Fonseca: The team is improving every day

Sunday's game at the Stadio Olimpico gets underway at 18:00, with the Giallorossi looking to pick up their first win of the season.

See what the coach had to say about the contest...

What have you made of the squad since the international break?

"We were without our international players for ten days, but we've had time to work hard since their return. Some of the players weren't involved with their respective countries and they'll be available to play."

What's the update on Chris Smalling?

"He has had a small groin problem over the last few days. It's nothing serious and this is how we've chosen to manage the situation. We prefer not to take risks. We want him to be at 100%, not 70 or 80%. We have plenty of games coming up in the next few weeks, so in agreement with the medical staff, this is how I've decided to proceed."

What do you expect to see that will be different compared with the first two league games?

"I've seen the team has been improving day after day. I'm confident based on what we've done during the week. We'll see something different, but I don't plan to reveal our strategy for tomorrow's game today."

It's the club's sixth muscle injury this season. Have you identified what the problem is? Overexertion? Too much gym work?

"First of all, I'd like to say I'm not the type of person who likes to find excuses or alibis on the pitch, in the gym or anywhere else. You referred to six different situations in your question. [Cengiz] Under got injured on international duty, not with Roma. [Javier] Pastore hasn't had a muscle problem; rather a track record of various injuries. There are times when we have to manage certain players who are at risk and there are a few here.

"As for Smalling, it's not a muscle problem. He felt a pain in his groin and we've decided not to take any risks to avoid making the situation worse. Regarding [Leonardo] Spinazzola, you can do tests and these things can still happen.

"The two cases that deserve our attention are [Davide] Zappacosta and [Diego] Perotti, given that the latter falls into the category of players who are at risk because of previous situations. Diego got injured while taking a shot as part of a set-piece drill, without major physical exertion. Zappacosta's problem arose during a pre-match warm-up. These situations aren't exactly normal and that's where we have to investigate further.

"Other aspects and psychological factors can also come into a play for a footballer. We know about difficult cases that have occurred in the past with injures, but from day one, we've been treating them and worrying about them. We're trying to avoid such situations in tandem with the medical staff. They don't just affect us; every club gets them, even the very biggest ones in Europe, Italy included. We are developing rigorous programmes to prevent such cases and are managing the players as a whole as well as the more at-risk players with total caution and focus."

Henrikh Mkhitaryan hasn't trained much with his new team-mates. Has he done enough to play straight away or do you want to wait a bit longer?

"I've given you the wrong idea because I've always revealed who would play, but I'm not going to do that today. He came back in good shape, is intelligent and is available for selection."

We saw the team play with a deep line against Genoa and Lazio, in contrast with the pressing game in pre-season friendlies. Will we see a more aggressive team tomorrow in terms of winning the ball back from a Sassuolo side that will play with a back four?

"I don't know if Sassuolo will play with a back four. Their coach changed formation many times last season and we've prepared for the various possibilities. As for winning possession back, I didn't like our pressing against Lazio. The team became too passive and didn't press much. I want my side to play high up the pitch when the right conditions are in place."

How long will it be until we see Fonseca's Roma in action?

"As I've said, I've seen constant improvement from the team. I'm confident we'll see further improvement in tomorrow's game, both in terms of the quality of our game and ideas that will be useful in the future. We've improving compared with our first two league games, although there were still plenty of positives to take from those matches."

Pellegrini said yesterday that he's fully available to his coach, but if he had the chance to choose, he'd play as an attacking midfielder. What could he bring in that role compared with the holding position?

"Pellegini is a player who can take on many different roles. I won't be telling you where he's playing tomorrow. He's an intelligent player with real quality. He understands and knows what to do wherever he plays."

Sassuolo had 68% possession in their first two games, more than any other side. Is that what you want from your team? What do you make of Roberto De Zerbi?

"De Zerbi is an excellent and brave coach who likes his team to keep the ball, as we can see from the statistics. When a team plays that brand of football, it certainly deserves my attention and praise. I want my side to keep more of the ball, which is what we're working on. Here in Italy, I don't think teams are patient enough in terms of managing possession and resort to direct football. That's what I want to manage better in all periods of the game. We'll keep working hard and I want us to improve. Given that there are specific characteristics in the Italian league that make the game difficult, we need to adapt and that's what I'm doing. There are principles, however, that I don't plan to drift from. We need a change of mentality to get this message across."

Are you pleased with Nicolo Zaniolo?

"Yes, he has to understand the game, which is exactly what he's doing. He's progressing and helping out defensively. It's a developmental process. He has fantastic qualities and we have high hopes for him."

Are you pleased with how the transfer window went?

"We were looking for an experienced centre-back and we brought in Smalling, which I was pleased about. Mkhitaryan is a quality player who can play in different positions. [Nikola] Kalinic is an experienced player who's played in Italy. He has to improve his fitness, but he'll be a key player for us. I'm pleased with the latest arrivals."

Can you improve your zonal defensive play?

"We're working hard on restricting our opponents in terms of them getting in behind our defence. Teams tend to adopt a direct style in Italy and we have to control the space carefully. We've worked hard on it. There's a distinction to be made between Lazio and Genoa: we controlled the space in behind well against Lazio and didn't suffer too much in terms of balls behind our rearguard, but certain things changed. We suffered a bit more against Genoa, but we've worked hard to make the necessary alterations."