Eusebio Di Francesco has confirmed that Patrik Schick will not face Sampdoria, but Alessandro Florenzi could start for Roma.
Speaking at a Press conference for Saturday’s trip to Marassi, Di Francesco also backed new boys Gregoire Defrel and Maxime Gonalons to come good, despite their early struggles, and claimed Roma bid “more than” what Schick cost for Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez.
“Schick? He had a bit of a problem during training and won’t be available tomorrow,” the Coach explained.
Eusebio Di Francesco has confirmed that Patrik Schick will not face Sampdoria, but Alessandro Florenzi could start for Roma.
Speaking at a Press conference for Saturday’s trip to Marassi, Di Francesco also backed new boys Gregoire Defrel and Maxime Gonalons to come good, despite their early struggles, and claimed Roma bid “more than” what Schick cost for Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez.
“Schick? He had a bit of a problem during training and won’t be available tomorrow,” the Coach explained.
“He’s one of those players who does his best when coming in from the centre-right.
“Defrel? I was told that he couldn’t play as a centre-forward, but the results have been different. Hard work always pays off.
“What would I recommend to Totti? He’s already started moving the pawns around on my white board! We’re always in touch with each other.
“I told him, ‘do you want to be the Coach instead of me?’. He also wants to play in a 4-3-3, so I keep playing that way because he told me…
“It’s right that he’s taken this path [of coaching] because he’ll understand what he really wants to do.
“Kolarov? He starts as a full-back for us. He has quality, thrust and plays great football, and we need him onthe left.
“Right now, I only have him in that position, but I can play him in the middle if need be in the future.
“Florenzi? He could play from the start, just like Bruno Peres. He’s given me positive feelings about his physical condition.
“Gonalons? I consider him to be a starter, he’s very strong, he has quality and will adapt well to Italian football and my demands.
“He’s had a few problems with the language barrier, but he’s improved and could play tomorrow.
“Market? We offered significant figures for Mahrez, more than what we paid for Schick. We wanted to sign a top player, not just anyone.
“We chose Schick, knowing that Defrel could cover the wings because he was born that way. He’s done well so far, in my opinion.
“With that, we chose a player that could play even more centrally. We might change something technically or tacticaly, but without affecting our style of play.
“I'm happy with how the market went. It was carried out to the fullest extent possible by the club.”