Fonseca: We owed the fans this

Roma boss Paulo Fonseca saw his side clinch a 2-0 derby victory on Saturday night.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pedro scored the decisive goals for the Giallorossi - ensuring Fonseca enjoyed a win over Lazio prior to his departure in the summer.

Here is what he had to say after the game...

What does this win mean to you?

“I’m pleased, obviously. Both because we’ve won the derby and because we really owed the fans something. I’m pleased for them, because they’ve always supported the team.”

The team stayed very compact and didn’t give Lazio much space. Was that the plan al along?

“Yes – we prepared well for the game in the little time we had available to us. The boys were all focused, we didn’t want to let Lazio play the way they always want to. On the attack, especially in the second half, we always looked dangerous.”

Why have you gone back to the four-man defence now? What about it didn’t work before?

“I have to be honest, I changed it again after the first leg of the semi-final against Manchester – for the second leg we needed to take a few more risks. But with the change the team played well and there wasn’t really a reason to go back to three.

“I think we’ve improved, especially after Ebrima Darboe came into the side: he changed a lot about the way we play. He’s a courageous kid, who likes to play forward, who finds spaces vertically. It was really interesting to see how the team improved with Darboe in there. But, naturally, a lot of the other players seemed to do better with the system too.”

Are there any regrets that the team didn’t perform like this in other games?

“The truth is that with an extra man in the middle of the park the team felt a bit more secure. And in that position Darboe was important, for the defensive balance.

“But today the team was very compact and focused – we didn’t make many mistakes at all. It would have been great to have always played like that – but we can’t think about the past now. We are in the position we are and we have won a key game, for us and our fans.”

What do you think Darboe is capable of?

“We are all seeing what he is capable of. It’s not easy to find a kid of that age with that courage, that aggression, that composure. Roma has a player for the future in him.”

Have you spoken with Jose Mourinho?

“Jose knows that I am here to help, here to help Roma. If he needs any advice, I am here for him.”

What about your future?

“I don’t know anything. I like Italian football, but I don’t know what could happen.”

What’s the hardest thing about Italian football?

“The teams that mark man-to-man. It’s really hard to go up against sides that mark like that, because that means we have to change our approach a bit every time – and that’s not easy.”