Di Francesco: We had to dig deep - and we delivered

The Giallorossi ran out 3-1 winners in Saturday's Derby della Capitale, but only after overcoming the setback of a 67th minute Ciro Immobile equaliser.

Lorenzo Pellegrini, Aleksandar Kolarov and Federico Fazio scored the goals for Roma - who moved back up the Serie A table as a result.

Read what the boss had to say after the final whistle.

What happened after Bologna? Did you have discussions within the club?

“We decided to keep the team together in Trigoria for three days to help the players overcome their fear as we were going through a difficult spell. I don't need to explain that to you. I told the lads they had to stand up and be counted in this derby and that's exactly what they did.

"When you're stuck in a rut you have to dig deep and deliver a bit extra. This is my team. Sometimes we might get caught up in fear or other things but we have to keep playing like this, with the same commitment as this afternoon. There were a few games where we didn't do that but we showed the right attitude today – that's what we need if we want to be successful.”

Apart from that opening spell, you always seemed to be in control of the game today.

“We looked in control against Chievo too and then we made a mistake, a bit like [Federico] Fazio did today although he made up for it by scoring down the other end. That was the toughest moment but the lads stayed calm and I told them to carry on playing. I was sure we'd score another.

"We played really well after going 1-0 up as well but we couldn't turn our superiority into a second goal. You need character to stay focused on the game and the lads did that today. It shows we've improved.”

Is this the best formation for Roma?

“We've done a lot of work on it, on getting our movement right with the three forwards. This morning we showed the team a few situations against Frosinone where we got it right and others where we did less well. I'm very happy. They've all shown a willingness to knuckle down and that means they haven't lost the philosophy I've always tried to instil in them. The lads had a different look in their eyes today and this performance is the result of that. You can't win every game but I want to see the players always applying themselves the way they did today.”

You brought on Lorenzo Pellegrini in a position we're not used to seeing him.

“I've played 4-2-3-1 before and I used it at Sassuolo at times when needed, so it wasn't the first time Lorenzo had played in that position. He's got the ability to play there: he has stamina and technique. I told him he might come on for [Daniele] De Rossi, who had a bit of a problem with his knee, or in place of [Javier] Pastore. Pastore had a calf problem. I don't know if it's the same as last time but I think it's unlikely he'll be available for the Champions League.”

Edin Dzeko got a bit worked up with his team-mates. What happened?

“He was right some of the time because he could have had better service. I was happy with his contribution. Our first goal came thanks to his ability to get up above his marker. He put in a good shift and that's what I want from him. I want quality – I don't ask him to chase down the opposition midfielder. I try to get the others playing the way that best suits his attributes.

"We need everyone and I'm happy with Edin. I'll try to explain to him that there are times when you just have to dig in without necessarily scoring. I'm sure his mind will already be set on scoring against Viktoria Plzen.”