Our coach previews the game
“Tomorrow we’ve got an important match against a team who've been performing well since last season. It’s a high-stakes encounter, but it’s not going to make or break the campaign.” Max Allegri faced the media ahead of his side’s clash with Roma this weekend. The match kicks off at 18:00 CEST at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Read below our boss’ thoughts on the big match:
“We know how good the opposition are and how much they’ve improved over time. They’re right up there near the top of the table. [Gian Piero] Gasperini is doing an excellent job, and the team is full of quality and passion. We know that it’ll be a difficult challenge, but we’re also confident in what we have to offer and we want to give a good account of ourselves.
“It won't be a decisive match, but it’s certainly an important one, even though we’re only eight games into this season. As for us, we need to improve, especially at the back. We’re letting in too many goals and we need to tighten things up.
“It would mean a lot if we found some balance, because that could help us go on a good run and climb up the table. It’s sure to be a very intense match, because Gasperini’s teams play high-tempo football. We’ll need to be ready to deal with a lot of energy.
“We’re gradually welcoming some key players back into the fold, such as [Scott] McTominay and [Frank] Anguissa, but they’re not quite ready for a full 90 minutes yet. We’ll need to play our cards right and have the rub of the green to help them return to peak fitness, even if they end up only playing a portion of this match.
“Where we most need to improve is in our off-the-ball approach to the game. We’ve got to get better in that regard and show that we can be stronger and more resolute. It’s true that we create plenty of goalscoring opportunities, but we still need to improve in terms of how we manage the pitch as a whole. Ultimately, the main aim is getting a result, through performing and reading the game well.”
