Eusebio Di Francesco was not downhearted after Roma lost 1-0 in Turin. “We dominated the final 20 minutes and caused Juve problems.”
Medhi Benatia got the decider in the first half, bundling over the line from a set play, but Alessandro Florenzi hit the bar and Wojciech Szczesny was crucial in stoppages on Patrik Schick.
Eusebio Di Francesco was not downhearted after Roma lost 1-0 in Turin. “We dominated the final 20 minutes and caused Juve problems.”
Medhi Benatia got the decider in the first half, bundling over the line from a set play, but Alessandro Florenzi hit the bar and Wojciech Szczesny was crucial in stoppages on Patrik Schick.
“We improved in the second half. Juve took the lead on a distraction from a corner and we are perhaps the team that caused them the most problems in Turin recently,” the Coach told Mediaset Premium.
“In the first half, we were slow on the pressing and Juventus perhaps took a more aggressive approach from the start. I didn’t come here to lose 1-0, but to play the game. Juventus interpreted it better, but we remained in the running and created the kind of difficulties that few sides manage against Juve. That should give us strength.
“I had asked for more organisation in midfield, but we lost our way a little as time wore on. We got stretched out and misplaced passes.
“Right at the end, we pinned Juve back and really put them under pressure, which means our fitness levels are not an issue. We dominated the last 20 minutes and there are regrets we didn’t play like that earlier.
“There is work to be done, but we must never lose the intention of pressing the opposition and taking the game to them if we want to become an important team.”
Di Francesco threw on Schick and Cengiz Under in the final stages, joining Edin Dzeko and Diego Perotti.
“It was a 4-2-4, as they are all pure strikers. It can be done during a game to recover from a trailing situation, but the 4-3-3 works well and the players have assimilated it.”