Luciano Spalletti gave Roma tactical advice to take on Sampdoria and is “irritated we’ve stopped” dominating matches.
It kicks off on Sunday at 14.00 UK time (13.00 GMT), click here for a match preview.
“Daniele De Rossi and Diego Perotti are available, Thomas Vermaelen has to be tested today,” said the Coach in his Press conference.
Luciano Spalletti gave Roma tactical advice to take on Sampdoria and is “irritated we’ve stopped” dominating matches.
It kicks off on Sunday at 14.00 UK time (13.00 GMT), click here for a match preview.
“Daniele De Rossi and Diego Perotti are available, Thomas Vermaelen has to be tested today,” said the Coach in his Press conference.
He also took a moment at the start to thank people for messages after the double tragedy that struck his family.
“The team will resume training together after international duty and it’s important to send the message that we leave behind everything that was before. Everyone was very disappointed by the result at Cagliari, but they know full well that resistance is crucial to get victories in certain situations.”
The Giallorossi have a tricky clash with Sampdoria, who have a 100 per cent record so far this season, and their ex-Empoli Coach Marco Giampaolo.
“He is a person of great values, both on and off the field. I know him well, we spent evenings together discussing training systems and other issues. He is able to give his vision of football to a team.
“You just need to see Samp play to know his imprint is there. We are friends too.”
Because of their similar approaches to the game, many expect Roma-Sampdoria to be an entertaining encounter.
“We are struggling at the moment to be compact and have lost our spacing. Alessandro Florenzi can still play as a full-back, but when you make choices like that, you need to command the game. If you have two full-backs who push forward and defend well too, then there’s no point sitting back to wait for your opponents.
“Therefore Florenzi and Bruno Peres can work together as full-backs, but we need to play on the attack. The width of the pitch is always going to be 60 metres, so we need to tighten the length from 110 metres to 55 by staying compact, and it’s something we haven’t mastered yet. The spacing of a team is fundamental, or it’s like wearing a shirt that’s the wrong size for you.
“Last year after a tricky start, we got the hang of it. We’re working on this in training, as when going forward we can’t just throw the ball up there and hope for the best. We have more quality than that.
“We can’t struggle when pressed, because otherwise we’re not up to the standard of Roma. Last season we were often in the opposition half. It irritates me that we’ve stopped doing that, but we will resume.”
Today director Mauro Baldissoni told Roma Radio that the Giallorossi could even leave the Stadio Olimpico if the issues regarding the Curva Sud and barriers are not resolved.
“I agree with him,” said Spalletti. “If you look at the lack of spectators, that is damaging for the team. An empty Olimpico takes something out of you.”