Di Francesco's pre-Atalanta press conference in full

The game in Bergamo gets underway at 18:00 CEST.

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

Q: What are your aims ahead of this new season?

Di Francesco: “To get off to a good start, by putting in a good performance in Bergamo. I was not happy at all with the performance in Vigo. After our trip to Spain, where the results were not positive, I want to see a very good performance from the team.

"We need to show a great deal of determination. We will be up against a team with great physicality, who know what they’re doing. One of our more general aims is to then improve every day.”

What are you expecting to be up against tomorrow?

“I’ve seen that they take to the field as if they’d never stopped playing together, as if the previous season had never ended, based on the conviction they have out on the pitch. It’s a tough ground to go to in Bergamo and it’ll be a difficult match. They want to do well and to impose their game and footballing ideas.”

Who would you say look to be the strongest teams going into the season?

“I’ll leave it to journalists to make those sorts of judgements. It’s my job to look at my own team. It will certainly be a more competitive league because teams have clearly got better. There will be less of a gap at the top of the table. Teams like Milan and Inter, who finished behind us in previous seasons, have improved.”

Who will play alongside Kostas Manolas in central defence?

“I don’t like talking about line-ups and about who’ll play in central defence tomorrow. I’ll just say that games need to be prepared with a certain level of focus. We need to stick together – there’s too much talk about different positions but I like to emphasise the collective, rather than individual players. We need to be a unit. Of course, some players are in better form than others, but the best of individuals is brought out by the team. That’s my way of thinking.”

Alessandro Florenzi is on his way back. How do you plan on using him? Could he be the added player you need at right back?

“Now isn’t the time to talk about the transfer market. We’re fully focused on Atalanta. That is our aim. The transfer market closes in twelve days – you often seem to know of more names than I do. [Alessandro] Florenzi can clearly bring something extra, but he’s not yet ready to be selected.

"I’ll assess him ahead of the Inter game. He still needs to work and get up to physical and metabolic fitness. He really wants to work and I hope he’s with us soon. The same goes for [Rick] Karsdorp. We have players that are not fully fit but who could provide alternatives. In the two friendlies, we weren’t able to get everyone fully recovered, with games in such quick succession.”

You’ve spoken about the need for a central defender. Are you still of the same view?

“I’m very happy to work with these players right now. I expect top performances from the defenders I have and from the whole team. I want to see a good response from them. Anything can happen in the remaining 12 days of the transfer market. I don’t want to talk about central defenders or anything else. Now is the time to strengthen this team – I want to be positive and believe that this team can do not just well, but very well. I should be happy to have these players available to me. Of course, we’re not silly and we’ll make assessments after these two matches.”

Did the friendly match in Vigo perhaps alter people’s views on the work that’s been done? Some fear that Roma could finish fifth or sixth.

“That 30-minute spell is my fault, and mine only. I take full responsibility and now I have to show that this team is not that which was on show then. We are Roma – people will make their judgements straight away and I’m aware of that. I understand, because I made some specific choices. I tried to protect players that were unable to play games in quick succession at this stage of the season. No one wants performances like we saw in those thirty minutes – it’s my fault and I accept that. All I can say is it’s up to us to change people’s evaluations.

"We need to produce a response on the pitch. We have an opportunity to show that we are not that team. I’m viewed as a fundamentalist, but I am actually someone who reads, scrutinises and tries to analyse and learn lessons. I have my own ideas – I can’t just mimic what others do. I want to develop and show my own footballing ideas, not those of others. That’s why I’m here. The result will be seen on the pitch. I hope that people are saying different things about Roma from tomorrow evening.”

Did some players make a greater impression that others?

“I don’t want to talk about individuals. Players’ individual characteristics should be showcased as part of a collective. If there is a player with enormous potential and can do even better, it would be [Radja] Nainggolan. He can do more in both phases of play – imagine what he’s capable of. He’s surprised me in the games we’ve played.”

Is this how you hoped to find yourself ahead of the season? Or is something missing? Have some things not worked as you’d have liked?

“Generally speaking, I think we can learn from our mistakes. We need to look at negatives in order to improve. It’s the right time for that – it’s better to make mistakes in pre-season than during the league season. Now it gets serious. If you reduce your margin of error you become a good team. I firmly believe this: winning teams don’t necessarily make no mistakes, but winning teams are those that make the fewest mistakes. We need to make fewer mistakes across the board.”

For Daniele De Rossi, this will be his first year as captain. What does that mean ahead of the new season?

“I’ve spoken about [Daniele] De Rossi in the past. I expect him to be a leader and a figurehead for the team and that he shows willingness to help the team as a collective.”

Some are worried about your hard-line approach. Are you purely focusing on the 4-3-3 formation or do you have a plan B? Are you looking at something different?

“We need intelligence. When you start working on something, you need to create a degree of certainty. Often winning coaches are seen as clever because they make changes, but when they lose they’re viewed as stupid because they make too many changes. If something needs to be changed, we’ll see during the season. It seems strange to talk about the 4-3-3 formation, a system which has produced results for myself and for Roma. You’re obsessed with the numbers, rather than thinking about the concept of dynamic football.

"There’s a lot of work to do, but it’s ridiculous to start questioning the formation already. It’s a psychological thing. If you asked everyone they’d probably each say a different formation, but I’m the one making the call here. Our 4-3-3 will be dynamic, not static, based on the teams we’re up against. It’ll also depend on what stage of the season we’re in. I’ve made changes many times in the past. Why should I change just because of 30 minutes in Vigo?”

What are your thoughts on Francesco Totti’s role?

“[Francesco] Totti is by my side and that is something that makes me happy and proud. I’m very close to him and having him here is a good thing – someone who knows Roma so well and the system here. I’m really happy that he’ll be here from this evening. He’ll start the season with us.”

How long before we see Eusebio Di Francesco’s Roma team at full throttle?

“I hope that time comes as soon as possible. It’s natural that there are things to be improved upon, in both phases of play. The players have shown great commitment and desire to put what I ask into practice. Sometimes it’s hard on them, we need to find a balance in that respect. I don’t want to dampen any of the players’ quality. I want to bring out the best in all of them, in an organised system. Then it’s all or nothing. I feel good about what I’ve seen so far – aside from those 30 unfortunate minutes in Vigo, when we could have done with a break.”