Di Francesco: Kluivert will start against Bologna

Roma travel to the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara looking to end a five-match run without a win, with Kluivert set to play from the beginning in a bid to change that streak.

Midfielder Javier Pastore is also available once again but, while Di Francesco is yet to decide how the Argentine will be used tomorrow, he knows Kluivert will be getting his chance to impress.

“You can only pick 18 players for European games, so someone had to be left out," Di Francesco said, when asked if leaving Kluivert out against Real Madrid in midweek had been a message.

"He could take it as a message, but he’ll be starting the match tomorrow. This shows that you can be out of the squad one match and in the starting line-up the next: we need all the players in the squad.”

Bologna are yet to score this season. What kind of game are you expecting tomorrow?

“I think it will be a potentially dangerous game. Despite the results they’ve picked up so far, Bologna have shown themselves to be robust – they managed to go toe-to-toe with Inter for a large part of that match. We’ll be looking to win the game but matches against teams battling for survival should be approached with purpose.”

How is Javier Pastore?

“He’s available but I still need to decide whether he’ll play.”

We saw great things from this team at the tailend of last season, why does the current side seem like a distant relative?

“You’re right. It seems that way at the moment but we have time to get back to form. Something needs to stir inside us – we need that fire in our belly. I can assure that I do, and the team needs to rediscover that as soon as possible. It’s up to me to bring it out of them. On Sunday we need to show that we’re a determined and ruthless side.”

Aleksandr Kolarov hasn’t made the best of starts to the season. Could Luca Pellegrini break into the team?

“There could be a spot for him – those are the assessments I need to make. He’d be making his debut for Roma. Kolarov will miss one of these games, but I won’t be saying which.”

Did the selection of Nicolo Zaniolo send a message to the group? Could he also make his Serie A debut?

“Perhaps but I wasn’t trying to send a message by picking him. This lad has got real quality. It wasn’t an easy game. When you make decisions like that, people either say you’re brave or crazy. When I make these choices, I only do so for the good of Roma.

"I will show full respect to this jersey with every decision I make. That’s a message that goes to those who give out constructive and destructive criticism, but I won’t tolerate those who say offensive things. I can accept irony but something I heard made me really angry. I want to use that anger positively – we need to show we’re a different team to what we’ve shown.”

A lot has been said about the mental side of things - is that something that can be coached?

“Of course it can, when the players are willing to try and understand things, but you can always make mistakes. I’m not 100% right necessarily. I’m a coach and I know a bit about this – I’d say that getting inside players’ heads is fundamental. At the moment that’s the main task on my hands. I don’t know if I’ve failed to do so until now, but I need to make sure I do from now on.”

What stage is Robin Olsen at?

“Against Chievo we put him under more pressure than our opponents. He played really well against Real Madrid. He’s really committed and wants to show that the judgements people have made of him are wrong. I hope the performance against Madrid makes him even stronger and that the great work he is doing and his willingness, despite not knowing the language or the league very well, pays off.”

You’ve ruled out physical problems when discussing previous games. Do you still have the same view?

“Everyone can have their say on these issues. It’s up to me to find solutions. On the physical aspect, I’ll give you an example: if I make a sudden movement but move a second late, I’ve made the movement, but what’s the thing that matters? We need greater focus, to be fully absorbed by the match, thinking the worst and being ready for when your team-mate makes a mistake. It might look to everyone that the team isn’t running or is running unconstructively. We can talk about this all day, but the only way I can back up what I think is by getting results.”

How can you explain this drop off from some of the players you’ve most relied on? Can you tell us what you think about Bologna?

“They all need to find their form, not just the senior players. I’m expecting more from everyone, from the group as a whole. Last year we were very compact, but we’ve lost that. We need that fire in our bellies again, as a team. We need to work better together. I’m demanding a bit more from everyone and we need to show that consistently.

"Bologna are a side that tend to defend in a compact way. It’s difficult to break them down so we’ll have to play well and try not to rush things. We need to show that we’re a good side, that has previously been able to win lots of games away from home.”

Could you use a midfield of Daniele De Rossi, Steven Nzonzi and Nicolo Zaniolo again? Do you think the players are behind your idea of football?

“I think we’ve shown that my idea of football can bring you excellent results. I’m convinced that the players have even more belief in what we’re doing. The choices I made were tactical. I can’t demand Nzonzi to go up and down the pitch in the wide central midfield role. I wanted to see more from my team, but I know it showed that we are inferior to Real Madrid. If we don’t have the right level of determination, we’ll struggle against everyone.”

Patrik Schick didn’t appear to be fired up during the half-hour he played. What are your impressions of the player?

“We need all the players. Patrik could have done better, but the same goes for lots of other players. In tough periods I always say that the boys need support. He needs even more support, but he’s got great ability.

"He needs to give more and bring all his qualities into his on-pitch performances. We need him - we cannot heavily rely on Edin Dzeko in every game."