Di Francesco's pre-Frosinone press conference in full

The match gets underway at 21:00 CEST.

The Giallorossi are looking to bounce back following Sunday's 2-0 away defeat against Bologna.

The team have been in Trigoria since Sunday. How's it been and how do the players seem?

“We''ll see the results tomorrow. The club and I decided to keep the team in Trigoria so that we could all pull together and look at our current difficulties together.”

Is this game against Frosinone similar in the Bologna game?

“That's what the stats suggest and the two teams do have a similar tactical approach. We're playing at home tomorrow and our only option is to go for the three points.”

How do you rate Roma's summer transfer business?

“It would be wrong for me to talk about that now. I just have to focus on working with the players available to me and getting them to fulfil their potential. We're not doing that at the moment but we've only played five matches and we can only get better.

"There's no point talking about transfers now. Roma need a stronger squad than other teams. We just have to stay focused on our football and keep working. I don't think it's right to pass judgement at this moment in time.”

Will you rest Edin Dzeko against Frosinone?

“We have lots of games coming up and that's one of the things I have to weigh up given that we have the derby on Saturday afternoon and then the Champions League again. It's something to consider because Edin has played a lot of games, for his national team too.”

Is Rick Karsdorp's absence a fitness, discipline or football decision?

“It's mainly a football decision but the other things are linked. There was certainly no falling out. I have lots of players and three full-backs and I have to make choices. He has to get his head down and work his way back up the pecking order that some people think he has slipped down. It's up to the players to prove their worth in training.”

James Pallotta said he was disgusted by what he saw against Bologna. Do you feel you have his confidence?

“I'd be worried if he'd said he was happy instead of disgusted. I don't need to feel his confidence at the moment.”

Are you worried about this tension that's clearly visible in the players on the pitch?

“We all get worked up when things aren't going well. We gathered together in Trigoria to figure out what's not working and to fix things together. I need my players and they need me – it's that simple. We'll only get out of this rut by pulling together; pointing the finger at each other won't get us anywhere. We know we're not performing well at the moment but we can get back up there.”

After the Bologna match you said you would be looking for men before footballers. Have you found what you were looking for in Trigoria this week?

“What I meant by that was that when the physical and technical performances aren't up to scratch you need to add more on a mental level. We weren't able to maintain that throughout the game. We started off well against Bologna but we conceded from their first shot and then we lost our cohesion.

"We have to find ourselves again and muster everyone we have from within. I need people who face up to problems, in football like in life, but if a player doesn't start against Frosinone it doesn't mean he lacks character.”

On Bologna's second goal you had five against three and yet no one was able to stop Federico Santander, who is not the fastest of players. What was the mistake there?

“We can't be tired in the 57th minute otherwise we'd have cramp by the 90th. It comes down to poor positioning. It's about standing your ground and defending with more conviction. Santander is a live wire – he made more runs than anyone else that game. But we came up short there.

"I like the question though because it looks at our mistakes on a tactical level, where we didn't read the game well enough. On that occasion our reading of the game was very poor.”

Before the match you said you would work on the players' attitude but it seems they're arguing among themselves out there...

“You've never seen players really argue on the pitch. Sometimes it would be better if they did argue more because it would show they really want it. I just want them to respect themselves and their work – that's what we need to see. We still have time – I'm sure of that. Of course we're all in the firing line at the moment but we're determined to respond properly on the pitch. We don't always manage that but it's crunch time now so we just have to do it.”

You've been playing some of the players out of position recently. Why is that?

“Last year [Stephan] El Shaarawy played on the right and he did brilliantly. [Justin] Kluivert is a winger who can play in more than one position. Who decides he can only play on the left? He can do different jobs on the left too. He had two or three balls on the right. I'm not here to make things hard for my players. I look for alternative solutions and sometimes it's to make up for our defensive shortcomings.

"We'll try to find the best position for [Javier] Pastore. When he scored that backheel against Atalanta people thought it was his best position but he's an attacking player who can play in midfield or in the hole. We'll try to help him. I'm not here to complicate things for my players but to help them and we'll see whether I was right at the end, not now. I'm sure I can fit all the players into their best positions.”

How's Diego Perotti doing?

“He's picked up a muscle injury and it's giving him some trouble. We hope to have him back in time for the game against Empoli at least."

Before the match against Napoli last season you said that if you didn't get the response you wanted from the players you would step aside. What sort of response did you get at the time? Are your players willing to follow you all the way?

“I didn't say that. I said that if the players aren't following what I do in general then I'd be the first person to step aside. But I don't see that. Let's not talk about things that aren't true. Like this 'fight' between [Alessandro] Florenzi and Dzeko. There was no fight. You might argue about how you want the ball played to you but that happens at every level of the game. It's perfectly normal.”