De Rossi: A bruising defeat but nothing is decided yet

The Giallorossi lost 3-0 against rivals Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico – and the captain was quick to hold his hands up afterwards and accept that his side had been found wanting.

“It’s a story like in many derbies – sometimes one team plays better, sometimes the other does,” De Rossi said. “Today they did better than us.

“These are games that can be decided by small moments, but today they did better than us.

“In the last few games we have struggled, away to Frosinone and at home to Bologna. It’s a moment we need to regroup, we need to get ready over the next few days as we have a vital game upcoming. Wednesday’s match will have a big impact on the rest of the campaign.”

De Rossi denied the suggestion that the impending Champions League game against Porto had affected the players.

“No, these games are all important and we don’t change how we approach them,” De Rossi said.

“We approach them all with the same determination. We know how important this game was for the fans and the league table. We’ve taken a bruising today but nothing is decided just yet.

“The derby is the derby, and it was also a game against a direct rival in the standings. But there are still games to make up points, against Inter and Milan.

“We need to prepare for the game against Porto without dwelling on tonight – otherwise we won’t have the right focus for an important game like that.”