Baldissoni on the title, Totti and transfers

Roma moved into pole position in the league following a 2-1 win away at Fiorentina on Sunday - the first time the club have been out on their own at the top of the league for two years.

Speaking to Radio Rai, Baldissoni stressed that no one at Roma was getting carried away about the current league standings…

Roma are in good form, is this your year?

“I’ll tell you in May. It’s the season as a whole that counts, not specific moments. The table shows how teams have performed so far and at the moment it looks like an even league, with several teams doing well. But it’s too early to draw conclusions. All teams are enjoying the fruit of their work and we’re enjoying being top of the table on our own for the first time in two years.”

Who do you fear most of the teams below you?

“I think the best thing to do is concentrate on ourselves and on improving. We know this Roma side has the means to win, but there’s a big difference between saying it and actually doing it. You improve by winning games. We’re focusing on building a mentality and a conviction in our own game - then we’ll worry about the others.”

Is the gap between Italy and Europe still too large?

“I don’t think it’s too big a gap. Playing in the Champions League takes up a lot of energy, especially when you’re fighting to win your domestic league too. Roma are less used to that and it might be a factor, but it also comes down to the little things – we didn’t play well against BATE but it might have been different had Florenzi not hit the bar and the group would be looking different had there not been that late sting in the tail at Leverkusen. That said, we still have a chance of qualifying from the group.”

"Francesco represents everything about this club, he is Roma. He’s out because of an injury at the moment. He had chances at the start of the season, but he’s obviously at a stage in his career when he’s not going to be 100% fit for every match. That said, his importance is the same as it has always been." 

- Mauro Baldissoni

I really like the current Roma side but there’s still a problem in defense. If you could turn back time, would you have signed another central defender?

“It’s a fair observation but you play football as a team of 11 and defensive work also involves the players more used to attacking. Having said that, we mustn’t forget that Roma were operating in the transfer market within UEFA limitations due to an agreement signed with the FFP body, which was not just about a limit on our Champions League roster.

“It meant we had to make tough decisions to deal with economic and financial restrictions, which oblige us to run a market surplus over the course of the both transfer windows. That applies to not only transfer costs but also wages. With all that in mind, we decided to invest where we thought we needed to improve, according to the priorities identified with the coach, i.e. a striker, a left-back, a winger and a goalkeeper.

"We used the rest to complete the roster. We also have some excellent players recovering from injury, such as Leo Castan and Kevin Strootman, who over the course of the season can help us to fill some of the gaps we’ve identified thus far. To fill these gaps buying players of the highest quality would have been impossible due to the restrictions and a poor strategy from a season-long perspective.”

Rudi Garcia has been under the microscope a lot recently…

“He certainly has, as have we all. It’s part of our job. There are big expectations around and the team hasn’t won the title for many years, so now that it has the means to win, the expectations have gone up and that’s when the toughest criticism comes. We have to accept that. Garcia’s position was never in doubt, although in our line of work our jobs are always under discussion.

"We have a frank, direct relationship with him and we’re very pleased with what he’s achieved since he arrived at Roma. Some of the comments at the end of the season were a bit unfortunate and the president let him know that clearly, but that didn’t affect the relationship in any way. Let’s not forget that in his first season he registered a record points tally and has guided Roma to a second-placed finish twice in a row. We expect to improve but that goes for everyone.”

The team is improving and the results are now coming. But is Francesco Totti still a part of Rudi Garcia and Roma’s plans?

“He can’t not be. Francesco represents everything about this club, he is Roma. He’s out because of an injury at the moment. He had chances at the start of the season, but he’s obviously at a stage in his career when he’s not going to be 100% fit for every match. That said, his importance is the same as it has always been. While he can still give us something we’re delighted to have him with us and he’s certainly at the centre of our plans.

“Will Totti remain with the club when he hangs up his boots? We already have an agreement for Francesco to continue in an important club role when he decides to retire from playing. He has a great relationship with the president.

"He knows it’s up to him to decide what he wants to do and he is free to choose what kind of thing he wants to dedicate his time to – whether it’s a technical role with the team, a club-level position or as an ambassador. We’re under no illusions as to his global potential and we’ll be delighted to have him represent the club around the world.”

How is the new stadium progressing?

“We’re at an advanced stage in terms of authorisation. In a few weeks’ time we will present the project at the regional departmental conference. That’s the last stage of obtaining approval and will take a minimum of six months. In spring we should be able to lay the first stone or dig the first hole.”