Luciano Spalletti wants Roma to “consolidate our rapport with European football” and sees a “balanced” Europa League group.
The Giallorossi crashed out of the Champions League in the preliminary round after a 4-1 aggregate defeat to Porto, a tie that saw three players sent off in two games.
Luciano Spalletti wants Roma to “consolidate our rapport with European football” and sees a “balanced” Europa League group.
The Giallorossi crashed out of the Champions League in the preliminary round after a 4-1 aggregate defeat to Porto, a tie that saw three players sent off in two games.
“It’s a very balanced group and I don’t see a single team breaking away at the top,” insisted Spalletti on Roma TV.
“We are the best, but when it comes to the other teams it’ll be a fight to the final game. Viktoria Plzen have been champions for two years in a row ahead of sides like Slavia Prague. I think in 2013 they knocked Napoli out.
“Austria Vienna have a strong European tradition, as do Astra Giurgiu, and yesterday they eliminated West Ham. It’s a good group for us, we could’ve had much harder draws like Manchester United or Villarreal.
“I hear people talk about it being easy, but things will become difficult if we repeat what we showed in the last game. Roma must first of all consolidate our rapport with European football, seeing as we proved ourselves not at ease in this type of tournament.
“Something always seems to disturb our development and growth in Europe, which in turn damages our visibility. We have this responsibility to carry the name of Roma on our shoulders and must do better, to be there consistently and prove we are at ease on this level.
“The Europa League is a competition that for some might not be worth much, but going forward there will be more prestigious fixtures and it’ll become similar to the Champions League with games you feel the joy of winning.”