Di Francesco’s pre-match press conference: Florenzi ready to return

Sunday’s match at the Stadio Olimpico will kick off a 12:30 CEST.

The Giallorossi coach began the conference with a tribute to Maria Sensi.

“This is a sad day for me. A person who is very dear to me, like a second mother, has passed away. My sympathy goes to the Sensi family and her sister Angela. I have wonderful memories of her. This is a sad day for me and everyone connected to Roma. Maria Sensi was a huge Roma fan.”

Last season Roma started well after the international break. Does the team need time to get going this year too?

“Perhaps my way of doing things leads my teams to start more slowly and begin picking up results over time. We hoped to have a few more points at this stage but we’re at a point of the season where we can make up for those dropped points.”

Chievo made things tough for Juventus in their first match of the season. What kind of contest are you expecting tomorrow?

“They also played well in the first half against Fiorentina, even though the result told a different story. They’ll want to get a positive result here but our thoughts must be on getting all three points. This is a tricky game and it marks the start of a very tough run, which will tell us where we are.”

What has the international break taken out of Roma?

“It’s taken time out of the work we’ve been doing, particularly on pressing and defensive work. But lots of players have got more minutes under their belt – so there are positives from a physical standpoint and also from a mental standpoint for those players that scored goals.”

How are Daniele De Rossi and Alessandro Florenzi?

“They’ve both recovered. Alessandro Florenzi will definitely start the match. As for Daniele De Rossi, I’ll have to decide whether to play him or Steven Nzonzi. He’s had a couple of small issues but he’s fully recovered now.”

Is it now time to see Justin Kluivert, Ante Coric or Nicolo Zaniolo in the team, for a more carefree approach?

“Rather than being carefree, I spoke to the players about showing enthusiasm and desire, so they go into games without looking too much at what’s going on around them and have a chance to make mistakes but then improve. We’ve got lots of young players who will play high-level matches, other teams have fewer. It’s a natural development process. I ask the players to bring the qualities they have out onto the pitch, preparing the match as best as possible from a mental point of view.”

De Rossi spoke about the group being strong and not one to back down easily. He added that Juventus are on another planet economically speaking, but not in playing terms. Do you agree with that?

“I agree, even though he said Juventus are the strongest side in playing teams. Juventus are not on another planet right now. We need to make up ground, showing some determination and ruthlessness, qualities we had last season in those tougher times. We need to make up for those dropped points. So I’m in agreement with what the captain said.”

Are you mulling a return to a 4-3-3? Could the freshness of the youngsters be a boost?

“With young players it’s a double-edged sword – if they do badly, they might be negatively affected. Zaniolo, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Bryan Cristante are in the running for the two wide central midfield roles. These are three youngsters that have the qualities to play either side of Nzonzi or De Rossi. In our three matches, we’ve used a 4-3-3 for at least one game and a half. At this time it’s up to me, first and foremost, to give the team some certainty.”

Massimiliano Allegri said he will try not to use players that played two matches during the international break. Will Edin Dzeko, Cengiz Under and Kostas Manolas play?

“It’s a slightly different situation. The only one of my players who arrived slightly later was Edin Dzeko. I’ve talked to the boys – I saw that they were determined and ready to be starters. I’ll decide how to proceed after the match with Real Madrid.”

Are you expecting more from Lorenzo Pellegrini, in terms of his character and on-the-pitch performances?

“I think he needs to be helped at the moment. He’s a real prospect for us and for Italian football. I know him well and I’m convinced he’ll show how good he is.”

Is Patrik Schick ready to play tomorrow?

“Dzeko will play – Schick won’t start the game. I always ask a lot from him in training and I’ll do the same if he comes on. He was out for two days but he’s developing. He’s another young player that needs a bit more composure, but I think Patrik is improving in that sense.”