Roma manager Ivan Juric spoke to the media ahead of his team’s Serie A clash against Fiorentina. He provided updates on the condition of key players, noting that Dybala, Pellegrini, Mancini, and Soule are doing well. “I see them getting into dangerous positions, but we need to improve our finishing. Pellegrini was unlucky to hit the crossbar. Mancini is okay and has trained, but we’re monitoring Soule who has had a slight fever.”
Discussing Fiorentina, Juric stated, “They have excellent players in their squad and Palladino is doing very well. They have organization and talent – they’re a team of great value.”
On Roma’s lack of goals, he remarked, “We’re top of the league for shots on target and we’ve hit the woodwork many times. The technique and quality of execution is there, but we need to have even more conviction. We’re working on it and hope everyone starts scoring a bit more.”
Juric emphasized the importance of mentality, saying, “The team is on the right path. I saw many good things on Thursday too, but to win we need to be more ruthless. Given our position in the table, every game for us now is a decisive clash.”
Addressing Hummels’ absence, he explained, “I arrive at training and look at who is doing best. I choose based on that, without looking at age or CV. It’s purely a technical choice with Hummels – there are certain characteristics a coach prefers.”
On injured players, he mentioned, “Saelemaekers is progressing well and I hope he can return after the international break. For El Shaarawy we’ll see for next week or the one after.”
Juric praised Zalewski’s performance against Dynamo Kyiv: “Big compliments to Zalewski for the game against Dynamo Kyiv, mentally he was top class. He had an excellent game and showed me mentally that he’s not a child.”
Finally, he reflected on his work at Roma so far: “In many areas we’ve gone beyond expectations. I think there’s rebuilding to do and we need to feel bigger to win matches.”
