Di Francesco's pre-Cagliari press conference in full

Read everything the coach had to say ahead of Saturday's Serie A meeting with Cagliari.

The game at the Stadio Olimpico gets underway at 20:45 CET.

JOURNALIST: What are the main dangers for Roma against Cagliari?

DI FRANCESCO: “Cagliari have been playing very well in recent weeks and did especially well against Sampdoria, when they lost three players to injury in the first half and found themselves 2-0 down at half time. They fought back well. They have a clear shape and identity and Joao Pedro and Diego Farias are a real danger up front. We have to bear lots of things in mind but we must go out there to win the game – that's the most important thing.”

There's been a lot of talk this week about Roma struggling to turn all the chances you create into goals. Is that something you improve on the training ground or by working on the mental side?

“It's both things. You can say things and show things to the players on TV or on the board, but you then need to practise them properly – that's why we've done so many drills where the focus is on getting the ball into the net. I'm happy with the chances we're creating but we're not clinical enough. All we can do now is respond on the pitch tomorrow and try to win the game. Having said that, it's good that we're keeping clean sheets and that's something we must keep doing.”

In an interview yesterday Patrick Schick said he's starting to strike up a good understanding with Edin Dzeko because they speak the same language. Do you think that helps them play better together?

“It helps me because Edin can explain things to him when he doesn't understand. It's good that the two lads are working well together and either of them could play centre forward for us. Working with Patrik these last two weeks I've been impressed by his willingness to play in a position that he's not all that used to. I can't rule out him and Edin playing together up front but I don't like to talk about 'partnerships' because we play with three forwards. Schick can do a good job either as a centre forward or out wide.”

What areas does Schick need to work on?

“He still has to improve his fitness levels a lot and the tactical side of his game too. He was used to making different runs and attacking opponents a different way but he's a diligent lad and he applies himself well. His test results tells us he has huge room for improvement as well as great ability – both physical and technical. He does need to keep working harder than the others because he's lagging behind in some areas. That doesn't mean he couldn't start again tomorrow, though.”

[Roma newspaper] Il Romanista is backing Damiano Tommasi to become the next chairman of the Italian FA. What do you think he could offer Italian football?

“I read the article and I agree with Il Romanista. I'd love to see Tommasi in that role because he has lots of ideas for football. He's level-headed and intelligent in everything he does. He may have been a footballer but I think he's cut out for the job. I'd be delighted if he became head of the FIGC.”

Could Radja Nainggolan be rested with the Juventus game in mind, given that he'll be banned if he gets booked?

“I'd be making a massive mistake if I picked the team for Cagliari based on the Juve match. Cagliari are our present and it's quite possible Radja will start the game. I know people look at these things but I can't be thinking about the game after next. We have more pressing matters such as our players' fitness to keep in mind. Kevin Strootman, for example, only trained with us yesterday for the first time this week.”

What are you thinking about doing in the January transfer window?

“I'm thinking about Cagliari, Torino, Juventus, Sassuolo and all the other games we have between now and 6 January. I don't like talking about transfers – I'm only interested in the players we have to play against. It's too early to discuss the transfer window: Cagliari are the only thing on my mind right now.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves – we must try to reach 6 January in good mental and physical shape. After that I'll look at my players – who is happy and who is perhaps less so – and all the other details we need to consider. I'm happy with what we're doing at the moment and I don't want to think about the future.”

You're starting to attract a bit of attention on the international stage too. Could that be a distraction for you?

“There's no risk of me being distracted because I haven't achieved anything yet. We still have a lot of work to do. If you settle for what you've got, you end up falling short and not achieving anything. We're working with the idea that we should never be satisfied and that goes for me as much as anyone else. We're not thinking about any of the rumours – I'm fully focused on Roma and I'm very happy to coach this club.”

With Schick now returning to full fitness and Cengiz Under and Gregoire Defrel yet to really take off, are Roma perhaps the team with the biggest margin for improvement in Serie A?

“We must keep on improving. The fact that we're not scoring as many as the other big teams is one area where we can do better, but as I said earlier not letting in many goals is a big plus and I'm pleased about that. We've shown we're capable of scoring goals.

"Of course, we need the help of the players just mentioned too. Cengiz is getting better and they're all very keen to improve. There's only one way to do that in my book and that's through hard graft on the training ground – that's where you need to show your grit and determination to score. It's easy to say we must be determined but you need to put it into practice. Everything can be practised on the training ground.”

Is Emerson ready to start a game now?

“Emerson has come on loads and he's almost back to the level he was at before. He needs to play from the start and I think his time has come. He won't necessarily start on Saturday but he almost certainly will against Torino on Wednesday.”

Do you think Roma can challenge on three fronts till the end?

“I don't know but it's certainly what I want us to do. I expect my players to go into every game with the same approach, regardless of the competition. Even if I make five or six changes to the starting line-up, it doesn't take anything away from our desire to win. I want my players to focus on Cagliari, Torino and Juventus one game at a time.

"After tomorrow, we'll think about making it through to the next round of the Coppa Italia. If we want to keep growing, we must aim to keep going forward in every competition we play in.”