Claudio Ranieri explained his Javier Pastore choice, praised the 3-0 win over Cagliari and would be “happy as a Roma fan to see Antonio Conte on the bench.”
Pastore had not featured at all since March and his last Serie A start was all the way back in September, yet he was in the initial XI today and scored the second goal.
Claudio Ranieri explained his Javier Pastore choice, praised the 3-0 win over Cagliari and would be “happy as a Roma fan to see Antonio Conte on the bench.”
Pastore had not featured at all since March and his last Serie A start was all the way back in September, yet he was in the initial XI today and scored the second goal.
“Training is sacred, that is where the players do their talking. I had already thought about using him last week because of what he was doing in training and this confirms that initial impression,” the Coach told Sky Sport Italia.
“It’s our best performance since I arrived. We scored two goals early on and the lads felt reassured. I often say few squads have as much quality as them, so I urged them to pass it around, choose what was best for the team and not be egotistical with their decisions. They did that perfectly.
“I had pointed out that we allowed Inter too many crosses and they would inevitably score from that. Cagliari are excellent at spreading the play and Leonardo Pavoletti causes a lot of problems in the air, so it was very important that we stop the crosses coming in and our full-backs worked hard to ensure that.”
Will Ranieri spend Sunday watching Torino–Milan and hoping the Rossoneri slip up so Roma can stay in fourth place?
“Tomorrow is our day off and I will enjoy spending it with my family.”
The former Leicester boss was asked why the Giallorossi had struggled so much earlier in the season.
“Some important players left over the summer, and when that happens, those who remain are not that happy. Evidently, there was a sense of disappointment and the new players who arrived were not helped to settle in. They didn’t do it on purpose, but were inevitably still thinking about the previous season and the remarkable Champions League adventure, but also about players like Kevin Strootman saying he didn’t want to leave Roma.”
Ranieri was asked, as a Roma supporter, if he would be alright seeing Antonio Conte at the club next season.
“As a fan of Roma, I’d love to see Conte on the bench. It’d make me very happy. Don’t ask me whether he will come, because I am the last to know!” he laughed.