Paulo Fonseca admits Roma transformed their fortunes this season with 19-year-old Ebrima Darboe. ‘It’s rare to find someone so young who is so confident and calm on the ball.’
The coach leaves after finally winning his first derby, having previously managed just two draws and two defeats.
This result also effectively rules Lazio out of the running for the Champions League places, while giving the Giallorossi a good chance of keeping seventh place.
Paulo Fonseca admits Roma transformed their fortunes this season with 19-year-old Ebrima Darboe. ‘It’s rare to find someone so young who is so confident and calm on the ball.’
The coach leaves after finally winning his first derby, having previously managed just two draws and two defeats.
This result also effectively rules Lazio out of the running for the Champions League places, while giving the Giallorossi a good chance of keeping seventh place.
“I am satisfied, because we won the derby and want to share this with the fans. They’ve always been close to us and we really wanted to give them this gift,” Fonseca told DAZN.
“We prepared well, the lads were concentrated and we didn’t allow Lazio to play the style of football they enjoy. We were very balanced throughout.”
Roma are seemingly transformed since shelving the three-man defence and moving to a 4-2-3-1 in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final with Manchester United.
“We’ll be honest, what changed was the first leg in Manchester. I thought we would take a few more risks in the second leg, we played well then and the next games, so there was no reason to change when we had found some form.
“I think we improved also with the arrival of Darboe. He is young, with such courage, always looking forward and he helped the whole team to improve by changing the balance. The system change made a difference, but to be perfectly honest, this young lad made the difference too. It’s rare to find someone so young who is so confident and calm on the ball.
“With an extra man in midfield, the team feels more comfortable and Darboe provides some defensive protection. We were also focused throughout and made no errors. We obviously wish we’d had that focus throughout the season, but this is not the time for regret.
“We want to celebrate this victory in the derby.”
Jose Mourinho will take over from next season and Fonseca again was praised for the gentlemanly way he has dealt with the whole situation.
“Jose knows I am here if he wants to seek any advice on the squad.”