Luciano Spalletti insists for Roma “second place is like winning the Scudetto and third is a noble position” ahead of their clash with Milan.
It kicks off on Sunday at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT), click here for a match preview.
“I have seen the right reaction,” said the Coach in his Press conference after a 3-1 Derby della Capitale defeat to Lazio.
Luciano Spalletti insists for Roma “second place is like winning the Scudetto and third is a noble position” ahead of their clash with Milan.
It kicks off on Sunday at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT), click here for a match preview.
“I have seen the right reaction,” said the Coach in his Press conference after a 3-1 Derby della Capitale defeat to Lazio.
“The team is disappointed and bitter, something that I can feel too. Clearly what counts is the work and after every setback, the next game becomes fundamental to understand your quality and effort.
“The final exam is the table at the end of the season. We needed a reaction, we had that and now let’s play a difficult match. I think the real worth of a team is shown over the long term. Milan caused us huge problems the last time we met, but recently they’ve lost a bit of sharpness. They are highly-motivated with a Coach who prepares well, so can express their full potential at any moment.”
Roma hired director of sport Monchi and this week he stated that one of the reasons he chose the club was to work with Spalletti. Does this sway his decision on a new contract?
“What he said about us is pleasing, a clean vision that comes from the outside, not sullied by what people say around us. He looked around and said: ‘It seems to me that, all told, Roma are doing a good job.’
“Clearly there are things we try to improve, but he expressed a positive opinion and that is how they see us from the outside. I am glad to work with Monchi, he’s the best director out there.”
Yet Spalletti remains under immense pressure from Napoli for second place, so would third – and the Champions League play-offs – be considered a failure?
“To call that a failure seems like a utopia,” replied the Coach. “Try asking that to the seven or eight teams behind us whether finishing third is a failure.
“Juventus have made it clear that nobody can get near first place. Then you have the other objective, to be chased over many rounds, and we are fighting it out with Napoli, who many say are one of the strongest sides in Europe. They had this position last season, they are the reigning holders of second place. If we are threatening their spot, it means we have done well.
“In fact, when I first arrived at Roma, we were five points off Inter and around 10 away from Napoli. There were games where we didn’t express ourselves fully and we haven’t reached our potential, but we are still many points ahead of Inter.
“I have always said that we have to win and I confirm that. I say in general that the team worked well, Roma lost some games, but are not all at sea the way they’d like you to believe.
“We are not afraid to come up against Milan or Juventus, so that is what makes the difference. We reached this point with our own hard work.
“If we finish second, it’ll be like winning the Scudetto. Finishing third means we’ve done a great job. We continue working to give Roma and its fans an international visibility. Third place is a noble position.”
Kevin Strootman and Antonio Rudiger are suspended with Alessandro Florenzi sidelined.
Roma squad for Milan: Szczesny, Alisson, Lobont; Manolas, Fazio, Emerson Palmieri, Mario Rui, Juan Jesus, Vermaelen, Bruno Peres; De Rossi, Nainggolan, Paredes, Grenier, Gerson; Perotti, El Shaarawy, Salah, Dzeko, Totti