James Pallotta admits that while he is ‘not happy’ with Roma’s campaign, he wants ’22 guys like Aleksandar Kolarov’. “He’s not out drinking…”

Roma remain outside the Champions League places in Serie A and were hammered 7-1 by Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia, while Giallorossi ultras have turned on Kolarov after he claimed they did not ‘understand much’ about football.

James Pallotta admits that while he is ‘not happy’ with Roma’s campaign, he wants ’22 guys like Aleksandar Kolarov’. “He’s not out drinking…”

Roma remain outside the Champions League places in Serie A and were hammered 7-1 by Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia, while Giallorossi ultras have turned on Kolarov after he claimed they did not ‘understand much’ about football.

“Well, I’m not [happy], I’m not actually,” Pallotta continued to SiriusXM FC.

“[That’s] because I feel we should be in second or third, when you really look at it. We gave up an awful lot of points this year, and near the end of games.

“That’s been pretty frustrating for me. Going 3-0 up against Atalanta and then tieing it… If I look at it – and even if we just take two thirds of the points that I think we messed up on – then we would be pretty close to second place with Napoli. So I’m not happy from that point of view at all.

“I don’t take anything for granted in this League. I still think Serie A, from 1st to 20th, is the toughest league in Europe. I really believe it is as tough as the Premier League.

“When you get down to the bottom 10 they are just so strategic and tactical, it is just different.

“It’s not like we are going for four goals or five goals, they’ve got some strategy and it’s just not that easy. So I don’t take any of them for granted, by any means.

“We have to, the next bunch of games, just do our job. Hopefully we are healthy and, you know, finish in the top four.

“There’s no question for me he is just the absolute ultimate professional. Every single day he is the first guy in there, he’s pretty much the last guy to leave.

“He’s just a tough, tough footballer. He doesn’t go on social media, he’s not out drinking, he just plays hard and he trains hard.

“And sometimes he’s going to make a mistake, like all of us do. I hope the fans realise that, guys like him, you want to have 22 guys like that in your team!

“You just know the guy is going to go out there and bust his ass. He doesn’t complain, and when he is injured he still wants to go out there.”

The President’s remarks could be interpreted as a dig at Radja Nainggolan, whose off-field behaviour reportedly led to him joining Inter last summer.

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