Luciano Spalletti saw “a weight taken off” Roma’s shoulders and hopes Stephan El Shaarawy’s “madness will catch on.”
The Giallorossi got their first win of 2016 and crucially the first since he took over from Rudi Garcia, beating Frosinone 3-1.
Luciano Spalletti saw “a weight taken off” Roma’s shoulders and hopes Stephan El Shaarawy’s “madness will catch on.”
The Giallorossi got their first win of 2016 and crucially the first since he took over from Rudi Garcia, beating Frosinone 3-1.
“What struck me was how emotional the lads were in hugging each other at the final whistle, as if a weight had been taken off their shoulders. That shows me what psychological condition the team was in,” the Coach told Sky Sport Italia.
“We tested movements in training, then during a match situation we couldn’t do the things we were capable of.
“Tonight I saw three goals, some more good scoring opportunities and also a wise control of the game. At that point we saw the pleasure of a team playing the ball, because they felt the result was safe and the pressure was off.”
El Shaarawy marked his debut with a sensational scorpion kick goal that was reminiscent of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
“He came from the outside, so had the enthusiasm that allowed him to try something different,” smiled Spalletti.
“He is happy to be a part of this club and this family, so had the courage to try that moment of madness. Hopefully it’ll catch on throughout the team.”
Roma really kicked into gear when Francesco Totti came on for Edin Dzeko, returning them almost to Spalletti’s old style of playing without strikers.
“When Francesco plays between the lines and has the ball at his feet, he’s the only one who doesn’t suffer the pressure. He always finds the corners in training or in the game, because of his history, his talent, his confidence in his own ability.
“There are moments during the game when Francesco can’t do what Dzeko does, while due to his age he can’t really do 90 minutes at an intense level.”
Ervin Zukanovic also made his debut, but Antonio Rudiger was a revelation in a more advanced right wing-back role.
“I spoke to Rudiger and he’d never played wing-back, but he did it really well and gave us an extra weapon. Zukanovic sat a little deeper so we always had three back there to cover the spaces and four when defending.
“Now there are great Coaches in Serie A who know how to find ways around rigid systems, so we have to adjust and become more fluid.
“Frosinone did what everyone does at the moment – they see us struggling and pounce, so we get anxious and hold back.
“When opponents are aggressive and run at us, we have to play the ball quickly and catch them off guard. We also need to stop conceding goals with long balls over the top.”