Tickets
Shop
Here's what our technician said.
On the pitch you have often asked for grit and courage. Everyone still has to believe in this fourth-place finish.
"We have to believe we can win every match. We’re getting important players back, and in this way we can produce first halves like the one today. In the second half we struggled a little again, and we need to improve".
You asked for the focus to be on football. How difficult has it been to do that and protect the team, if it has been difficult at all?
"It hasn’t been difficult at all with these lads. They’ve trained well since the start of the season, with great desire and commitment, and they have followed me from day one. I’ve been thanking them for months for that. They are players who want to deliver performances like these and do well. Then, when we can get some players back, we become even more competitive".
The match was prepared well, congratulations — Roma was aggressive from the start, pressing constantly in midfield. Malen made the difference, also in the way he brought his teammates into the game. It wasn’t easy to play for the team in that way after this week, so congratulations. The physical condition also seems excellent.
"The week outside Trigoria was eventful, but inside it was business as usual. Malen has raised our level of play considerably. We were also without Soulé and Dybala for three months, so we are trying to recover now what we didn’t have before".
On El Aynaoui: he delivered a great performance, something both you and he needed. He has grown a lot — can this be a starting point?
"He did very well in the first half of the season, up until the Africa Cup of Nations. He had settled in well and was putting in excellent performances. He perhaps paid the price for the Africa Cup and the controversy around it. But he is a good lad, very positive. We had to wait a little for him to recover from the energy spent in that tournament, but today he played a very good game".
We asked fans through the DAZN app whether it was right to put you at the center of Roma. Eighty-four percent said yes — the highest percentage we’ve had since we started asking this kind of question, something that has never happened before. Are you happy with this support from the fans? Do you feel a little more central now?
"The fans and the club are at the center of Roma, this is something indissoluble. I am a professional and I manage the technical side; in that area I take my responsibilities, as is right. I thank the club for allowing me to do that, not just from yesterday but ever since we first met. They have great trust in me and a real desire to let me work with Roma. That is what I have to focus on, not other things. It’s a powerful club, one that can achieve great things, and I hope to make a major contribution on the technical side together with those who work within the club. The heart of Roma is the club and its fans".
.
..
