Di Francesco: We rediscovered our identity

The Giallorossi made it back-to-back wins in Serie A thanks to goals from Bryan Cristante and Cengiz Under - putting themselves back within touching distance of the top four as the season goes into a brief winter break.

What do you take home with you tonight besides the three points?

“We've rediscovered our identity. We looked like a team who knew what they wanted. We struggled a little in the first half because our ball circulation was too slow, but we upped the tempo after the restart and managed to remain in control of the game. We fashioned lots of chances to hurt the opposition while they only had one real chance all game – [Luca] Siligardi's.”

Did you need to get the ball up to the forwards more quickly?

“Yes, but it's not surprising because we've had lots of games one after another. We weren't at our best at the start, although we settled into our game better later. I expected us to start slow today because I've used lots of players in back-to-back games in the space of a week.”

How did Nicolo Zaniolo do? What advice do you give to a player who finds himself placed under the spotlight at such a young age?

“He needs to keep working with the same humility that earned him a starting spot. He has to train hard and keep improving. He made some mistakes today but that's normal. He's not used to playing three games in a row at this sort of tempo. I didn't have many players in peak condition so I had to take a gamble. The more logical move would have been to start him on the bench but it's not something I was able to do."

What do you expect the club to do in the transfer market?

“We'll assess that with the club.”