De Rossi: Players have to take responsibility

The Giallorossi's winless run continued at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, after goals from Federico Mattiello and Federico Santander.

What didn’t go right for you today?

“We though it would be a very different game, perhaps the first goal took our legs out from under us. We will have to analyse these mistakes, there are still a lot of games to go – the season is still completely up to us.

"Something isn’t working right now and we need to find the reasons amongst ourselves, facing up to it square in the eye.”

Can we make sense of what is happening at the moment for Roma?

“When things are going badly it feels impossible to turn it around, as illogical as that is, but with experience you know that we have had moments like this before and come through them – sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. But we have time and an obligation to try and do much better than this.”

At times like this, when the communication breaks down, is it right to continue with the same coach?

“This is the same coach that led us to the semi-finals of the Champions League, the same coach we worked with then and now – I don’t see why we should put the blame all on him. To beat Bologna and Chievo you don’t need to have [Pep] Guardiola in the dugout. As players, we must take responsibility.

"The coach will reflect on everything, where everything is going wrong – because when things are going badly no-one should be spared. It does not seem to me the time to be blaming the coach.”

Do the more experienced players in the dressing room have to do something to turn things around?

“We have done that already and it hasn’t been working. We talk, we assume responsibility. Us older players are not somehow less responsible than the young guys. I am certain we will get out of this. We now have two games that we cannot afford to lose.”

Do you want to say something about Giorgio Rossi?

“He was someone very important to everyone at Roma, and to me especially, I thought of him like a grandfather. We knew that he was not well, we hoped he would get better. At times like this he supported us more than anyone.”