Spalletti: The only way to respond to disappointment is on the pitch

The Giallorossi were narrow losers against Lyon in midweek, winning the second leg 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico but going out 4-5 on aggregate - despite dominating the game at the Stadio Olimpico.

It was a painful way to exit a competition - but Spalletti expects no hangover as the side returns to action in Serie A against Sassuolo on Sunday.

“Yesterday was one of those days when you wake up and feel like you haven't got a grasp on anything - that you've lost it all - to the extent that you don't even want to turn the bathroom light on because you can't bear to look at yourself," Spalletti said.

"It's a defeat that hurts, it's irritating. However, you must analyse things in the right way. When you watch it back, you realise that you're still on top of the situation. That was our performance and that's what our side is capable of. We have great potential.

"Sure, we're no longer involved in that top-level competition but we put in a great performance. That was the display I wanted from them and they played well. Clearly, certain results leave you lost for words but you must discuss things in the right way."

Spalletti hopes the side focuses on the positive of the performance, if not the final outcome, and channels any frustration and disappointment into producing a similarly dominant display on Sunday.

"That's the level of football we can produce especially against a top side like Lyon," he added. "When you have a record 25 shots on goal, that proves the team played very well. Perhaps late on we got hung up on the clock ticking down and we lost possession which allowed them to break.

"Barcelona won their game by scoring six times yet had fewer efforts on goal than we did. The lads played well. I hope that we can reproduce similarly great performances in our upcoming games. If we do so, we'll win lots of matches and perhaps we'll still be involved in Europe next season.

"You can lose a match but the next year you get back out there and show that you're still alive and kicking, that you're mentally strong. You prove you can come through the tough times that everyone faces. There will always be tricky spells in a tough league like this one. That's basically what we talked about.

"Now we'll try to play like that again tomorrow night. It won't be easy but you can see it in the players' eyes. Yesterday some of the players did the recovery work on the pitch immediately without staying in the pool. No one asked for a breather today for instance.

"These are crucial and very important details. We're working with a group of bright, quality, professional individuals."