Fonseca: We couldn't respond to first setback

The Giallorossi's recent winless run continued, after goals from Adrien Silva and Jakub Jankto.

The team seems to be in freefall right now. Is that the impression you have?

“Yes, it’s a tough moment for us. But I think that, despite the defeat we suffered in Manchester, we played well in the first half. At the end of that first 45 minute we conceded a goal, which has become something of a habit, and in the second half we couldn’t find a way to respond.”

Is there still a functioning relationship between you and the squad?

“We need to understand what we are going through right now. It’s a tough period. The defeat in Manchester left a mark.”

Was it a mistake to focus everything on the Europa League?

“Up until the end of March we were in the hunt on both fronts.”

Did the squad give up too soon tonight?

“I don’t think so. The problem today is that we came here with 10 players missing. In March we lost important players, players it was hard to replace. March was a difficult month to get through, with so many issues and so many games. And then what happened, happened.”

What is the cause behind all the muscle injuries?

“They aren’t because of training, because with two days between games all we can do is try to make sure the players recover. The problem is that, without so many players, we haven’t had enough time to really manage those who have returned to availability. But against Manchester United we didn’t have any other choice but to pick the players we did. We’ve had a lot of problems and not many players available to us.”

Could this squad of players have stayed in the top four?

“I remember that at the start of the season Sky Sports were saying that Roma would finish sixth or seventh. But anyway, I think we could have done better. We haven’t had Chris Smalling available in key moments of the season, and Nicolo Zaniolo has missed all of it.”