Mancini satisfied with first derby experience

In an end-to-end battle in the Derby della Capitale, Aleksandar Kolarov’s first-half penalty was ultimately cancelled out by Luis Alberto’s close-range finish.

With both sides disappointed not to win – but equally pleased to avoid a morale-destroying defeat – Mancini acknowledged that there were positives and negatives to take from the 90 minutes.

“It was a draining derby, it was hot out there,” Mancini said.

“It’s the second match and we still have time to get better but, taking everything together, it was a good game.”

What was missing for you to get the win?

“Well, another goal was missing. It was a tough match, we pressed the ball a lot and so did they. Lazio are a more settled side than us but we did well out there, we created chances, we had a few looks at goal but in the end we couldn’t find the winner.”

Today was your first derby. You suffered a bit at the back out there: was that because of a lack of understanding between you or a lack of match sharpness?

“It was exciting, my first derby, with the fans fired up and giving us support – it was an amazing experience. We struggled on a few occasions but so did they. We need to keep working hard every day to get to grips with the coach’s ideas. Us defenders are working together to find the right intensity and understanding to produce on the pitch what the coach is asking from us.”

Did you play the game the way you prepared for it?

“We worked on a lot of things. We knew that Lazio like to play on the counter a lot, using the pace of their attackers. We knew we hard to be aware of the long ball; sometimes we did that well and other times we did it less well. We really want to win but it was also important not to lose. After the international break we will try to do better.”