Mancini reflects on win at Nice

Here’s what the defender had to say.

You’ve always had that attacking instinct, but with Gian Piero Gasperini, it seems you’re even more involved in the play.
 “I’ve always had it, but it depends on the coach you have whether you can use it or not. With Gasperini, I couldn’t push too far forward in the first few games because certain connections weren’t in place yet. Tonight we’d prepared it this way, we knew they might leave space and that their forward struggled to track runs. The most important thing is that we won. It was a tough match at a tough ground to go to.”

It’s been said often that it’s very hard for teams to get near your goal. Do you feel that defensive security?
 “Defensive security doesn’t start with us defenders, I’ll say that a thousand times. It comes from the whole team. In that respect, we’ve taken a step forward, but we’ve also had some luck at times. We’ve conceded very few goals. Tonight we did some good things and it’s not easy because it’s a new style of play. There are small details that we can improve on and that will also help us score more goals.”

You and Evan Ndicka seem to have struck up a strong defensive partnership, showing real focus and mental strength.
 “Of course defending is about the team, but as defenders we’re the ones who are the most exposed. Everyone knows that a defender can have a brilliant game and then still concede at the end. Tonight we made life a bit complicated for ourselves and had to dig in, but everyone showed great desire. We’ll need to adapt in our defensive phase. For example, last Sunday in the derby we gave away a big chance when I carried the ball out and the wide centre-backs stayed too far apart. The key is attitude and mental strength.”

Roma have players with plenty of European experience and have enjoyed great results in recent years. Now you also have Gasperini, who has won this trophy before. What’s your perspective in Europe?
 “What you say is true, but there’s no point looking too far ahead. This is a team that’s evolving and growing game by game. Playing so often right now helps us to get to know each other better and build cohesion. Every match is tough. The key is to stick together and keep improving those little details.”