Tiago Pinto: Our fans need to be what motivates us

Roma General Manager Tiago Pinto elected to speak to the media following Saturday's defeat to Inter Milan.

The Giallorossi lost 3-0 at the Stadio Olimpico - their seventh defeat of the Serie A campaign so far.

Here's what Pinto had to say after the contest...

Roma fans kept singing right until the very end. One positive aspect from tonight, at least.

“That needs to be what motivates us. We need to make sure we work hard each and every day in order to make our fans proud. We thank them for the support they showed.

"We know that in football sometimes it happens that you are not able to show the evidence of the work you put in every day. And it is in those tough moments that the group needs even more support. We believe in the approach we are following, we know that we will need to work even harder to make our fans proud and, after tonight’s defeat, that will begin again tomorrow.”

Mourinho has always been a coach capable – indeed, perhaps the best of all of them – at bringing out the best in his players. In an emergency situation like tonight, what happened then?

“I don’t agree. I believe that over these past few months the coach has brought a lot of other valuable qualities out of players too. I am not here to find excuses, but we cannot forget that we have had a lot of issues with the line-ups over the last two weeks. Six or seven starters were not available today, but I am convinced that Mourinho will continue to get the best out of this side.”

A seventh league defeat of the season – did you expect to face this much difficulty? Does it mean you need to re-evaluate the work done so far?

“It’s true, seven defeats is a lot. We did not expect that either – because every day we go to work with the mindset that we want to try and win every game. Once again, I will repeat a phrase that I like and often here in football: in the tough moments you need to stick to your ideas more than ever.

“When you win it is easy to say that you have the right ideas. I am 100 per cent confident in Mourinho and his work. In our strategy and the approach of the ownership. I am certain that at the end of the season we will have reached our objectives.”

Are you confident that Mourinho is also the right coach for a three-year project?

“Yes, I don’t have any doubt about that. Today we are all feeling the impact of the defeat and the sort of statistics you have mentioned. But I see the development of the players each and every day; there have been lots of changes that will bring with them their rewards. In football it has happened on many occasions that teams have gone through tough spells, but now we need to be united and continue to develop our ideas – and am certain if we do that we will get results.”

What does this team need – more experience or more quality?

“After seven defeats it is easy to say that we need a bit more of everything. But I am not someone who thinks that we need to change everything – players, coach, ideas – when we lose a game. I understand that my words, right now, might seem to be a bit misguided, but I am at Trigoria every day working alongside the coach and the players and I am confident that we are heading in the right direction.

“We know that all of us, in all departments, need to bring something more to the table and to the team in order to make sure we make all the fans of the club proud.”

Will you make moves in the transfer market in January?

“We should expect in the upcoming transfer windows to see a little bit of a continuation of what we have done in the most recent summer transfer windows: within the club and alongside the ownership we have identified the global targets of this project.

“It is a sustainable project that we want to build and we work every day to improve in that respect. Following those principles, we do want to improve the squad. Without forgetting that trying to help improve the players that are already here is equally important.”

What do you think of Mourinho’s decision not to answer questions on the match?

“We are a team – often the coaches, not just at Roma but elsewhere, are left very exposed. It’s not easy for them, to have to find the right way to express their emotions and opinions before and after each and every game.

“Today was the right moment for me, as the head of the sporting area at Roma, to come here and assume my responsibility and say that I have full confidence in everyone working here. And we go forward from there.”