FONSECA: "THE PLAYERS SHOWED COURAGE TODAY"
Roma's coach Paulo Fonseca spoke in his post-match press conference following the 4-0 win against Lecce. Cengiz Under, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Edin Dzeko and Aleksandar Kolarov all got on the scoresheet.
“The team trained very well over the past few days and I was very optimistic going into this one. Let’s not forget the form Lecce are in – they’d won three on the spin. We did very well indeed in the first 30 minutes and it was a different game compared to others. The players had more confidence and displayed more bravery. In a period like this, that was really important.”
On Lorenzo Pellegrini: “He’d played really well, but we had a chat during the interval and he had a slight niggle. I thought it better not to take the risk. He didn’t get injured – it was just a precaution.”
On Henrikh Mkhitaryan: “He’s a fantastic player – he has the ability to be decisive in that phase of play. In our team, it’s important to make the right decisions – we attack a lot but we’ve often made poor decisions. He’s important in how he gives our attack consistency.”
About the defence: “Yes – it’s very important not to concede. This is our second straight clean sheet and, for us, defensive solidity is fundamental. We turned in a good display today, particularly in the way our central defenders marked, often with the help of Veretout. That was key in the game and helped us keep the clean sheet. I must say, Lecce have a lot of quality in attack and come forward in numbers – I like the way they play.”
(Photo Getty Images)
