Ranieri speaks to the press ahead of Milan

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

I wanted to ask you about Roma's attack, thinking about next season. Is it good enough for the very top end of the table or do you need to improve it?

“We'll talk about transfers once the season has ended. I don't think now is the time to discuss it. The numbers are there to see: how many goals we've scored and how many we've missed. We'll see what needs to be done.”

Do you want to say anything more about the penalty incident in Bergamo? And would you like to comment on the remarks made by the AIA president?

“My opinion hasn't changed. I'm not arguing whether or not it should have been a penalty. My issue is with the lack of uniformity. The VAR protocol. 'Clear and obvious error'. There have been some very similar situations in both Serie A and the Champions League this season and VAR didn't intervene. I just want to know so that I can tell my players. I understand the AIA president wanting to defend referees. If someone attacked my players, I'd jump to their defence – in public at least. Then maybe in private, I might tell him what I think. My point is the clear and obvious error. It's happened to us on other occasions in Serie A and Champions League and VAR didn't intervene. That's all I want to know. Not to make a big deal. Just to know.”

Carlo Mazzone once said that if you haven't climbed the steps of the Olimpico, you can't say you've been a coach. It will be your last time on Sunday – the last of many. What will you miss most about being Roma coach? And if you were to talk to someone who hasn't coached Roma before, how would you describe it? What is the difference Mazzone was talking about?

“The difference is we're Romans and Roma fans. It might not be the same for other coaches who aren't Romanisti. When I was a boy in the Roma academy, just watching the first-team players made my heart beat, wondering if I'd ever be out there on the pitch myself. So obviously walking up the steps has a different effect. When the stadium is full, like this season and in previous seasons, it means the team are doing their very best and the fans, despite the difficulties, are behind you. It's a wonderful feeling.”

Could Roma be in a position to challenge for the title next season?

“I was very clear when I first joined. I said we'd have two transfer windows where we would be restricted. We'll try to make as few mistakes as possible and then we'll see. Sometimes it's not the strongest club that wins; it's the one that was able to build something. Last Monday we gave a game to a team that was built over the course of nine years – and I'm not saying that's what it will take, but we must improve. We've started laying the foundations. Little by little, we'll put together a team the fans can be proud of. That's what I can say.”

Alexis Saelemaekers made a brief appearance in Bergamo but he's been left out a lot recently. What is that? Has anything changed regarding the future? You said there was a sort of agreement with Milan to keep him here. Have your plans changed?

“I'm not going to talk about transfers. What I can tell you is that [Matias] Soule has adapted well to playing on that wing and that he and Saelemaekers used to link up incredibly well with [Paulo] Dybala, with really fast exchanges causing problems for opponents. I saw that without Dybala it wasn't the same, so I tried to change things to obtain a bit more. Alexis is always in my thoughts because he's an important player.”

How important is it from a financial perspective to secure European football for next season?

"It's definitely important. For me as the coach it's important to get there because I think about where we were when we started – the sacrifices the lads have made, the determination, the desire, the fans. For all those reasons, it's hugely important. Then afterwards I think it's also important for the club.”

Against Atalanta Roma played one way in the first half and then sat a lot deeper in the second. Was that a choice of yours? Milan are a different team, very technical and very dangerous. Is your idea to adopt a bold approach against Milan or is there a risk that every now and then the team might drop back – of their own accord, not because you ask them too?

“I should say that when we sit deep and we're switched on, it's hard for opponents to score against us. We conceded the goal to [Ademola] Lookman because we left ourselves open after a free kick and for some reason we let them take it – there was no one in front of the ball but they were both open and so the ball went between them.

“It's not about me telling them to drop back – there are our opponents in it as well. You have to look at how strong Atalanta are from a tactical perspective, on counter-attacks. They were always very dangerous on the counter, but we were very dangerous as well because if we'd had the penalty or hadn't missed the chances we had, we'd be talking about a similar performance to the one against Inter: a solid Roma side that attacked, maintained focus, had their backs to the walls at times but in the end won it. Instead we're saying that Roma sat back and conceded a goal.”

Mats Hummels and Leo Paredes have played 209 minutes between them in nine games. What's the reason for that?

“What results did we obtain in those nine games?”

You won, apart from the last one.

“Thank you.”

In the future will Roma try to continue the work you've done or will there be a different approach? Will you try to score more goals with a more tactical more physical defence?

“We'll try to do the best we can based on the players we have, without changing too much.”

Sunday is a huge match and it's also your 500th in Serie A and your last at the Olimpico. Has the club organised something for you at the end of the match for the stadium to give you a send-off?

“I don't know. If they have, then it's only right that they shouldn't tell me, but I don't know. It's 500 in Serie A, and I'm happy about that. Years ago, I reached 1000 total matches in London and I joined the Hall of Fame of 1000-match coaches without even realising it. So it's something I'll look back on in a month or so's time. I hope to have time to look back and what I've done!”

You mentioned transfer restrictions earlier. Should the fans expect to see a big name sold?

“To be honest, that's something you've spoken about but it's not something we've discussed within the club. You know that anything can happen in the transfer market. We'll try to do our best to give the fans a team that can compete but the core of the team and the mentality we've built up this season are important. This is a hard-working team. A team that plays as a team. We can't afford to make mistakes with the players we sign.”

It's Edoardo Bove's birthday today. Would you like to see him back at Roma?

“I was told that and I'm going to send him a message.”

Would you like to see him back at Roma?

“You don't know this but I asked Jose [Mourinho] to let me have Bove. But Jose said, 'No, I'm keeping him here.' Otherwise he would have come to Cagliari. Through you I'd like to wish him all the best and I hope he can have everything he wishes for because he's a smashing lad. I don't know him personally but I've seen his interviews and it's not hard to see the intelligence in a player and in a man.”