Eusebio Di Francesco and Edin Dzeko spoke today ahead of their Champions League match tomorrow against CSKA Moscow. These are his words:
DI FRANCESCO
Is it possible that Florenzi could play as a right winger against CSKA?
Playing with Florenzi on the wing is an option, but that won’t change our attitude on the pitch at all. It’s not who plays that makes the difference when it comes to being aggressive – it’s about your mentality, how you approach games.
How’s the team’s mindset after Fiorentina?
I think the images are clear: we had a non-existent penalty given against us – but we needed to react to that quicker. There are still 27 league games left to play. We need to pull it back. We’re lacking consistency and in the long-term that’s the difference.
The words of Paulo Sousa?
These don’t bother me, I didn’t even hear them. I have more important things to worry about.
DZEKO
Is it possible that in Europe you find spaces that you do not find in Italy?
It’s difficult to explain why we have done very well in the Champions League, only the match in Madrid did we not play our game but we are always present in general. Perhaps we need to learn to give 100% in every game, even when we’re playing the lesser teams.
Do you have the same feelings as last year in the Champions League?
Tomorrow is big in terms of qualifying from the group – we know that. You play for 12 months to get into the Champions League and now we’re here – so we have to give everything we have. It’ll be tough, but we want to go as far as possible again.
Sometimes you seem to feel the weight of having to carry this team. Is it a burden or a responsibility?
The goals I’ve scored in Europe over the last two years give me confidence. I’m the main person responsible for the goals and if I don’t score I’m the first to be annoyed. I haven’t got many in Serie A recently – I know I need to keep improving.
What does Schick need to make the leap in quality?
We’ve all seen that he’s able to score and play well, he has to start with himself and give more both in training and in the match. He’s been lacking a lot of luck, though – he could have scored against Frosinone and scoring a goal could help change things for him.
