Roma manager Eusebio Di Francesco spoke ahead of his side’s match against Atalanta. These are his words:
“Before you ask me about Radja Nainggolan, I’ll talk about him first so we can then talk about the match. Radja will not be called for the match. If you make a mistake, there are consequences. This is in line with the club’s code of conduct, it’s a decision I support and the player has accepted.”
How can the difference in form effect the match?
Atalanta got it done against Napoli, but lost to Cagliari. They have found great enthusiasm after the victory against Napoli. They’re one of the worst clubs you want to face at the moment, as we are failing to score and have not had positive results. We must be competitive, determined, Atalanta will give us a tough time. We must also have great enthusiasm, there is the chance of being six points from the top. It is our duty to face this match and try to win. We have tremendous support from our fans.
What’s happened to the attack?
It’s a problem we carry with us, but we can not talk about it every single day. I have the league statistics, I’ll leave them here and after this you can read them. We have the greatest percentage of possession in the league, we have the same number of shots as Napoli. Where we are really lacking is goals scored. It is the most disturbing fact, we are not good at finishing. The pitch will give us answers.
What happened to Roma’s mentality?
I share the sporting director’s mentality completely. This is even required in negative moments, like this one. We must have even more strength. We may have given up a little bit emotionally, we must be good at getting back the attention we had before. The line is always thin between a match being won and lost.
De Rossi?
He will not be called, the muscle problem he had flared up again.
