Eusebio Di Francesco has a theory about Edin Dzeko’s Champions League form and hinted at trouble behind the scenes at Roma.
The Giallorossi are now joint top of the group with Real Madrid on six points, while CSKA Moscow have four and Viktoria Plzen one.
Eusebio Di Francesco has a theory about Edin Dzeko’s Champions League form and hinted at trouble behind the scenes at Roma.
The Giallorossi are now joint top of the group with Real Madrid on six points, while CSKA Moscow have four and Viktoria Plzen one.
“This is my team at the moment in a nutshell, we go from one extreme to the other. Against SPAL, we had done really well and then at the first sign of difficulty, we completely lost our way,” the Coach told Sky Sport Italia after a 3-0 victory over CSKA Moscow.
“We did well today, even if there were some moments of concern with CSKA dangerous on the counter, but we made the most of our chances this time. We still create a lot, but this season we’re conceding a bit more than we did last term and it’s what we need to work on.”
Dzeko got a brace and assisted Cengiz Under, confirming his remarkable Champions League form of five goals in two games.
“If Dzeko had scored against SPAL, I’d have been even happier! I know we don’t like to play the long ball, but at times when it’s necessary to take the pressure off, he is also precious in helping his teammates come forward and holding up the ball. I get the feeling he enjoys playing evening games more than in the afternoon.
“This team has never been particularly consistent and that confidence comes from a run of positive results. In the first half, we won back 13 balls in their half and that is a sign of the football I want.
“After the break, we pushed hard for the third goal and that too is important, as we pinned CSKA back. There’s a lot that needs to be improved, but we did well tonight.
“What happened on Saturday, I did not like. There were some things behind the scenes too that emerged and football does not allow us to lower our guard ever. I didn’t like the way some of the players prepared for the SPAL game, which hasn’t come out yet and I took care of behind the scenes.
“You have to prepare for a game throughout the week. You cannot turn up the day before the game and say, OK, now we can start preparing. That’s not how it works.”