Daniele De Rossi believes Roma conceded a ‘stupid’ goal in their 1-1 draw with Feyenoord in the Europa League. The Giallorossi went behind to an Igor Paixão opener before Romelu Lukaku levelled things up in the second half, leaving things finely balanced ahead of the return leg at the Olimpico next week. Speaking in the post-match, De Rossi explained where his team can improve, suggesting the return of Evan Ndicka can help them at the back:
“In a stadium like this without fans, strong teams play their game everywhere. We had prepared the match like this, I always ask for great aggression but I understand that it is difficult to keep up for the entire match. Before the match I wanted to motivate them but there was no need, they were ready.”
“Lukaku? He is one of the best in the world in that role. In the end he scores the goal, he takes 5/6 shots per game. No wonder. He must score goals even with a man on him like today. I’m happy with his attitude and his performance.”
“The goal we conceded was a stupid one. That mistake is all mine, we have limited time to amend this trend. If we concede goals in the same way it means that I have more work to do as a coach. With Ndicka back we will be able to address this.”
“Dybala? I see him growing physically, as the match goes on he gains confidence and looks stronger from a physical standpoint.”
“In the second half we took control of the game also thanks to him: he drops deeper and more central, which helped us become more compact.”
“His attitude is fantastic, the physical condition is good and we are talking about a champion. I always ask more from everyone, but especially from him and Lukaku. These are two players that I am counting on. The stronger they are, the more I want from them.”
