Roma winger Iago Falque admits “there is disappointment” after failing to mount a Scudetto challenge.
The Giallorossi were tipped by many as potential title winners at the start of the season, but a series of poor results over the winter saw them drop out of the race.
Coach Rudi Garcia paid for the slump, with the Frenchman sacked in favour of Luciano Spalletti, and Falque admits the campaign hasn’t lived up to expectations.
“Yes, there’s disappointment,” the Spaniard told Pagine Romaniste.
Roma winger Iago Falque admits “there is disappointment” after failing to mount a Scudetto challenge.
The Giallorossi were tipped by many as potential title winners at the start of the season, but a series of poor results over the winter saw them drop out of the race.
Coach Rudi Garcia paid for the slump, with the Frenchman sacked in favour of Luciano Spalletti, and Falque admits the campaign hasn’t lived up to expectations.
“Yes, there’s disappointment,” the Spaniard told Pagine Romaniste.
“I think we had the squad to fight to the end, but then when there comes a bad period where you drop points in the last-minute, or draw games you’d have won before, you lose ground on those who almost always win.
“Now the gap [to Juventus and Napoli] is too big. We’ve changed our objectives, and the main one is to play in the Champions League.
“Second place? If we get into the Champions League directly it’s better, but those in front of us don’t lose much and there’s not long to go until the end.
“We’re looking forward though, and we have to try to catch them.”
Falque was then asked about his own situation, as he’s been playing less since Spalletti took over the bench.
“It happens in football. Sometimes with one Coach you have more of his confidence, and with another – for the moment – you don’t.
“I have to work to earn that confidence, and get back to having the space I had with Garcia.
“He [Spalletti] is doing a great job. The team is doing very well, we’re playing really well and we’re finding the form we had up until the Derby [with Lazio] in the first half of the season.
“Up until then we were very good, now we’re finding that mentality again and we hope to continue to the end and achieve our objectives.
“Am I satisfied with my own performances? At the moment I’d have to say I’m not. I think I can give what I was offering earlier in the season.
“I have to return to that level, because I’ve done it and I can do it, but in this latest period I can’t be satisfied.”
The former Barcelona man was then asked about his feelings ahead of the second Derby della Capitale of the season.
“Very good,” Falque said ahead of the Lazio game.
“There are a lot of good feeling because we’re playing very well and I think we’re in a better situation than them.
“The Derby is a hard 90 minutes though, and the form book goes out the window.”