Baldissoni: This win is worth double

Roma’s general manager also insisted that this victory counts “for double” – thanks to the 8-point gap that has now been opened up in the table between the two sides.

“Roma are a great side and despite the added emotional baggage of the derby, the guys made sure they didn’t get overawed by it all,” claimed Baldissoni. “Obviously, playing seven matches in a short space of time at this intensity in Serie A and the Champions League is tough, but if we overlook that unlucky defeat in Milan, then I think we can look back at this period with great satisfaction.”

The players imposed their game today and managed to get a goal straight away…

“Roma have great quality and if we manage to keep hold of the ball, we are very dangerous. I want to praise the players’ approach today – they showed the maturity you need to deal with the emotions of an occasion like this. This win is worth double – we’ve put some distance between ourselves and Lazio and we’ve ensured we keep up the pace at the top of the table.”

How have Roma improved compared to last season?

“There’s been a massive improvement between the second half of last season and the start of the current campaign, both in terms of the quality of individual players and the good work we’ve done as a whole. The mentality is the big thing – there’s a long way between being able to win and actually winning and the only way to bridge that gap is by instilling a winning mentality into everything you do, from training right until the last minute of each match. I think the team is growing in that regard.”

Was this one of Roma’s best performances, especially considering the absentees?

“In terms of the statistics, it’s important to underline the fact that we’ve kept a clean sheet, which we’d only done against Frosinone. There’s often been talk of the lack of options within the roster but let’s not forget that we were missing Kevin Strootman, Daniele De Rossi and Miralem Pjanic in midfield today, plus Seydou Keita and Alessandro Florenzi on the bench. Despite that, Roma controlled the game and dominated the play – that’s testament to the guys out there today and the hard work they do every day. The same often-criticized defence barely suffered at all against a strong Lazio forward line. Our performance today was a great response to the criticism we’ve received.”