Di Francesco's pre-Juventus press conference: 'We want to see more improvements'

The two teams will bring down the curtain on this season's International Champions Cup at the New England Patriots' Gillette Stadium, with plenty of local pride on the line.

After opening the club's pre-season tour with a draw against Paris Saint-Germain before following it up with a win over Tottenham Hotspur, Di Francesco is hoping to see another incremental improvement from his group against the Bianconeri.

Read what the coach had to say during his pre-match press conference...

This is your first game against Juventus as Roma boss. How do you feel ahead of the game, and about the tour overall?

“It goes without saying that it is great to be playing such an important game. I will try to prepare for it in the same way as always, knowing of course that the team is still getting ready for the season. I expect a constant evolution from my team.

“How do we reflect on this tour? Well we have had a good training camp, we have done some good work – even if we are a long way from our home and we have had to travel a bit. We have found some great facilities here in Harvard and overall it has been a great experience – but we still have a couple of sessions to go and I hope to make the most of those too.”

At what stage of preparation is the team right now? This is your first time you have had to work with fitness coaches, how has it been?

“Obviously our method of working at this stage is not only physical, but technical and tactical. I’m very happy with the co-operation with Darcy Norman and Ed Lippie, because it is a chance to improve all the players involved and keep monitoring the condition of the players. But in the end it is the coaches that put in the method and it is the other parties that have to adapt.

“In terms of percentage it is difficult to say right now [how ready we are], but I can see we are improving. Today we were expecting to have the third double session in a row, but I decided instead it would be better for my players to be able to recover ahead of the game tomorrow. They have been working well.

“I do expect my team to avoid lapses in concentration like in the last game, because a football match is never over and we have to remember that. I expect the same tightness and organisation on the pitch. From a tactical point we need to be better in some situations, but we learn through mistakes. So I do not expect my team not to make any mistakes tomorrow, but I do expect to see some improvements.”

What kind of season do you expect from Daniele De Rossi?

“I expect him to be an exemplary captain, an example to follow on and off the pitch whether he plays or not. I am sure he will lead by example, and the performances on the pitch will follow as a result of that.”

Monchi says the team is 90% complete. So once you have the right winger the gap with Juventus will be reduced? Also, is Nura ready to play?

“Well first of all, for me I do not have starters. The fact the players may or may not wear bibs during the training does not mean they will start the games – it is just my way of stimulating the players.

“With Nura, he is coming through a long period of injury – it’s true that he has not played a minute yet in this pre-season but he has only been training fully for the last 10 days. At the moment we are assessing him from a physical standpoint, and eventually we will decide whether he will stay with us or perhaps spend some time elsewhere.

“Overall, I tend to agree with Max Allegri: the market closes on August 31, and things can change until then. It is true that many teams have strengthened themselves – including Juve, Milan, Inter and Napoli. We have changed our squad a lot but we have added some interesting young players, but it is too early to talk about these things.

"Juventus start with the advantage, but the season is long and ultimately everything will be proven out on the pitch.”

What about Florenzi’s place in the squad? And the future of El Shaarawy?

“Regarding Florenzi, he must still join up with the squad fully, but so far I have been using him as a right-back as I think it is harder to teach a player to defend as part of a group, to be part of a unit. So I want to focus on that. But later on I think I will look at him further forward. I am interested in hearing his opinions, because he has to be happy about it and convinced of it. There is no hurry.

“El Shaarawy is recovering from the slight injury, and I hope to have him back for the friendly games upcoming in Spain. But it is up to the doctors and what they recommend.”

Could Gerson play a big role this season in centre midfield?

"He has certainly played a fair bit so far, starting one game and playing the other. He is proving his engagement, his dedication – he is showing he is willing to do things that are not necessarily his natural characteristics. I’m happy with him, but no final assessments have been made yet.

"So far he is part of the Roma project but, as with everyone else, final assessments will be made nearer the end of the transfer window.”