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Roma kept the pressure on in the race for a top four place as they won the most difficult of their three remaining games.
Goals from Alessandro Florenzi, who overcame a personal battle with Cristiano Ronaldo, and Edin Dzeko, back to his sharp shooting best, earned the Giallorossi a 2-0 win over Juventus, reducing the gap with Atalanta back to three points. Here's how all the key figures reacted to the match. Claudio Ranieri to Sky Sport Italia “We must continue believing that anything is possible. "It doesn’t depend on us and we know that perfectly well, but we must get to the end of the season with our conscience clear. “Having been in this position already, and as a local and a fan of this club, I’ve seen life, death and miracles of all sorts. My message is as follows: I’ve travelled around the world and I’ve always established a bond based on loyalty with my players. I demand the utmost from them and there’s mutual respect between us. We have a laugh and a joke, but when we walk out onto the pitch we have to give our all.” On Roma's improvements in defence: “It depends on a lot of things. I don’t want us to press too high up the pitch. We did that twice and Juventus cut us apart really well in two touches. When we protect our four defenders, they feel more secure and the opposition has less space. This is the result of the tactical discussions we have during the week. "It doesn’t mean that we don’t want to attack. At times today we were too frenetic and in the first half we messed up a few passes where we should have shown more calmness.” On whether he could become a club advisor after leaving: “When I was first contacted this was suggested, but I still enjoy coaching and I want to coach. I’m finished here at the end of the year.” Alessandro Florenzi on asroma.com “Now we don’t need to look at the league table any more – we just need to do everything we can in these last two games, just as we did tonight. “We need to give everything we have, trying to win both and then we will see where we are; whether that is the Champions League, the Europa League, or neither. “We know we have not had the season that we wanted to. There are a lot of reasons why we haven’t done as well as we are capable of, from bad luck to mistakes from everyone. “But we need to finish this season without regrets. We need to be able to look each other in the face after the final whistle against Parma knowing that we gave everything and then whatever will be, will be. “We stayed in the game, we knew that it was not going to be easy. “We played to win but equally we did not want to concede. The coach made the right choices, the scoreline shows that. “Cengiz Under’s introduction was vital, I am very happy with what he did – we’ve missed him a lot and this is the player we want to see.” Antonio Mirante on asroma.com “I believe that, aside from the saves and the decisions from the gaffer, we’ve changed a little in our approach to defence. "We’re less exposed and when we have the ball we’re almost always set up well. This restores confidence and then the results start to come in. "We’re working so hard to get fourth place. We know things are complicated but we have the duty to keep going until the end.” On whether he could be number one next year: “The truth is that when I came here at the start of the year I knew my role, but then things changed and obviously it’s great to be able to play. However, it’s not a question of thinking about what I’ll do next year, it’s a question of working hard: my attitude to my job always needs to be perfect. "Despite the fact I knew I’d been brought here as a back-up keeper, I always trained as if I were playing the following Sunday. From this point of view I’m lucky because I’ve got a goalkeeping coach who doesn’t let up and also I genuinely never had the attitude of coming here to Roma to put my feet up.” Steven Nzonzi to Il Romanista "We certainly still believe we can reach the Champions League, there are still two matches before the end and anything can happen. We must work hard and believe in it until the end. There are still six points up for grabs, we must take them and then we will see what happens. On his future: "I am happy at Roma, I'm perfectly at ease. Now it is important to concentrate on the end of the season, reaching our objectives. What matters now is the present." Edin Dzeko on Facebook "Big win, vital three points." Bryan Cristante on Twitter "This team never gives up. Daje Roma!"
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Italy manager Roberto Mancini has chosen five Roma players to be involved in a tw0-day training camp next week in preparation for the country's Euro 2020 qualifiers.
Mancini's squad - which comprises a total of 32 members - only features players based in Serie A. Among those selected are Alessandro Florenzi, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Bryan Cristante, Nicolo Zaniolo and Stephan El Shaarawy. The training camp will take place between Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th February at Coverciano, as Italy prepare for matches against Finland and Liechtenstein next month. Although this squad won't compete in any matches during their time together, it gives an indication of who is in Mancini's thoughts ahead of next month's qualifiers. El Shaarawy is returning to an Italy squad for the first time since November 2017. The winger has a total of 23 caps for Italy since his 2012 debut, scoring three international goals. He was a member of their squad for Euro 2016, and will be aiming to play a role in its follow-up. Zaniolo has been one of the success stories of the season, not just for Roma, but in Serie A as a whole. Firmly in Mancini's thoughts since his first international call-up in September 2018, Zaniolo is still awaiting his senior debut. Pellegrini is becoming more and more influential for Roma, and is beginning to replicate that form for the Azzurri too. He will be hoping to make his first major international tournament next summer. His fellow midfielder Cristante has been steadily improving over the season, and will be looking to add to his six senior caps so far. Finally, Florenzi maintains his place in the national setup despite inconsistent club form. With 31 caps, he is the most experienced of the five players called up for the squad. New Roma midfielder Bryan Cristante has chosen the number 4 shirt ahead of the new season.
Cristante joined from Atalanta in the summer, and was unveiled at a press conference today, where his new squad number was confirmed. He takes the shirt from Radja Nainggolan, who left for Inter this summer. Cristante also wore the number 4 at Atalanta, where he made 59 appearances over a one-and-a-half year spell. At the press conference, sporting director Monchi described Cristante as "the best midfielder in the league last season." Roma have confirmed the signing of Bryan Cristante from Atalanta on an initial loan deal, with an obligation to buy.
The midfielder has signed a contract until 2023, with the transfer to be made permanent for €15m plus bonuses after certain sporting targets are met - on top of the €5m fee paid up front for the loan. Cristante, an Italian international, has impressed during his 18 months with Atalanta, scoring 15 goals in 51 starts in all competitions, and becoming one of their most-used players. In an interview with the club's website, Cristante revealed it was "always my aim to come to Roma." The 23-year-old, who has also played for AC Milan, Benfica, Palermo and Pescara, said: “I am confident that I will be able to do my best and make a big contribution to this club.” He joins a midfield already bolstered by the addition of Ante Coric earlier in the transfer window. Juan Jesus is wanted by Walter Mazzarri at Torino, according to Tuttosport.
The Brazilian defender joined Roma from Inter two seasons ago, but has been in and out of the team. He reportedly earns over €2m a year. As part of the deal for Jesus to move to Turin, Daniele Baselli could be offered to Roma, who are looking to upgrade their midfield. Monchi has already added Ante Coric, who joined from Dinamo Zagreb, for the position. Corriere Dello Sport claim Roma are set to complete two more signings soon. Bryan Cristante should be on his way from Atalanta, and Domenico Berardi is set to sign from Sassuolo. The latter has apparently already agreed personal terms for the move, which would see him link up with his former coach, Eusebio Di Francesco. The valuation is rumoured to be between €20m and €25m. Sassuolo's director general, Giovanni Carnevali, has told the same publication that the club have received no official offers for the winger yet, but they would consider a sale if the right offer came along. Reports in Turkey suggest Monchi is tracking Borussia Dortmund midfielder Nuri Sahin. The German club have not offered him a new deal, say Fanatik, so will look to sell him before his contract expires in 2019. Another player who is entering the final year of his contract is Athletic Bilbao winger Iker Muniain, and according to Corriere Della Sera, he is one of the players Monchi has flown to Spain to discuss. Muniain has struggled with injuries in recent seasons, but is a great player on his day, and is still only 25. One player who could be leaving Roma is Gregoire Defrel, who failed to impress in his first season at the club. According to Il Messaggero, Atalanta are interested, with the player possibly forming part of the deal to bring Cristante to Rome. However, Sampdoria are also keeping tabs on the striker. |
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