Roma manager Eusebio Di Francesco spoke today ahead of his team’s clash against Sassuolo. These are his words:
A judgement on your first half of the season?
There are still two matches to be played, the one we have in hand has a lot of implications for the table. We’re eager to see where we’re at. We have done excellent things, we have grown a lot, though, something is missing for us to be competitive from all points of view. The team must work even more to be able to express themselves more continuously.
What emotions do you have for the match against Sassuolo? What do you think of Iachini?
I never wrote a letter to thank Sassuolo. I still have the emotion on me, I met extraordinary people. It’s truly a great amount of love, it was a beautiful journey. Every time I see certain people and read certain interviews, I still get excited. I still remember the goals that got us to Serie A, winning Serie B was exciting. I thank everyone, from the people who don’t get the recognition to the manager. Iachini is enhancing the physical work done by Bucchi, now he has given strength to the team. He’s a hammer, I know Beppe well.
Pellegrini and Defrel?
Lorenzo Pellegrini is a class of ’96 player and he is playing a lot, some think he should always play. He is a player with great potential, even for the national team. He is constantly growing, he has more personality than what he expresses on the pitch. He is one of our starters. Defrel has been really unlucky. He has failed to score, which is a pity. He suffered a blow in Genoa and is trying to overcome this problem, he won’t be called to play against Sassuolo.
What are the strikers doing to fix the problems in front of goal?
We just spoke today. We have to be more concrete on the pitch, we have to solve the problem of scoring goals, not creating chances. Against Torino and Juventus we created chances, but the final result changes how we judge things, we must respond on the pitch against Sassuolo. We must be more concrete. I hope to create less, but score more goals, as we’ve done in the past.
Will it be a 4-3-3 tomorrow or a 4-2-4 from the start?
I could opt for either of these two, but I do not want to give an advantage to the opponent. Schick will certainly play from the start, but I won’t reveal the other 10.
Monchi said there won’t be any purchases in January, are you guys on the same wavelength?
I don’t care to discuss the market right now, we still have six points on the table before the first half of our season is completed. We have to improve and keep ourselves competitive, we will talk about the market later. After the two matches are played, surely you (the media) can switch your focus. The transfer market is the last thing on my mind.
