Sassuolo boss Roberto De Zerbi held his pre-match press conference today before his side travel to the Italian capital to face Roma. These are his words:
What sort of match do you expect?
Roma has a clear identity. We know there’s a strong team in front of us, with strong players. I expect a good match.
Are Chiriches and Defrel ready? What can they give to this team?
They are two strong players, very strong. We have a very strong team. The transfer market saw us come out reinforced — I think very seriously so, too. It does not mean that we’ll automatically do better than last year, but it is a strong team. Defrel won’t be a left winger. When he plays we’ll try to get him closer to Caputo when they play together. He play wide on the right but Berardi is there so this will not be the solution. Chiriches is the right player for us: he knows how to play, he brings experience and depth. We’ll see how he is physically.
Toljan or Müldür on the right?
You might not see either of them. Toljan is growing a lot and needs a period of adjustment, he’s shy and it’s not easy to change countries. Müldür has done well but he is young.
What do you want for this new season?
To end the season without regrets — when you work hard and give everything, you have little to regret.
With Chiriches, will we see the 3-man defence?
Maybe. I always start with the qualities of the players and then we add the tactical aspect and the characteristics of the opponent. Our ideas change little — it takes a little bit of work, of time, open mindedness, availability of players but this is an amazing group from this point of view.
