Luciano Spalletti reassured Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan after declaring he hated Juventus. “He said a couple of daft things.”
The Coach held a Press conference ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Crotone, but the questions were naturally based around Nainggolan being caught on camera telling fans he “hates” the Bianconeri.
Luciano Spalletti reassured Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan after declaring he hated Juventus. “He said a couple of daft things.”
The Coach held a Press conference ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Crotone, but the questions were naturally based around Nainggolan being caught on camera telling fans he “hates” the Bianconeri.
“His temperament is clear for all to see,” noted the Coach. “He is a great guy, very fair and that is what Nainggolan is in my view, not the couple of daft things he said outside a bar with people who lead you into finishing their sentences.
“He was kind enough to stop and chat with them, but they proved to be two jackals, manipulating the video, because you don’t see the start of it.
“He wanted to seem like a tough guy, which he’s not. In the locker room everyone was having a laugh about it, but at the end of the day we realised how it was going to go.
“The people who create these controversies want us to lose. We are a team with a united front: we are focused on tomorrow’s game and that is all.”
There were reports the Disciplinary Commission could take action after the comments suggesting Juventus “always win with a penalty or a free kick,” but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
The Belgium international was also smoking during the video, so how does he manage to be such a strong athlete with that lifestyle?
“It’s not a problem,” insisted Spalletti. “He lives a normal life. It was his night off, he can have what he wants. Radja finds a balance and does everything to the max.
“I know that there’s controversy every week and so we get used to it. I know what our objectives are and the rest is of no interest. We must give relevance to important issues.
“Radja will learn to be more careful, as there are some enemies who want to slap you on the front page.”