Luciano Spalletti warns it will take “a strong Roma” to beat Torino and Leandro Castan tomorrow, while giving some tactical analysis.
It kicks off on Sunday at 11.30 UK time (10.30 GMT), click here for a match preview.
The Coach began his Press conference by confirming defender Thomas Vermaelen is still unavailable due to injury.
Luciano Spalletti warns it will take “a strong Roma” to beat Torino and Leandro Castan tomorrow, while giving some tactical analysis.
It kicks off on Sunday at 11.30 UK time (10.30 GMT), click here for a match preview.
The Coach began his Press conference by confirming defender Thomas Vermaelen is still unavailable due to injury.
“It is athletic pubalgia, although there are various different types. Some inflammations heal in 15 days, others require a long lay-off or need to be dealt with day by day, so we can’t really give a timeframe for his recovery.
“When talking about Torino, it always creates a special respect within me. As someone in love with football, the achievements of Il Grande Torino have a unique significance, so it always feels as if we’re facing Torino with those legends watching over them.
“Sinisa Mihajlovic is certainly someone who fills that role well, as he has such a strong character, so we’ll have to fight hard. We need to build on recent performances and aim to win this game.
“Torino play good football, have some good players and it will require a strong Roma. We have to work for the future and choosing a fairly young squad was part of that strategy.”
Leandro Castan was loaned to Sampdoria after over a year out for brain surgery, but is now at Torino and expected to start tomorrow.
“He has proved his immense character and I am pleased he has found another great club where he can play with more consistency than he could with us. We still own the player and are fully aware how much he cares about the club. It fills me with joy to see this wonderful person and player starting.”
The Roma defence has been stuttering of late and Juan Jesus in particular made a few costly errors.
“In my view he’s one of the players Roma can rely on the most. He made some mistakes, but that’s because he had an injury and I asked him to grit his teeth and play anyway.
“I won’t say who will start tomorrow, but in such a delicate game I think it’d be silly to change the defence now, so if nothing else happens the centre-backs will be Kostas Manolas and Federico Fazio.”
Edin Dzeko bagged a brace in the 4-0 victory over Crotone midweek, so can he reach 20 goals this season?
“In my view he will get 20 goals this season, but the fact remains that’s not what counts. I want Dzeko to be within our project and our ideas, as he gives us a few extra options. Last season it went very well with his physicality, even if you didn’t like it very much, but the statistics show it was perfect.
“If we can get the team to work the way we did last season, then Dzeko can do very well for Roma. The goals are what everyone seems to judge him on, but if there’s no teamwork then the goal is almost irrelevant. It’s about the style of football and how everyone moves as a unit.
“It’s about a player sprinting 50 metres to press in midfield and therefore make it easier for his teammates to win back the ball.”
Spalletti also analysed the tactical situation for Mohamed Salah and Alessandro Florenzi down the right.
“I say that if Salah is able to start in a more central role and 10 metres higher up the field, the path to go one-on-one with opposition defenders is shorter. If he has to start from the position of doubling up with the right-back, the path is doubled and he has more players trying to stop him.
“We also need to find a way to help the full-back attack, so it’s about balance.”