Di Francesco's pre-Verona press conference in full

Coach Eusebio Di Francesco sat down with the media on Friday to preview the club's second home game of the new campaign against Hellas Verona.

Read everything the boss had to say in the transcript below.

Verona are a wounded team. Does that make them dangerous?

"We need to be fully focused in this game and that is partly down to Verona’s desire to bounce back. We also want to win and get back on track in the league after the Inter defeat. We will be very alert tomorrow, but more than anything we’ll try to score goals and hurt out opponents. Obviously, we have the potential to be a better team than Verona and we need to be aggressive and determined, attack the space and do everything to score. Those are the only things that will see us get the better of Verona. Taking this match lightly couldn’t be further from my mind."

Looking at Roma’s last few games, where do you need to improve?

"In our mentality and in our ability to be more direct. There’s not been much time to learn the movement, so I ask my players to push themselves to produce what I want. We had a high percentage of possession against Atletico, but we weren’t very direct. We need to be more incisive and attack the opposition area better."

Will Alessandro Florenzi start?

"His time has come: he’ll start the match tomorrow. He’s come a long way. Now we’ll get to see how he does out there but I’m sure he’ll produce a top performance because I’ve seen how motivated he is. He will return from the start tomorrow."

Will Patrik Schick be in the squad?

"Schick will be in the squad. He had a minor muscle strain which meant he had to sit out a few days’ training. He obviously hasn't got 90 minutes in him – not all of the guys who have been training for a while do so he certainly doesn't – but he's a handy option to have on the bench. He could have a big impact as a sub. He’ll be in the squad."

How is Rick Karsdorp? Is Stephan El Shaarawy ready to start?

"El Sha is ready to start the game. Karsdorp has had a muscle strain which we’re looking at. I’ve had him stop training for the time being, but we hope to have him in the team as soon as possible. For now, however, he’ll sit tight."

Radja Nainggolan has said that you are a coach of character. What do you make of that?

"We’ve played 270 minutes of official competition and I think we’re creating a fuss about nothing – anyone can write whatever they want. What I will say is that I’m resilient and I’ve got used to all this over the course of my career. It’s nice to hear those words – they back up something I already believed and had no doubts over."

How can you get Edin Dzeko back to the level he was at last season? What did you think about his comments at the end of the game?

"Sometimes you say things you shouldn’t in the heat of the moment. I didn’t like it, but it was cleared up straight away. I think Edin needs to work harder for the team and the collective. It’s obviously tough for a forward when they’re not scoring goals. Let’s not forget the games though – we scored in one and had to dig in against Atalanta. In the Atletico game, everyone said we played badly but for 45 minutes we matched a team that has reached the Champions League final twice, the semi-finals twice and the quarter-finals once in the last five years. On that occasion, he needed to make himself more available to the team – when a striker does that, everything is much easier for them. The goals and the chances will come. His outburst came at the wrong time, but he’s an intelligent guy and he realised that. The coach is the person that sees, reads, tries to figure things out and then has the option to make a change when he sees fit. I have the attributes necessary to make those decisions when they are needed and when I see them fit."

Are you worried that the team keeps dropping off in the second half? Is that a fitness problem? How long before we start seeing the movement you want?

"You saw how we played for 70 minutes against Inter. What we lack is consistency. I think we did well against Atletico, but we weren’t able to create dangerous chances in the final third often enough, while they looked very dangerous whenever they came forward. I didn’t recognise the team I saw in the second half – we seemed at the mercy of the opposition. That’s why I changed the tactics around – I don’t think much has been said about that. No two matches are ever the same. I’m well aware that we need to improve physically. The best player physically is [Diego] Perotti and he’s been with me from the word go. I’m sure that the whole squad will reach peak fitness as soon as possible. If you think that Roma should be dominating every game for the whole 90 minutes, well that’s just not possible. You have to dig in at times, but the improvement of the team will be about not conceding three goals like we did against Inter."

Are you surprised by the scepticism around the team at the moment?

"I’d be a hypocrite if I said I wasn’t. I think it’s premature, but it’s part of our world. Having lived here for many years, nothing surprises me. The stuff said about what happened after the game was all lies that just got spread around. I behave properly with everyone. What was said wasn’t true – the president congratulated us and was angry about us not getting a penalty. We’ve made a mountain out of a molehill. There’s nothing else to add. I’ll just say that although there is negativity, I’m a positive person and I’m trying to turn everything around through our performances and results – that’s what needs to prove me right."

Is it possible to prepare properly for a season when you have to go on overseas tours?

"I’m not going to make excuses out of the tours. All the big teams goon tours – only Napoli didn’t. It gives you an advantage if you don’t travel, but you have to work properly. It’s tough for players to adapt to a new method. As the workload increases, the players have to get to grips with certain mechanism, and at certain point they can’t take any more. Against Atletico, with the new system, the team rediscovered its confidence and came back into the game, only to give away a big chance right at the death. The team will come in time. It’s premature to pass judgement after three games."

Will you be rotating the team? Could Cengiz Under play?

"Perhaps you’ll see him start the game tomorrow. The language barrier is obviously a big factor when it comes to him settling in. He has some great attributes, he’s young and I like him, but he needs time to come out of his shell. He could start tomorrow. As for rotation, you need to strike the right balance – it’s not good to change things too much, but it also plays an important role. I might mix a few things up tomorrow with Florenzi and other players – it’s important to do that during the season. Right now I don’t have all the players at peak fitness, but I have to make decisions to breathe new life into the team."