Spalletti's pre-Chievo press conference in full

As usual, Luciano Spalletti began by giving a fitness update on the state of his squad - before answering questions on the squad's response to defeat against Juventus, the test he expects against Chievo, and the tests to come in 2017.

See what Spalletti had to say in the transcript below.

“Nura [Abdullahi] and [Bogdan] Lobont are continuing working on their recovery plans," Spalletti said. "[Alessandro] Florenzi started to run in a straight line on Monday – it’s seven weeks since the operation so we’re on track. We’ll increase the workload in the coming weeks and see how he responds.

"[Leandro] Paredes has been running out on the pitches for a few days now, but he has pain in his ankle every time he comes in. We’ll try to get him outside again today, but it’s unlikely he’ll be available for tomorrow. [Kostas] Manolas has a muscle injury in his right thigh.

"[Francesco] Totti, [Radja] Nainggolan and [Daniele] De Rossi will be evaluated in training today.”

How was the group looked since the defeat to Juventus?

“The group has reacted very well. These defeats hurt, but you have to be able to analyse them objectively. Usually you talk in the dressing room after matches and there were some good things said, with people showing understanding of the current situation. We can’t throw everything away in five minutes because we’ve lost a match.

"Obviously, the defeat hurts and leaves us three points further behind Juventus, but you have to look at other things and they’re all in the players’ favour. They need to maintain their belief and their confidence in what they’ve done and what they can still achieve needs to remain intact. That’s the right way to move forward and the lads are training well.

"Watching training yesterday, it was clear that they are absolutely determined to turn the disappointment of the defeat into a win against Chievo.”

What are you expecting from Chievo?

“I think [Rolando] Maran has done some great work – he’s a very good coach. He always gets players around the ball, sets up with a high defensive line and keeps the passing nice and short. Chievo have some great players – people like [Riccardo] Meggiorini, [Antonio] Floro Flores, [Roberto] Inglese and [Valter] Birsa.

"We’ll need to be alert to them going direct. If we don’t manage possession well, they’ll get lots of players around us and it’ll be tough for us to get out. When I say that we can’t throw away everything we’ve done in five minutes, that means we need to win tomorrow.”

There’s been a lot of talk about contracts recently.

“Three weeks ago, I told one of your colleagues what I’ve always said in the past. In football, that’s the way it is. I know that I am expected to win, because I have a good team. But at a certain point, you have to look at other factors – you have to ask yourself whether a team is able to achieve the results given the way it’s been set up. When it gets to December, you look back on the year. In comparison with the best teams in Europe, if you look at 36 of the 38 matches played, we’re on 81 points – that’s in line with the best teams in Europe, if not better than them. We need to keep that up, then at the end of the season we’ll take stock again.

"Right now we’re focused on one thing and one thing alone: winning against Chievo tomorrow. You have to congratulate the lads on how they’ve done so far. I’m proud of them – they’re training well. Of course, people will pass judgement on our season – there’s nothing new in that. I’m used to having to achieve results. I think that’s the same for you – even if the media, it’s about results. I’ll take a view of the conditions for us to move forward.”

Is Mario Rui ready to make his debut? Might we see Gerson get another start in midfield?

“Mario Rui isn’t ready to play yet. He’s working hard and getting back to the player we all know. Gerson is in the spotlight a bit at the moment, but he only bears one fifteenth of the responsibility for the defeat to Juventus. In my eyes, he can play as an attacking midfielder, a trequartista or on the wing, as he did in Turin, where he stopped the crosses coming in too.

"If he hadn’t picked up a booking and if we hadn’t been behind, I would have kept him on the field. The match had changed and it was a bit risky with two players on yellows, so that’s why I took him off. If anything, I was in the wrong – not him. Blame me.”

Wojciech Szczesny has said that you need to play more like men and less like boys. What do you think he meant by that?

“At times we’ve shown a different side to ourselves. You could say that we played like boys in the Cagliari game – we should not have been dropping points in that match, given that we were 2-0 up. We played like boys at the end against Atalanta too, because if you look at the way the match panned out, we clearly dropped off in terms of our quality and drive.

"We can’t afford to drop points tomorrow night – you can accept losing to Juventus, particularly because we lost with dignity and showed a reaction in the second half. We found another gear and even let ourselves lose a bit of balance, but we had to do it. I think playing like ‘boys’ referred to these lapses in concentration we’ve had – that’s just his way of describing them.”

Is it true that Diego Perotti and Stephan El Shaarawy were confused as to why they were playing on the right?

“They are more comfortable on the left and everyone can see they’re not quite as familiar on the right. They enjoy it more on the left. Usually you use that strategy to work the through balls – it’s something [Zdenek] Zeman did. I need more convincing than that, though. That didn’t come into my decision with Gerson, in any case – it was down to the fact that I had players who probably weren’t going to be able to finish the match. [Bruno] Peres had 15 minutes in his legs and [Mohamed] Salah wasn’t going to finish the game. Gerson brought added physical presence.”

With the transfer window approaching, the rumours are starting to fly about Roma’s potential signings. What does the team need? Are you short of cover in midfield?

“When we take stock at the end of the year, part of that will involve listening to the players. It creates an issue if you have players unhappy because they’re not playing. It’s good to talk to the lads. If the right midfielder is available, maybe we’ll do something, but we won’t be making any decisions on a whim.”

Maurizio Sarri is a coach that never changes his style of play, but you’ve shown yourself to be willing to adapt to your opposition. What differences are there between the two approaches?

“I used to be a bit more rigid, like him. But you have to take the characteristics of the players into account. He’s a very good coach and I admire the way his team plays. Right now he’s better than everyone else. I’ve eased off a bit and adjusted my tactics, partly because of injuries. I think both options are valid."

Roma have finished in second place eight times since they last won the Scudetto, in 2001. What is the team lacking?

“I think all of the coaches that have finished in second place have done well, but now we have to try to give that little bit more, to raise the bar as much as we can. The players have to keep trying to get better, analysing the results and showing real professionalism. At the end of the day, if there’s another team that’s just better than you and does everything perfectly, then it’s going to be tough to win. Roma do a very respectable job and I hope that’s even more apparent after the Chievo game.

“You have to take everything into account – the results, your league standing, the improvement or regression of the players in your squad. You look at the squad’s relationship with the coach. Is there a common objective? A target to aim at? A destination that everyone wants to get to? It’s important to talk as much as possible. At the end of the day, everyone will realise how much work we’ve done.”

How is Stephan El Shaarawy?

“He’s had a problem with his adductor and he’s been training with the handbrake on, but he’s a smashing lad and there’s no doubting his quality. He needs that support in terms of his character because there are areas he feels more comfortable in on the pitch. He prefers to receive the ball to feet and then beat his man. He needs to improve in the way he battles, his all-round quality and his finishing. But his right foot is pure quality. I’d like to see him putting in more crosses from the right, especially given that we have a striker like Dzeko in the middle.”

Will Thomas Vermaelen play tomorrow?

“Probably.”