Press Conference: Fonseca confident ahead of season restart

On Wednesday evening the Stadio Olimpico will host the Giallorossi for the first time in more than three months, as Sampdoria head to the capital for the behind closed doors game.

Kick-off at the Olimpico is scheduled for 21:45 local time.

With Covid-19 restrictions still in place, Fonseca answered questions submitted in advance by journalists.

Here's what the boss had to say!

The past few weeks you have kept on working on a three-man defence in training. Is that a Plan B, or the way you want to restart the season?

“We have tried a few different systems over the past few days, and we can adapt them in different ways. It’s not the case that we will play with three at the back tomorrow, we will see. The important thing is that the team, above and beyond the formation, goes out there with the same attitude. For me the setup is not the important thing, it’s the attitude of the players.”

Chris Smalling and Henrikh Mkhitaryan have confirmed their reputations this season; do you have any news about the negotiations to keep them at Roma? What are the chances?

“You all know that we want to continue with Smalling and Micki and I think there is a good chance of that. But the present is the important thing right now. All the players need to be focused on tomorrow’s game, indeed the next 12 games and then the Europa League. For now we need to stay focused on these games and on the present.”

How has the squad reacted to the suspension of the sporting director? Have you ever experienced a similar situation?

“It’s not the right moment to talk about that situation. Right now we need to be united, the squad is just focused on the game ahead. We need to think about that, about what we need to do out on the pitch. The most important thing is that the team is determined to win this first game back.”

These past few days the future has been talked about more than the present. Are you able to say that you will stay at Roma, regardless of the quality of the squad at your disposal?

“I have always said that I really like being here at Roma. I always see my future as being the coach of this club. Right now the present is the most important thing and that includes the 12 games we have – and the Europa League after that. But you all know how much I like Roma and how passionate I am about the club.”

Do you agree with the five substitutions rule – and do you see it as a tactical weapon to be used in certain circumstances, or could you use it to plan your rotations and divide games up into 30-minute sections?

“I agree with the five-substitution rule for now, in these circumstances. In future I think we should go back to having three. But for now I agree with it, we have a lot of games to play and it will be a great option to have those subs available.”

How have you chosen to prepare, given that you need to start as strongly as possible yet also need to be ready to shine in the Europa League in August? And why didn’t you play any friendlies?

“We didn’t play friendlies because it wasn’t possible. I don’t think we’ve ever had so much time between games. Two months is almost a unique situation for us. We began preparations a bit like it was pre-season, thinking that now there are a few games to play in a short space of time and we need every player to be ready to play and to help the team. We’ve worked really well in this period and we are ready to go.”

How is Zaniolo’s recovery going? Will he be available within a few works?

“Zaniolo is recovering really well, he’s just started training with the Primavera. In a week or two he should be able to return to training with the first-team. He’s recovered really well and shortly he should be able to get back to work with us.”

Are Amadou Diawara and Davide Zappacosta ready to start tomorrow? And will Mirko Antonucci return too?

“We have all the players available, it’s just Pau Lopez and Nicolo Zaniolo that aren’t ready to play tomorrow. Both Diawara and Zappacosta are ready to play. As for Antonucci, right now it’s not possible to have him in the squad but he is a talented young player that could be important for us in the future.”

At a time like this, when we are seeing a lot of errors and a lot of teams that are not at 100% physically; how important is it to analyse the opposition to choose an approach that will expose that and take advantage of any mistakes?

“It’s difficult to do a really good analysis of the opposition right now, but the main thing is our side, our attitude, what we have to do and the responsibilities each player has during the game. I think the side is ready to put in a good performance.”

How different will it be without fans in the stadium?

“We will see tomorrow. I have played once behind closed doors, it’s not easy – and I think at the Olimpico, where we always feel the support of our fans, it really will not be easy. But we need to play as if our fans are right there beside us, cheering us on. We want to win for them.”

You have often picked out the away game against Sampdoria as one of the worst performances of your time at Roma so far. What have you worked on during the past few days to avoid a repeat of that, against a side that will clearly come here to defend?

“That game was a bit of an anomaly. As I have said before, we didn’t have the best attitude. I believe that the team has improved a lot since that game and honestly I don’t think about it much any more. Above all I am focused on this game and what we need to do against a tough opponent – as we saw from their performance against Inter. It will be tough; they are organised, they have a good coach, an experienced coach, the best Italian coach.”

Yesterday you had so many players in training, what effect has that had? Has it made you rue even more the way the season has gone?

“I don’t think about the past; yes, we have had our problems, but I am very pleased that now we have basically all our players available. We have a lot of options to pick the strongest team possible. I think right now that is very important; we need all of them, pretty much of all of them will get the chance to play. It’s great for me to come out for the start of training and see so many players, so many options, to give me better choices going into the next match.”