Ivan Juric's post-match thoughts after Udinese win

Here's what the boss has to say to Sky Sports after the Udinese match.

We got the responses that everyone was waiting for - top quality football. We saw intensity in the pressing and great focus in individual marking. Did you expect this to happen so soon after joining?

"We did very well in the first half, but in the second we started to drop off a bit and we could’ve done a bit better. Overall, it was a good response from the team.”

It was a difficult situation for some of the old guard, like Bryan Cristante and Lorenzo Pellegrini. You made a point of giving them a hug. How did these two important players do today, given the circumstances?

"Upon becoming coach I saw that some of the guys here were extremely disappointed about Daniele’s sacking. They were very honest with me in telling me that they were very upset about him being fired. It's something I really appreciated, because sometimes players hide such emotions. However, you could see that they were sad, that they had given everything, but just hadn’t managed to get good results.

“In the last few days they’ve worked well and put in many hours. They can apply certain concepts without any problems, just like last season. It’s important to put in performances like this, and even the players who get booed will be able to change the narrative. They were sorry and wanted to give their all for Roma.”

What’s this team capable of?

“We need to see if we can keep up with the pace. The team’s response was great. I think that we’re more than capable of playing this type of football. We have a lot of new faces that we need to integrate well. Some of them are further behind than others in this regard, and there are those who pick up certain new concepts immediately and those who need more time – that’s just how it is.

“I really liked how the team responded, especially in the first half: pressing, aggression, control of the game, movement of the ball and dominance. We'll see on Thursday and then on Sunday how we do.

“We’ve got a large squad which allows me to shake things up. In the next two weeks we'll see a lot of rotation.”

Did you like how wingers Zeki Celik and Stephan El Shaarawy performed?

“Under Daniele the team set its stall our with a three-man defence but defended with four at the back. They were used to certain situations: they played like that last season as well. I enjoyed both of their different individual performances. [Zeki] Celik is really great in defence and helps out a lot, while [Stephan] El Shaarawy is more attack-minded - in the first half he burst forward and provided an assist. We hope to get [Nicola] Zalewski back in contention so that we have more options, so I can make rotations, because it’s a demanding role. In my opinion, he can do well”.

Is Nicola close to returning to the fold?

“He’ll train with the team tomorrow. I hope that his situation will be resolved, because we’re lacking numbers there. It’s a very important role, and as I said, it’s demanding. I hope it will be resolved in a positive way for all parties.”

Who’ll make that call? What did you think when you heard the news regarding the CEO’s resignation? How did you find out?

“I found out from Sky, I was eating at the time. I'm sorry, because it’s regarding family matters - children always come first. I can imagine how it would’ve been had it happened to me, given I have daughters.

“I'm sorry for her on a human level - it's a very difficult time. We have to think about training well, playing well and giving our fans something to smile about. We have to focus on this. The others will take care of the rest. We have to do well on a footballing level.”