Fonseca: We've come back fired up to start 2021 well

Coach Paulo Fonseca answered questions from the media on Saturday afternoon, ahead of the side's first game of 2021.

The Giallorossi host Sampdoria at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday - with kick-off at 15:00 local time.

Heading into the contest, here's what Fonseca had to say...

How is the side looking heading into this game, considering a a few players have some injury concerns?

“The team is doing well, they’ve all come back raring to go. We’ve been training well, ready to start the New Year in the best way possible.”

Very soon the club’s newest director, Tiago Pinto, will arrive. Have you already spoken? When will you start working on the transfer market strategy?

“Yes, we have been talking. We are waiting for Tiago to get here so we can continue our discussions. But we are already in contact.”

In Europe’s big leagues you don’t see as many over-30 players as influential as they are here in Italy. Edin Dzeko and Fabio Quagliarella are among those – why do you think this is?

“In my opinion footballers don’t have ages, they have performances. This shows that both those players are great professionals, that they make sure they can still perform to their best.”

Bryan Cristante is one yellow card away from a suspension. Will he play tomorrow?

“We’ll see tomorrow.”

In the past few days a lot has been written and said about Nicolo Zaniolo and his personal life. Have you spoken with him? And how much can someone's life away from the pitch have an impact on it?

“I do not get involved in the private lives of players. As for the rest, I will say that Zaniolo is a professional when he is training with us.”

Would you have liked to have a longer winter break?

“It would have been nice, but there is no time to have a longer break than this. It’s true that there are a lot of games, but with the wider issues everyone is having to deal with it’s not possible.”

Could Javier Pastore be in the matchday squad tomorrow?

“Pastore is not ready. He’s returned to training this week, he needs to keep following an individual training programme. So it won’t be possible to have him involved tomorrow.”

You’ve said before that the squad is fighting fatigue. How are the doing now?

“The team is doing okay. The players have been training well, they are all really motivated. When the team is motivated everything is easier, in terms of fitness as well. Physically we are doing okay.”

Tomorrow’s game will be refereed by Marco Guida, who was in charge of VAR for the Sassuolo game. What do you make of that assignment?

“We did not get a great game from the officials against Sassuolo, as I’ve said before – but I am confident in the officiating for tomorrow.”

Tomorrow you will be going up against a side with a smart coach, who knows how to target the weaknesses of an opponent – focusing on those game-by-game. Considering that a similar coach, Stefano Pioli, is currently leading the league [with AC Milan], do you think these days it’s better to have different tactics for different opponents or to focus on an overall identity?

“Both of them are important. It’s important to have a clear identity, a clear tactical idea. But in Italy every game is unique, and they all need to be prepared for carefully.”

This week in training we’ve seen a lot of fitness work. How have you structured the programme for the week?

“We only stopped training for a few days, so there was not a great change in the fitness levels of the players. On the first day back we did individual running, purely because of the Covid protocols. A few players were in different countries and so we want to take this additional precaution.”

What sort of opponent will Sampdoria be?

“They are a side that warrant respect. They are having a great season, Claudio Ranieri is doing a great job. Against the other big sides they have always done well. So I’m expecting a very tough match.”