but I think he'll be available."

How is the mood in the dressing room since the defeat? How is Edin Dzeko?

"Obviously we can’t be happy after a defeat to SPAL. We’re lucky in that we have a very important match tomorrow and we can try and get back to winning ways. There’s no time for talking – we need to rediscover what we’re about and show the desire we’d shown before the last game. Edin has to be one of our main men and we need to get the fans behind us. We need their love and support but we need to convince them to get them behind us with our performance and attitude."

Is 4-2-3-1 the right system for the whole season or just for now?

"I went with it mainly to mix it up a bit. Both the 4-3-3 and the 4-2-3-1 are dynamic systems and require the players to create triangles in both attack and defence. Right now I want to keep going with this system in order to make the most of the characteristics of the players, who have the required energy for it."

Why are you falling behind more than you did last season?

"It’s something that makes you think – it can’t be a coincidence. We need to improve in certain areas. We need to stay focused for the whole game."

Does this team lack personality?

"We need to try to help the team to improve. We can improve in both personality and leadership. When you talk about the defence it’s not just about the back four, but all eleven players. We need to ensure that certain attributes come to the fore – and it’s my responsibility to get that out of the players. Obviously we need to play with balance. We’ve been lacking that and that’s why we’ve conceded more goals than usual."

Did you pick too many young players against SPAL?

"It all comes down to the results. The fact that we played with young players is also linked to the injury situation. I put [Ante] Coric on to help us improve in a match that required more quality from our team. We needed fresh legs. [Justin] Kluivert is a forward – the decision to put him on against Torino was the right one but some people were saying it was wrong the other day.

We have a team and young players need protecting and also criticising when appropriate. This is my team and I need to make the best possible use of it. You don’t become rubbish after one game. We need to be strong enough to come through all of this and show something on the pitch. In my eyes, your name doesn’t count for much – you have to show the right attitude on the pitch. That’s what people want to see."

What do you make of CSKA?

"They’re a talented team. Their forwards aren’t so physical but they’re all good players. They’re a very young team with excellent individual players. We need to make sure we make our physicality pay. They don’t push up – they defend in numbers and can break quickly with two attacking midfielders who are very good."

How do you explain the lapses in concentration from your players?

"Some players were away for ten days with their national team. Some are young and young players are going to have underpar performances as part of the process of becoming a good player. We are Roma and we cannot accept slip-ups like the one on Saturday. I give everyone a chance, but I can also take that away. You can’t knock [Federico] Fazio’s attitude – but I can’t teach him anything about how to prepare a game from a mental perspective. The young players need to be better at learning from role models."

How is Stephan El Shaarawy? Is he competing with Kluivert for a place?

"There’s always competition – there was on Saturday before the game. Stephan hasn’t always been consistent, but I think he played very well in the first 30 minutes – although there were a couple of times he could have done better. Obviously we expect him to raise his game, but he’s an important player for us. I demand a lot of my wide players, both going forward and defending. It’s wrong to speak about individual players. Generally speaking, Stephan is working hard for the team."

Is the absence of Kostas Manolas at the back a factor?

"When you lose, the best ones are either those that didn’t play or all the coaches sitting at home. It’s not about individual players."

Is the team at risk of taking Serie A too lightly?

"The objective in the league is to qualify for the Champions League and finish as high as possible. We mustn’t commit errors in terms of our performances and we can’t take any game lightly. The litmus test is tomorrow – we’ll see how the team performs."