TMW
Lorenzo Pellegrini. Roma midfielderspeaks in the press conference after the 5-1 defeat on the Fiorentina pitch: “The climate in the locker room is not easy. What I said to the team, and which also includes me, is that certain performances are unacceptable for us and today it is one of those. On the other hand we need to think about moving forward and I don’t know a different path from working and doing it more than before. Now it’s important to look each other in the eye and be men before being footballers. Tonight is unacceptable for everyone.”
Is there compatibility between you and the coach?
“Since Mr. Juric arrived, there has never been a single moment in which the team didn’t give him everything. Like all things, it takes time to see certain results. Excluding tonight: what happened is not acceptable and you know that I always suffer twice, once as a Roma player and once as a professional. Like a double stab. I want to watch the match again but the feeling from the pitch is that there was nothing to appeal to dramas, but the difficulty is real and objective and must be resolved for the good of Roma.”
What did you and Dodo say to each other at the end of the first half?
“Nothing happened, to get rid of his marking I put my arm down a bit and then he did the same in the area. We said something to each other, but beyond that the moment is frustrating and doesn’t help.”
How to justify the moment?
“I’m not looking for excuses of any kind, today’s match goes beyond any alibi. From everyone. A performance like that isn’t good. There is an objective problem and it needs to be resolved. If I were the problem, I would raise my hand and I would leave. Roma is in a difficult moment and we need to tell each other how they are.”
Is the locker room with Juric?
“Since he arrived, there isn’t a person who hasn’t done what he had to do. We can’t afford things like that.”
What are you missing on the structure side?
“When I talk about organizational issues it’s because a team starts with one coach and after four games you find another one, it’s certainly not a benefit. Every coach is different, De Rossi and Juric have very different philosophies. Obviously we all need to improve, I first”.
What went wrong, right from the start?
“When I say unacceptable, I’m talking about everything. How you entered the field, the difficulties you encountered and not knowing how to fix them. I’m talking about everyone, no one excluded. And it takes the courage to say that we all sucked. I’m not made to hide behind a finger.”