Di Francesco's pre-Torino press conference in full

Read everything the boss had to say to the media ahead of Sunday's tricky away game against Torino...

The game at Turin's Stadio Olimpico gets underway at 15:00 CEST.

QUESTION: How important is it to you for your team to play an aggressive game?

DI FRANCESCO: “I think you have to be brave and daring if you want to play the way we did against a top side like Chelsea. You can't cause problems for the opposition if you're sitting back in your own half. My philosophy is to try and regain possession in the opposition half. We need to iron out a few things from a defensive point of view. Sometimes you might win the ball back quickly and other times you can lose it quickly. You need to be ready and alert. When you play the ball around a lot you always run the risk of losing it. Mistakes are part and parcel of the game but the fewer you make the fewer risks you run.”

What sort of game are you expecting against Torino?

“It's going to be very tough. We're coming from a match where we played very well yet despite the positive performance we only came away with a point and I see it as two points dropped. Tomorrow we'll be up against a team who will try to hurt us and we're playing at a ground where I think Roma lost last year. We got back late from London and that adds another element of difficulty to this match. Torino have 13 points and they're not that far behind us. They conceded two late goals in their last home game and they've only lost once in the league this season."

Does it worry you that you maybe got less than you deserved against Napoli and Chelsea?

“We won a game – against Atalanta – where we produced very little. Sometimes you have to win dirty. People in Rome aren't happy when you win that way but I think winning the odd game like that is good for morale. We have to win games like tomorrow's too that's what we're planning to do. It's all part of growing as a team. We must play with the right attitude and believe in ourselves. I showed the lads how important it is for them to be aggressive but we want to instil belief, not arrogance. If we work as a team, we can achieve great results.”

Will Patrik Schick be in the squad?

“He trained with us yesterday but he's obviously not in peak condition. I'll have a look at him and probably take him with us.”

What changes for Roma when you play with [Daniele] De Rossi compared to [Maxime] Gonalons?

“They bring different things to the table: one has more stamina and the other more tactical nous. But I've always said I want two first-choice players for each position so that I can swap them around. Gonalons had been been looking very sharp in training so I decided to go with him. When you're playing in the middle of the park you're bound to make mistakes. He responded very well after the match against Qarabag, when he lost his way after a mistake. And while we're on the subject of Qarabag, their draw with Atletico shows how good our own result against them was – it was an important win.”

Could Hector Moreno start tomorrow?

“He's one of the players who could start tomorrow's game or the next one. He's been training well in the week and he's getting used to the sort of football I want to play. He was used to playing more man to man, which is not what I want, but he's improved his movement. I wouldn't rule him out of starting tomorrow.”

Are you worried about what might happen against Torino after such a good performance against Chelsea?

“The players have to realise that every match is different and comes with its own difficulties. I expect tomorrow to be much harder than the Chelsea game, both from a mental point of view and in terms of having to prepare for it. We may not be quite so sharp tomorrow, especially with the travelling we've done, but we must go out there and look to boss the game.”

Are you concerned by the mistakes the team made against Napoli when they seemed to underestimate the opposition?

“We didn't underestimate Napoli. I think it comes down to a different approach – it's a mental difference. The players know we were much more aggressive in the second half against Napoli, when we won back possession twice as much as in the first half. We weren't able to snatch a draw but it made us stronger for the next game. We must use the second half against Napoli and the 90 minutes against Chelsea as a platform to build on and keep going with this same mindset.”

You played with Gabriel Batistuta and now you're coaching Edin Dzeko. Do you see any similarities?

“In terms of their skillsets, they're very different players. Bati was more of a penalty-box striker. He was powerful and would muscle past you. He was exceptional in the air and could rip the back of the net when he unleashed a shot. Edin is good at setting up team-mates and scoring himself. He's able to do both things and his consistency is excellent. I liked the way he harried opponents against Chelsea – that was an important part of our game plan. He's developed into a very, very good player. I think Dzeko is more similar to Marco van Basten in many ways and I hope he can enjoy as much success as him.”

UEFA have opened disciplinary proceedings against Roma for the fans' behaviour at Stamford Bridge. What do you think of it?

“It was a fantastic night to be a fan - we carried them and they carried us. Our own attitude is decisive because even when we've lost the players have always been applauded off at the end, which means people appreciate the fact that the team give their all. That has to be a constant. I didn't hear any racist chants. [Antonio] Rudiger came into our dressing room afterwards and he was joking and laughing. I didn't hear anything as I was focused on the game. Normally I notice those things and it annoys me but I didn't on this occasion.”

Do you think Roma are ready to challenge for the Scudetto?

“I want us to keep playing football and keep proving ourselves on the pitch. Not long ago people were writing us off and now they have us down as title contenders. You need a bit of balance – and that doesn't mean giving up. It means believing in your own ability, quietly getting on with the job and trying to make life hard for everyone.

"Our No. 1 objective is to come away with three points tomorrow – anything else is just talk and counts for very little.”