Luciano Spalletti explained his Roma tactics to tear Fiorentina apart and is ready to “go for it” with Real Madrid.
The Giallorossi went three points clear in third place after a seventh consecutive victory, thrashing the Viola 4-1.
“Fiorentina usually keep a very high tempo, but they also struggled more than usual in the first half because we maintained possession,” the Coach told Mediaset Premium.
Luciano Spalletti explained his Roma tactics to tear Fiorentina apart and is ready to “go for it” with Real Madrid.
The Giallorossi went three points clear in third place after a seventh consecutive victory, thrashing the Viola 4-1.
“Fiorentina usually keep a very high tempo, but they also struggled more than usual in the first half because we maintained possession,” the Coach told Mediaset Premium.
Are they worried in Madrid now ahead of the Champions League on Tuesday, despite winning the first leg 2-0?
“We are more worried than them! If we’d been a little luckier in the first leg it would’ve been simpler. Now we just have to go for it.”
Mohamed Salah bagged a brace against his former club this evening.
“Salah is a great player and if he runs into space he becomes very difficult to stop, as he combines pace with technique,” continued Spalletti.
“Seydou Keita did really well, as he made the most of his experience and had a great game tonight. He was above all focused on Ilicic, Borja Valero and Bernardeschi, those Fiorentina men on the final third. He cleaned up exceptionally to protect the defence.
“Fiorentina push Marcos Alonso up and draw the trequartista in. We above all tried to stop them running into the box, but as well as pressing them we did well to rob possession and go on the counter with players like Stephan El Shaarawy and Salah, who are made for that sort of run.
“We forced the Viola to play one-on-one in big spaces, so they struggled to get back and double up marking. So far this season Fiorentina showed their quality against everyone. We did well to stop them playing their game, but also losing Borja Valero to injury really weakened them.
“We didn’t allow them any shots other than from distance.”
Francesco Totti came off the bench and clipped the upright with a free kick late on.
“He came on well, provided quality and was unlucky on that free kick. When he takes kicks from there, it’s a problem for everyone to deal with.”
With the remarkable form since Spalletti took over from Rudi Garcia, do Roma have regrets they weren’t able to challenge for the Scudetto earlier?
“We have to take it one baby step at a time. We’ve always gained ground in our steps. If we over-stretch, we risk walking into a pothole!”