Roma manager Luciano Spalletti spoke today at a press conference ahead of tomorrow first leg match against Porto:
Bruno Peres?
He is a player that we were looking for because he is strong and Roma want to be a strong club so we must have strong players. Bruno Peres has these qualities, he is strong and has well defined characteristics, he is a complete wide-man, with what has happened to us, we needed someone in that role who I can choose to play both sides since he has also played on the left. With the national team, Florenzi has also played on the left, he gives us more opportunities with those characteristics.
You like the Barcelona model of managing goalkeepers? Strootman?
Strootman will start. As for the goalkeepers, I don’t know why that should be different from any other position I have to choose from. I do not have the absolute solution to win the game, all I know is what I have to do to not lose: choose the formations that suits everyone.
In summer there was talk of some clubs on Porto’s Héctor Herrera, do you like him? As for Bruno Peres, will he play in the return leg?
We want Peres to be on the pitch for the return match. Although, from the bureaucratic point of view, he will be available to us within a few hours but we will not have him as a part of this expedition, he will not come here (to Portugal). As for Herrera, there was the desire of some Italian clubs to bring him to their team, if you’re referring to me, no we haven’t. But he is a strong player, I do not know if Roma ever inquired or attempted to bring him. I never asked Roma for this player. I have other good players like him and I’m happy with mine.
Will you choose Alisson tomorrow? With Peres, will you switch permanently to 3 at the back?
As far as the formation goes, I believe it is right to first tell the guys. We will D efinitely not play with 3 at the back all the time. Peres knows how to play the in a four man defense or as a fifth midfielder, he is a strong player, who has qualities, but he must improve in other aspects and attitudes. But we will try to use both (defences of 3 and 4), we lacked a substitute who could play in his (Peres’) role, he was the one who was missing that would give us an alternative. We have 4 games in 11 days, all are very important. We are faced with a very important match for me and for the players, for their lives and careers, then there is another that is equally important: we will need about twenty strong players and he is a strong player who gives us alternatives. Then we will have to see how everyone works together.
