Di Francesco: We still need to cut out silly errors

Edin Dzeko, Kevin Strootman and Lorenzo Pellegrini scored the goals for the Giallorossi, who got back to winning ways after Sunday's draw with Genoa.

JOURNALIST: You bounced right back [from last week's draw] with a win. Is this the Roma you want to see?

DI FRANCESCO: “The lads were determined to get the win today and they harried and chased really hard, especially in the first half. We had 37 shots and should have scored more than three goals with all the chances we had. We can be a lot more clinical. We dropped two points at Genoa but got ourselves back on track today. It was important to win. It's a shame we conceded because we keep making these little mistakes and keep giving something away every game.”

Do you think the opposition's goal might have been the down to the mental pressure the team is under at the top of the table?

“If you have 37 shots and 80% possession, it means you're in the game. Having said that, we do need to cut out certain mistakes. You don't need to touch an opponent with his back to goal when the only way they're going to score is with a superb piece of skill. Games are never easy to win. Today it was about getting the three points so that we're ready for Tuesday's game against Qarabag.”

How determined are you to qualify for the next round and achieve your first big target in the Champions League since taking over at Roma?

“Our target is to qualify and we'll try to win by producing a determined, aggressive performance – much like today's. We got our approach spot on today, both in terms of our preparation and our desire to claim the points. We need a repeat of that on Tuesday regardless of who plays.”

What did you think of [Maxime] Gonalons, Cengiz [Under] and [Patrik] Schick today?

“Gonalons was on a booking and I didn't want to risk him getting sent off – that's why I took him off. He's a real battler and I wanted us to remain in control of the game. I was angry enough already after the penalty.

“Schick did well when he came on given the sort of game it was because SPAL were defending very deep. He had a few chances and he hadn't played for ages. He's clearly got the ability; now he just needs to find a bit of consistency in training and in matches.

“Cengiz doesn't always make the right choices but he showed a lot of initiative. He often takes one touch too many or gets the final ball wrong when he has to play it in behind.”

Do you think your players are aware of just how good a team they are?

“Yes, I'm do feel they're starting to really believe in themselves. They've shown that lots of times but they need to carry out what I ask of them more consistently. You can't get distracted during games; you have to remain utterly focused at all times if you want to compete at the top of Serie A.

"If you want to stay in touch with the top you have to keep winning, score a few more and try to avoid conceding. The most annoying thing today was letting in the goal. We needn't have done that – we have to stay switched on. If you perform well in defence, you'll perform well in attack too.”