Di Francesco: Two points dropped

The Giallorossi were held to a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, as Stephan El Shaarawy's early strike was cancelled out be Gianluca Lapadula's penalty.

Captain Daniele De Rossi gave away the penalty - picking up a red card in the process - and Di Francesco acknowledged that the moment was a turning point in the game.

“It’s a shame. Daniele [De Rossi] knows he made a mistake – with the technology we have nowadays, you don’t get away with that kind of thing," Di Francesco said. "That aside, I wasn’t too happy with the officiating, with the cards that were handed out and the way the game was managed. I let the referee know my opinion.

“Daniele is not a youngster and he knows that. He’s able to take responsibility. But he’s part of a team and when we draw or lose, the loss goes for everyone, not an individual. We need to do more work, together, to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.

"When it’s about quality of play, we’re a top side. However, when we fall short of our opponents in our attitude, things like this – which are unacceptable – can happen.”

Roma weren’t so effective in the first half. What was that down to?

“It was because our opponents dropped back and defended close to their penalty area. They gave us space and control of the ball, and we did well to go ahead in the match. From that moment on, our play was better. They hadn’t had any shots on goal. But when you break the deadlock and can add to your tally, you need to make sure your game management is correct.

"We paid for our naivety – it made things difficult for us. With ten men they did have one good chance to score, but we had a couple to score ourselves. It’s shame because we’re developing, but we can’t beat ourselves up over it. We’re showing that we can really bring the game to our opponents. We didn’t need this set back – we’ve dropped two points.”

Stephan El Shaarawy keeps getting better. How did he perform today?

“He’s developed a great deal. Today we didn’t see the same Diego [Perotti] who has performed consistently well – he wasn’t at his usual best today. When I moved El Shaarawy over to the left, he did well, cutting into the middle as I wanted him to. It’s a shame we dropped these two points, even though it’s never easy to come here.”

How do you bounce back?

“The team needs to remember what they're capable of, respect their opponents and maintain their in-game focus, unlike we saw today. We were a tad naive and we paid for that. It’s a shame, having taken the lead. We have ourselves to blame for this draw.”

How much are you missing goals from [Edin] Dzeko?

“Today he made himself available to the team in what was a difficult game. When we were dangerous it was because he was moving around the pitch in that way. We always talk about individual quality but the team, as a group, has improved. That’s what really counts. Edin [Dzeko] will start scoring again, because it’s in his blood.”