Fonseca: We made mistakes but the response pleased me

Two goals inside the opening 10 minutes set the visitors on their way, with Diego Perotti's second half penalty ultimately only a consolation for the Giallorossi.

There was a further blow for Fonseca too, as Nicolo Zaniolo suffered a rupture to his anterior cruciate ligament that will require a long recovery.

It’s horrible when a young player faces such a lengthy lay-off...

“It’s a big problem – now he has to think only about his recovery. That’s what we must hope for him right now. We’re very sad for [Nicolo] Zaniolo but tomorrow is a new day.”

We saw two sides of Roma today. Are you worried about the initial approach?

“It’s tough playing against a team like Juventus and we gave away two early goals. We put in a good performance after that, against a great side. We were positive in the second period and put Juventus under pressure. However, once you go two goals down, it’s difficult.”

Are you still convinced playing out from the back is the best option?

“As a coach, I believe in imposing our game from the back. I’m the person responsible for this first and foremost. We work on it a lot and I know that we stand to gain more than we potentially risk from these situations. I believe in brave football, where you need to take some risks.”

Did the younger players perhaps outperform their more experienced colleagues today? I refer for example to the mistake Jordan Veretout made for the second goal.

“It’s true that Veretout was heavily involved in what was a bad moment for us, however he reacted to that very well indeed, showing bravery. I think that’s very important to see – a positive reaction after a mistake.”

Did the errors on the goals dent the team’s confidence for the remainder of the game?

“No. I think that the team played well, without letting their confidence dip, after those two mistakes. They remained confident for the rest of the match. I’m happy with how they did after those errors.”

What has changed between the win in Florence and these two defeats?

“Nothing – it’s simply a question of results. I think we attacked against Torino as well as Juventus. It’s not about organisation or tactics; I don’t like talking about individual errors, but I must underline that this was not down to how the team was organised, which is something I remain confident in.”