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Read what he had to say below.
Congratulations from the Dazn studio and from Max Allegri in Genoa.
“Thank you, Max [Allegri] for what you’ve said to me, but we still have 90 minutes to play. It’s been an extraordinary, wonderful season, with so many teams bunched together within a few points of each other. Today was incredibly exciting. We’re all deservedly happy because we know that on Sunday it’s down to us and it no longer depends on our opponents. We have a week to focus and achieve a goal that was what we wanted at all costs.”
Did you think that any team might have slipped up?
“It was a possibility, but it wasn’t easy. In the end, Juventus lost at home and all the others won. We did well to focus solely on our own match because it was a difficult game against a certainly strong Lazio side, who have had many players return yet they still have a strong team. The first half was tricky, but we managed to break the deadlock from a set-piece and in the second half we managed the game well, conceding very little to Lazio. Well done, congratulations to these lads. It was a difficult and extraordinary match. Now we mustn’t get carried away by the excitement because we know another match awaits us on Sunday, which will be the final step in this incredible run. Today we can celebrate, then we’ll have to refocus on our goal. It would truly be a wonderful achievement for us.”
Is Gianluca Mancini something of a symbol of this team and this win?
“Yes, I’ve always said so from the start, right from pre-season. Of course, [Gianluca] Mancini scored a brace in a derby, which is a result that will stay with him throughout his career. But I must say that this team has always had many leaders. It’s a truly solid group that has managed to integrate the new arrivals as well. I’ve never had any problems whatsoever in managing the line-ups, training sessions or matches. We’ve always tried to give our all. We’ve had very few difficult moments, rare ones. Even the 3-3 draw with Juve could be considered a tricky moment. A draw with Juve, after having shown we had quality and could achieve things that we found more difficult in the first half of the season, scoring through so many different players. From there, we gained confidence and started winning matches.”
What role does the ownership and management play when it comes to players whose contracts are expiring, such as Paulo Dybala?
“We’re talking about a team, especially in this final stretch of the season, but the club will try to fulfil its responsibility to retain players like [Paulo] Dybala and others at Roma. These decisions will be finalised next week. We’re fortunate to have the owners involved. When they’re there, everything becomes easier because you get immediate answers and can make decisions on the spot. There is the club’s willingness and then that of the player, and I would be very happy for him and for many others. We’ve overcome this too. A team with several players whose contracts are expiring has shown professionalism and an exceptional attachment to Roma, and this should always be highlighted. Today we won the derby. We haven’t reached our end goal yet, but our opinion of these lads will never change.”
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