James Pallotta has warned Roma’s players that they will be gone if they do not give 100 percent under Paulo Fonseca. “He spoke about discipline quite a bit.”

Roma are preparing for a new era under Fonseca, who was confirmed as the club’s new Coach last week, and Pallotta looked to the future with optimism.

“The meeting was absolutely terrific,” the President told his club’s official website.

James Pallotta has warned Roma’s players that they will be gone if they do not give 100 percent under Paulo Fonseca. “He spoke about discipline quite a bit.”

Roma are preparing for a new era under Fonseca, who was confirmed as the club’s new Coach last week, and Pallotta looked to the future with optimism.

“The meeting was absolutely terrific,” the President told his club’s official website.

“We all wanted to sit together with Paulo, and some of his staff, away from any distractions, and just start to really get to know each other.

“The meeting was very productive and positive and we had about half dozen people from Roma at the meetings and dinners.

“We discussed a lot but we actually tried to listen more than talk. We heard many of his thoughts about his football philosophy and how he would like his teams to play.

“He has very clear and intelligent thoughts on what he wants to create for Roma and what he expects from all of our players.

“As we saw at Shakhtar, he likes his teams to play with the ball and with a very high intensity, controlling possession but not just possession for possession’s sake.

“He’s very attack-minded and, as he said in his first interview, he wants to win – but win in style.

“He also realises that Italy is one of the most tactical Leagues in the world and some adjustments, which he articulated, might have to be made. What was most encouraging to me was his flexible approach.”

“He was very complimentary about the squad we have, in particular many of the young players.

“He fully admits that it’s going to take some time for the players to adapt to his methods – and for him to learn more about our players.

“One thing he did stress, and he brought his lead performance coach to the meeting, was the importance of the players being in the best possible shape.

“It’s something I felt we had built but didn’t take advantage of in the last couple of years. To play with such high intensity, the players have to train every day in a very intelligent manner.

“Last season, I don’t think the players were in great shape – and most of the time that wasn’t the players’ fault – and it resulted in an inordinate amount of injuries.

“We have already started to change our performance programme and we – including Paulo and his team – are completely on the same page.

“It was evident on the first day that we both have a lot to offer each other in terms of training capabilities.

“I was very happy with how he spoke about how he and his coaches will work with players individually, trying to improve both veteran players and also young players on a daily basis.

“This was very important to him. At the same time, we need players who want to learn and improve themselves and realise that they can always get better.

“If players want to learn and improve then he wants to help them – and he said that this was something he did a lot at Shakhtar, staying behind after training to work on different things with different players.

“I know for a fact that last season some of our players, who maybe didn’t play every week, felt like they weren’t learning or progressing because no one was there to help them. This was something that he was very passionate about and so am I.

“If players want to improve, and they want to stay behind after training to be able to work on their game, then those are the players he wants to see at the club.

“I will do everything possible to make sure we have the resources available to do that for our players.”

However, the American made it clear he would accept nothing less than maximum effort going forward.

“[Fonseca] spoke about discipline quite a bit. He was adamant that discipline will be one of the major keys to achieving our objectives.

“Immediately he’ll explain to the players what is expected of them and what they will all need to do.

“He emphasised the importance of everyone being in this together and there must be genuine unity within the squad.

“Roma isn’t about individuals, it’s about winning as a team. Not every player can play every game and for those not involved, for whatever reason, he still expects the same discipline and the same intensity in training so when they are called upon, they are ready.

“Anyone who doesn’t want to be part of what we are trying to create can leave. He made that very clear and I am 100% behind on him on that.

“Look, whenever you appoint any new Coach, there are risks involved. That goes for every club in the world, not just Roma. What I liked about Paulo was how excited he was by the challenge of coaching in Italy, which we know is a very tactical and competitive League.

“He has his preferred system he likes to play, but he spoke about how he has to be flexible and able to adapt to different situations.

“Rather than be frightened or daunted about the task ahead, he was excited about the challenge and proving himself.

“He’s very calm and considered but he’s very ambitious – but with humility to that too. Every day he says he tries to learn how to make himself, his staff and his players better.

“It’s clear he has confidence in his ability without a drop of arrogance. He wants to prove himself in one of Europe’s top Leagues and he believes he can do that with Roma.

“We spoke about players but that’s between us and him. He knows the areas where we need to improve and he has some players who he clearly likes and would maybe like to see at Roma.

“It’s our job to help give him the players and the squad that can help him deliver results for his style.

“Many of us are working around the clock to fix things that are wrong and we’re always looking to find ways to improve even in the areas we think are already good.

“For instance, on Wednesday night we were up past midnight in a restaurant enthusiastically talking about what we need to do.”

“Inevitably some players will go, and some new players will arrive. In the case of players leaving, if someone isn’t 100% committed or doesn’t want to be part of what we are all trying to build, then they will leave.

“After last season, we can’t afford to have anyone who isn’t committed to the cause.”

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