Spalletti: The players must relax but for staff the hard work starts now

Luciano Spalletti has turned his attentions firmly to the new campaign after Roma concluded their season against Al-Ahly on Friday night.

The Egyptian side ran out 4-3 winners in an exciting Champions Golden Cup match in the United Arab Emirates, bringing down the curtain on a season that saw the Giallorossi finish third in Serie A.

Spalletti was glad the fans enjoyed the occasion and told his players to go away and recuperate - while he and his staff set to work on ensuring the team do even better next season.

"That's the way it is," Spalletti said. "It's only right the players relax, while the rest of us have to plan properly for the future.

"This is the most important time when it comes to preparing for next season. We have to succeed in building a new team with the same attributes as the previous one and maintain the results the lads have been getting of late."

The crowd certainly enjoyed themselves...

"That was the essence of the match. If we thought we could have played better, we needed to consider the team's shape, especially with regards to the players that have left and those carrying knocks. I must thank Vainqueur for playing out of position, as well as Castan who played the full game.

"The same goes for Strootman. The doctor asked me to substitute him but I kept him out there because he wanted to play. We did okay. That said, we occasionally got a bit stretched and - because they're accustomed to these conditions and have pace in the side - they scored. But these things can happen at this moment in time."

How much of a factor was the heat? It was more than 40 degrees at kick-off.

"The change in temperature caused us a few problems, as we're not used to playing in this sort of heat. Thanks to ball possession - something we're very good at - we were able to overcome this hurdle, especially in the first half but things became tougher when the opposition had the ball.

"They were also able to make 11 changes after the break. Ultimately, I must say they played better than we did but we can't look for excuses. They were worthy winners."

What's your take on Castan's and Paredes' performances?

"They both played well, Castan especially so because in the second half the match became very stretched and he was able to tidy up a number of situations. Paredes was decent, although he got a bit worked up because he was disappointed at losing the ball there. We know how well he moves the ball, he's always in the heart of the action and he's also strong in the challenge because he goes in with everything he's got. I brought him off in the end because I had to."