Eusebio Di Francesco's pre-Inter Milan press conference in full

The game gets underway at 20:45 CET.

JOURNALIST: How were the players when they returned from the winter break?

DI FRANCESCO: “I’m not happy with they way the break was organised, not because of how the players were when they returned but because we’ve been forced to prepare for a match having had to give the players a week off. Having just one week to prepare this game isn’t ideal. The players were in good shape when they came back, despite some mishaps with Diego Perotti and Maxime Gonalons. That meant we couldn’t have all the players to pick from.

"The players looked good to me and certainly motivated to make up for the points we’ve dropped. A week to recover psychologically is the best they could hope for. I am demanding the utmost focus from the players from now onwards, both in the league and Champions League.”

What do you want your players to show more of, starting with Inter v Roma?

“I want to see substance in what we do and for the team to show freedom, ability and quality play once again. To improve and grow, you need the courage to face fear head on. We’ve done a lot of tactical assessment to bring about improvements. Above all, we need to improve the way we threaten teams and be decisive in front of goal.”

Will Edin Dzeko play tomorrow?

“Yes. He’s more than up for the game and really wants to do well. He’ll definitely be in the starting line-up and I hope he’s decisive, as he has been many times before.”

How is Daniele De Rossi? Will Alessandro Florenzi play at full-back?

“Daniele De Rossi will be in the squad, in the hope we can have him back for tomorrow. Gonalons and Perotti won’t be in contention because of their injuries. We hope Perotti will be back for the home game against Sampdoria. Gonalons will need more time. On Alessandro Florenzi, I’ve always said he’s got the ability to play deep, or high up the pitch, or centrally. As for who I pick, it will depend on how De Rossi recovers."

Do you feel you need to send a message to put the fans at ease?

“We have already gone some way to building our future. I’m calm. Rather than putting our fans at ease, we need to put on displays for them. I prefer actions to words. Recently we’ve not matched the level we showed in our best spell, when the team was really exciting. We need to put work in to bring back that excitement. We need to get the fans going, not the other way around. Even against Atalanta, they stuck with us until the very end. Then its up to them whether to jeer or cheer. We need to win back their applause, through performances and regardless of who plays. We represent Roma, nothing else.”

Aleksandar Kolarov said yesterday that Roma will finish in the top four.

“We’re not going out there to finish eighth. But I’ve never spoken about winning the Scudetto, but rather making it tough for the other sides and fighting for the top positions. On the basis of our most recent performances, we need to improve but we’re in the mix to get a Champions League spot. This week will be very important, in terms of our aims and to show ourselves and our fans what we’re made of. We’ll be highly motivated when we go out onto the pitch. Subconsciously we’ve not had the same level of conviction recently.”

You’ve said that Roma have a tendency to settle, but settle for what?

“It’s not something that happens consciously. Sometimes we’re overly praised and now we’re experiencing the opposite. It’s always either one extreme or another. We can’t change people’s opinions in just 20 days. This is the atmosphere we live in – sometimes I think you get more airtime for criticising than for praising. That said, we’re not yet as strong or as competitive as those teams ahead of us.”

Could the rumours of recent days impact the team and the players involved?

“I hope not. I’ve tried to increase the focus of our players and our professionalism, self-esteem and loving one’s job – these are crucial. Not to mention that sense of belonging, which was one of the first things I spoke about with the players. The transfer window is part of the game and people who do this job know that it’s a period coaches hate. Perhaps for players it’s different. What is key is to get players to give everything and focus on the game – that’s what I demand.”

How is Patrik Schick?

“I won’t talk about individuals. The team is in better shape and as for Patrik Schick – you’re always asking me the same questions – he needs time to develop. I hear that he should be playing in different formations, but when players don’t feel free in their mind it’s tough to play in any position. He needs get back his fitness and rediscover himself. The answers will only come on the pitch but I’m happy with the way he trained during the week.”

How will you manage this period, when you’ll be playing in Milan then Genoa?

“We made the decision to stay in Milan. It’s not to punish anyone, but so we can recover as well as possible and have more time together. We’ve got some very important games ahead of us and we’re a bit short on numbers so we really need to stick together.”

How can Florenzi play in the back line against an opponent like Ivan Perisic?

“Florenzi has played at full-back in recent years, including against top level players like Eden Hazard, and the team has always done well. He could play up against Ivan Perisic but could also play further forward. The decision on that depends more on us than on the team we’re playing.”