Sabatini: ‘Roma, I was wrong’

Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini admits he ‘may have been wrong’ about recent transfer decisions taken.

Speaking to Roma Radio, he admitted that he could not account for the team's current crisis, though offered some accountability.

Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini admits he ‘may have been wrong’ about recent transfer decisions taken.

Speaking to Roma Radio, he admitted that he could not account for the team's current crisis, though offered some accountability.

“Finding the real causes is very hard. The way the players look at each other hasn't changed,” Sabatini considered.

“We still have the same Coach we did last year and we'll find ourselves again, though I admit that some of my choices may have been contestable.

“The team needed a few winning strokes. I chose [Cagliari's Victor] Ibarbo and [CSKA Moscow's Seydou] Doumbia, both very strong.

“But I may have been wrong about the time and the method, for a variety of reasons.

“Ibarbo was recovering from an injury. Doumbia was emerging from a long break in his season.

“Maybe if I'd focussed more closely on the short-term future, now we would be talking about a different team.

“I'm not recanting the quality of these two players. But in retrospect, I might have made different decisions within our time-frame.

“Yesterday Doumbia would have scored two goals, if he'd been the same player he was 40 days ago or the one he will be in 20 days.

“As for [Miralem] Pjanic, yesterday he wasn't decisive, but we rely too much on him to solve our problems.

“In terms of effort he was commendable. We have faith in him and we know he will find his game again.

“The players must bring something more to the pitch, though I'm not sure what exactly.

“I see them training in the pitch and I know we'll find ourselves again.”