Juric's pre-Monza media conference

Here's what our coach had to say...

Is everyone available except Alexis Saelemaekers? How will you manage Paulo Dybala and Mats Hummels?

“Hummels is a lot better now. We'll see how he looks in training today and then we'll decide. The same goes for Paulo. We'll see how he is after training. We'll decide on how much they can play and everything else. [Enzo] Le Fee has started training with us. All the others seem to be fine.”

What sort of team are Monza? How will you play against them?

“They've picked up far fewer points than they've deserved so far but they're a good footballing side. They've produced some excellent performances and have some talented players. They play nice football, with ideas carried over from [Raffaele] Palladino's reign last season, which they're repeating. You can see they move well as a team. They played a great pressing game against Inter.”

Roma played with great intensity in your first two matches against Udinese and Bilbao but a bit less so in the last two. Is the reason for that simply that you're playing lots of games close together?

“I think we played really well the other day, both in terms of our intensity and our play. The intensity was excellent and the pressing was excellent. Against Venezia, in the last half an hour the pressing was excellent and we did everything we want to see.

“There are other things we need to improve for sure but not that, because we pressed really well against Elfsborg. We played with the right intensity and the fitness data was excellent. I'm very happy because I think the team have improved a lot in that regard.

“The only match where I think we struggled a little was the first half against Venezia, but I'm happy with the rest.”

The Friedkins' goal is to get into the Champions League. Having worked with this squad now, do you think you can finish in the top four? Can you maintain a high level all season both in Serie A and the cup competitions?

“I think we have a lot of room for improvement as a team and regarding our ideas. I was really pleased with our performance the other day, although we lost, which is obviously not good, but the ideas were right. The moved the ball around well, switching it from one side to the other, but then we were let down in the final third by our decision-making and our finishing.

“The main goal is getting into the Champions League and we're all focused on that. We all need to improve if we want to compete with the best. We got off to a slow start but we've picked up six points from our last two and we're moving up. We have a great chance to finish this run of games with a win at Monza. We'll see.

“If we want to challenge on all fronts, I think we need to use as many players as possible. Right now, we're without Saelemaekers, who can play in lots of positions, and we'll see what happens with [Nicola] Zalewski, so we're a little bit short. We'll see in future if we're able to do well in all competitions.”

Do you sense the team are still shocked about Daniele De Rossi's departure or have they got over it now?

“I think Lorenzo [Pellegrini] explained it well. There was an initial phase where you could see it, then another with a completely different mentality – that we have to keep going strong for the good of Roma and for everyone. I think the lads are doing great. They've understood everything. If they train well, then they do well in the match.

“I'm very happy and I'm very focused on what we're doing. I see a lot more progress than I was expecting ideas-wise. That's why I say that, yes, it was a bad defeat in Sweden on Thursday, but I can see the things that I want – and that they want to put into practice. We're perhaps lacking in the finer details but we're there or thereabouts in terms of how we play, how we press and attack the opposition.”

Roma put together a lot of moves and got close to the goal against Elfsborg but didn't have many shots. How do you fix that?

“I think we had five or six clear-cut opportunities: when Pellegrini hit the bar, Pellegrini's right-footed shot, Pellegrini's left-footed shot, [Niccolo] Pisilli twice, [Tommaso] Baldanzi with a shot from outside the box, and another I can't remember at the moment. Five or six clear-cut chances.

“What I was less happy with was the fact we'd get into those areas and there would be little space – and that's where you need quality, and work too. I work on body position and on playing well in the final third, and we saw that with Pellegrini's chances. We need to improve in those areas, in and around the box. When I talk about room for improvement, I mean these things. Because I see the lads understand the ideas and are putting them into practice. They're getting into the final third, and that's where you need real quality, as well as awareness of the space and your body position. If we want to be successful, we need to raise our game in those aspects.”

How much does this Roma team feel like it's your team in terms of how you're playing and other things? And how is preparing for a trip to Elfsborg different to preparing to visit Monza?

“We're moving forward one step at a time. Some things, as I said before, I'm happy with. Other things I want to change, but you can't change radically. I like the way we're playing. The lads have responded really well.

“I wanted to rotate a lot on Thursday. I wanted to give everyone a game and see how the players who joined this year are doing and whether or not they're ready. Training is one thing; matches are another. I think we played well in some ways, less well in others. We need to do better in the final third and we need to do a lot more work on counter-attacks.

“How do we prepare for this game against Monza? We got back at 5 am yesterday and we trained with the players who didn't play. Today we're preparing for the match and hoping that everyone recovers as well as possible, so that we can play with intensity against Monza. We don't have much time to prepare for games but that's how it is.”

How important is this trip to Monza with regard to the league standings? It could be a third straight league win for you. Over 2,000 Roma fans are expected to make the trip.

“The fans have made their position clear but it's fantastic to have them with us. It's nice to feel their involvement even if it's not a great moment. They're unhappy but pressure can give you adrenaline and I like that. We can turn something negative into something wonderful if we succeed.

“Winning two league games in a row is no easy feat in Serie A. We managed to do well. Making it three would mean taking another step towards the top of the table. It's like a mini-final for me. It's the end of this run of five games where I've been happy with nearly everything. Winning this game would be fantastic.”