Fonseca rues bluntness in the final third

The Giallorossi struggled for both shots and clear-cut chances as they ended up being held to a frustrating draw at the Stadio Vigorito, on a night to forget for the side.

Here's what the boss had to say about the contest...

Was this a step back from the team today?

“It was a tough game, Benevento set out to defend really well. We were able to get into the final third without too many issues but after that we needed to show a bit more individual enterprise, and we weren’t very precise. We lacked a bit of incision. But I think the players are already aware that they needed to be more clinical.”

Did you consider starting with four at the back, to give Leonardo Spinazzola more room on the left?

“We did that when we brought on Edin Dzeko, in order to have another man in the box. But it’s true that, in that wide corridor, we were a bit slow in getting the ball into the danger zone.”

Having played on Thursday, did you lack that extra freshness required to create one-on-one situations, beat a man and open the game up?

“Perhaps, but I don’t think it was a fitness issue. The team always played with speed and intensity and got into the final third with haste. It’s true that we lacked a bit of individual brilliance, we didn’t get many shots off and we struggled in wide areas. We can do better than that, but I have to say that Benevento defended well too.”

Right now, everything else being equal, is Borja Mayoral the starting striker?

“We don’t have ‘starters’. Dzeko started and played well against Braga on Thursday, and today Borja started the game. For forwards, games like these are always tough. But we don’t have one 'starter'. There are no set starters in this squad.”

Couldn’t you have gone from three at the back to four for this game?

“We did do that. When Dzeko entered the game, we went to four at the back; with Juan Jesus and Mancini and then Spinazzola and Bruno Peres. Gonzalo Villar was in the centre behind the two strikers and the trequartista, Pellegrini, and then we had two wider midfielders. I think it would have been tough to do much more in that regard.”

It seems sometimes that in Italy teams don't really take on shots from outside the area. Roma certainly don’t seem to take many shots from distance – why is that?

“I think that in games like this you need to try and shoot more, if the opportunity is there. But Benevento did a good job of closing the spaces around the box and in the central areas and we did not have many chances to shoot. There was more space to work in some of the wide areas. But, it’s fair, we need to get more shots on goal. Especially in games like this one.”