Luciano Spalletti said his squad had started off "on the right foot", after Roma kicked off their 2016-17 season with a dominant win over AC Pinzolo on Wednesday.
There were 16 goals in a comfortable triumph for the Giallorossi - but Spalletti was more satisfied by the attitude shown by the players, in what was always intended to be a straighforward opening game of pre-season.
The coach believes they need to maintain a similarly professional attitidue as the intensity of games and quality of the opposition steps up.
“They know what's ahead of them and how they'll have to play," Spalletti said. "You need grit, determination and hard work. You need to be professional in everything you do.
"They started off on the right foot. Our lads have got the right mentality. If we keep reminding them, we can go that bit further.”
How important was it for the players to get back into match mode?
“That's what we're here for. You have to work up through the gears – getting the team playing together and shifting the ball around. The players showed the right approach today and tried to keep the ball on the deck. It was a good training exercise for us.”
Can Emerson Palmieri play on the right?
“He can certainly make a good fist of it. I think it's very difficult for a left-footed player to play at right-back whereas the other way round it is easier. We have three left-backs at the moment and Palmieri is the one who does it best.”
What's your first impression of Gerson?
“Gerson showed good movement and he's very skilful. He moves the ball on so quickly it almost looks like he hasn't touched it. We need to see how he handles himself when the stakes are raised but he's a delight to watch.”
Your defenders were left twiddling their thumbs today...
“You still have to maintain your focus and take whatever comes your way seriously. The players kept that up and they stayed switched on. They tried to do everything right even though it was a fairly easy task today. We need to up the tempo little by little.”
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