Spalletti: Delighted but let’s keep our feet on the ground

Speaking after Friday night’s match at the Olimpico, Spalletti said Roma had produced a top-level performance but spoke of the importance of continuing the improvement the side has shown in recent weeks.

“I’m delighted because we produced a magnificent performance tonight,” began Spalletti. “Now we need to keep our feet on the ground and kick on. We need to keep getting better one step at a time, as we’ve been doing thus far.”

It was a fantastic performance from Roma tonight…
“Yes, we want to play proper football, have fun and entertain the fans. It all tastes a bit sweeter when you get results like that. We deserved to win tonight against a very good side. You have to say well done to the lads – they did the most difficult thing tonight and that’s to deny Fiorentina possession of the football. They’re the masters of that. In the second half they tired and that was down to the scoreline and how we played in the first half – we kept the ball and they had to work harder than they wanted.”

Is it fair to say you won on a tactical level?
“Fiorentina usually get Marcos Alonso up field with the forwards – it’s a play they do very well. But we pressed them high tonight and did excellently to nick the ball off them and break at speed, without giving them a chance to regain their bearings. Stephan El Shaarawy and Mohamed Salah had lots of joy on the counter once we’d won the ball. They’ve got loads of running in their legs and then we have Miralem Pjanic who uses the ball so well and is able to give them great service.”

How would you rate Mohamed Salah’s performance?
“Salah’s a great player and if you allow him to latch onto the ball at speed and attack the space then he’s devastating. He has fantastic pace and great technical skill to boot.”

How important was Seydou Keita in balancing the side tonight?
“Seydou had a great game. His experience and physical presence were key – he played very well. He was alive to Fiorentina’s attacking midfielders, Josip Ilicic and Federico Bernardeschi. He managed to protect the defence and did a fantastic job.”

What kind of impact did Francesco Totti have on the game?
“He came on and did well. He added quality, put the hard yards in and was unlucky to hit the post with that free-kick…”

Is it a shame you had to face Juventus before this good run?
“As I’ve always said, we need to take each game as it comes as we improve. Thus far we’ve gained ground with every step we’ve taken. We need to keep it up.”