Juric reacts to 1-1 draw with Athletic

Here's what the coach had to say...

Do you think Roma were lacking physical or mental intensity in the second half?

“We had some very good spells when we were playing great football and the whole stadium could feel it. In the second half our opponents came into it more – playing long ball, winning the second balls, with their pace. They're used to playing that sort of football. They put you under pressure and don't give you the chance to press them yourself. We struggled a bit albeit without letting them have any chances. They got the ball into the box a few times but didn't create any clear-cut chances. 

“It's a real shame. We put together some good moves in the first half and created numbers-up situations. We should have scored. We needed to be more clinical, more aggressive. We needed a bit more quality. We didn't take our chances – like the one [Matias] Soule had in the second half – and we paid the price for it. But there were lots and lots of positives.”

Looking at the details, besides the positives, there was that set-piece situation at the back post. Maybe you needed a taller player there...

“Mario [Hermoso] was there. If you look at it, we had two against one at the back post. [Gianluca] Mancini and [Bryan] Cristante were in the middle. Angelino went up for it and he may not be the tallest player but he wins lots of balls in the air. I think our positioning was correct. It's small details. It's a pity because the lads played really well again.”

Were you trying to manage Paulo Dybala's fitness levels?

“No, he felt a twinge. We didn't want to risk anything.”

Are you worried? 

“We'll see tomorrow. There's no point commenting on it now.”

[Giuseppe Bergomi speaking] I just want to say how well I thought you prepared for this game.

“We did well. Maybe we were a bit slow in the opening ten minutes and we kept dropping back – perhaps due to a lack of confidence – but the shackles came off after that and from the 10th minute on we played good football and had them under the cosh. We should have scored, that's for sure, because they rarely got out of their half. 

“We did what we planned to do. It's a shame about the result because I've seen lots of good things these last two games. We'll get ready for the next one now but we must maintain this attitude. I think you have to prepare for one match at a time. The lads have realised that and they played well.”

I don't think you were able to make the changes you'd have liked and in games like this that can make the difference. I didn't know about Dybala. I thought it was a planned switch.

“No, it wasn't planned; it was an enforced substitution. I wanted to keep Dybala on for longer – perhaps not for 80 minutes, but 60 or 65. We weren't able to do that and the fifth sub, Saud [Abdulhamid], who has plenty of stamina and pace, is still adapting. It takes time and work. Up until a certain point of the game I thought we were excellent. But then they brought on some fantastic players and we lost a bit of the initiative. But overall I'm still happy.”

What are your plans for Tommaso Baldanzi?

“I have five or six very interesting young players. There's a lot of work to do but I've been really impressed by him in these first ten days – at both ends of the pitch. You can tell he's done a lot of strengthening work: he's got stamina, pace, technique and application. He's well-rounded and can play either in the hole or in a box-to-box role, like under Daniele [De Rossi]. The same goes for [Niccolo] Pisilli – his work rate is incredible. They really want to learn. They take everyone you say on board so quickly.”