Juric: “I’m sorry for the lads”

Here’s what the coach had to say.

We’d like your opinion on the incident just before they made it 2-1.

“I think there was a clear elbow by [Giangiacomo] Magnani on [Evan] Ndicka, after which he ended up on the floor for five minutes to recover. It wasn’t just light contact; it was more than that. But it is what it is. It’s yet another incident that’s gone against Roma.

“I think that we put in a great performance. We created so many chances, but we gifted goals to our opponents. When you make mistakes in football, you get punished. That was a foul; there’s not much else to say about it.”

We should note that your match analyst was sent off for trying to show the referee the incident. 

“I’m sorry for the lads because they turned in a fantastic performance in terms of intensity, play and everything else… We made mistakes for their first goal, then there was the foul and we conceded the third goal on the counter. We lost a game that was played at a high level.”

How can you explain the individual errors?

“At the moment, just like Inter, we’re making mistakes that are just too big, just like giving the ball to our opponents who then score. That makes it difficult. As for the rest, we’ve done well in so many areas. We hope that this period of mistakes comes to an end and the lads keep believing in our game and in what they did today.”

When you have to make choices, does it affect you in terms of imprinting your footballing vision on the team?

“I’m not thinking about that at the moment. We have [Stephan] El Shaarawy back in form out wide and then there’s [Alexis] Saelemaekers, so we’re covered. We’re fine in midfield. Maybe there’s something to do at the back, while we do have options up front. I think the squad has shown that this style of play runs through our blood. They’re starting to enjoy playing this way, dominating matches, taking the game to our opponents and moving the ball accurately and quickly.

“I saw some very promising signs today. At the moment, we need to keep our heads clear and understand just how serious these mistakes are and how much they cost us, but we did many things well.”

Do these mistakes come about from the pressure that the players are under and the lack of calmness? Help me understand because it’s a shame. In two away games (NB today plus Fiorentina), you’ve conceded eight goals.

“It was embarrassing in Florence and it has nothing to do with tonight’s game. It was a complete disaster and I accepted it as just that. Since that day, there’s been a brilliant reaction. Even before that game, we’d been working well, but we have been making mistakes that are hard to explain. The first goal is an example and the second is a foul…

“We did score twice and carve out plenty of chances plus a series of sustained attacks. We’re paying the price.

“Sometimes, I think football is just like that. We have to stay clear-headed, see what we’re doing and raise our level of focus. Having said that, it’s not just about focus because these mistakes are too big.”