Strootman adamant Roma didn't deserve to lose

Kevin Strootman believes Roma's performance did not warrant their 1-0 defeat at the hands of Fiorentina on Sunday.

Milan Badelj's 82nd minute strike was the difference between the two sides, in a game where Roma created the better openings and controlled much of the play but failed to find a cutting edge in front of goal.

Nevertheless, Strootman feels defeat was harsh on Luciano Spalletti's side.

“Yes, we started the game well and dominated the play," Strootman said, when asked if the defeat was undeserved. "We had two big chances – one was a penalty in my eyes, and the other one Edin [Dzeko] missed unfortunately. In any case, they had no chances in the first half.

“After the break, we didn’t play as well as we did in the first half but even so we didn’t let them have many chances, apart from a shot from their left-back and then the goal. It’s a shame we didn’t get any points.”

What were you lacking in the second half?

“We lost the ball far too much, messing up easy passes. We worked really hard last week to improve in that area. We did well in the first half, but we weren’t the same after the break. That said, I still think we deserved at least a point from the game, if not three. At the end of the day they didn’t play well enough to deserve the win.”

Was tiredness a factor after the break?

“No. We gave too many balls away and that makes it harder to win it back in midfield. As I’ve said, we needed to do better, both in the first half and the second. We should have won but now we have no points – it’s a shame.”

Your charisma seems to really help the team, but what do Roma need to do to make the step up?

“I still need to get a lot better. In the second half I messed up three easy passes and that means the team has to switch back to defence and win it back. I want to help the team. In my opinion this was our best performance of the league season.

“We need to work hard, listen to the coach and make sure we’re ready for the next game, because there’s a long season ahead. We need to get our confidence back and win football matches. We played as a team today so that’s pleasing, but we still need to improve across the board – and that goes for me as well.”