Juric speaks to the media ahead of Roma v Bologna

Here’s what our coach had to say¦

You were given the job when Roma were in crisis. Would it be fair or harsh to say that you’ve never found a solution to get Roma out of this crisis?

“I wouldn’t say that’s harsh. There are some positives but as time has gone on, the overall impression of things for me is negative. I’m in full agreement with your assessment.”

How do you deal with a team like Bologna?

“They’ve got a top-class coach [in Vincenzo Italiano]. His brand of football is full-throttle and bold – he accepts that his side will be left exposed at times. I’m a big fan. Games against Italiano’s teams have always been thrilling, and he’s brought his quality to Bologna too. They’re not afraid to play man for man. I love how they play football.”

On the eve of the trip to Belgium, you said that whether you stayed in the job or not would come down to results. Do you feel that the whole team is behind you, by that I mean every single player? As for Mats Hummels, could you go into more detail as to why he was left out?

“Regarding the team, to be honest, at times it really does feel like ‘my’ team. I wasn’t being insincere when I said post-Verona that I saw both many positives and some negative things in the game, such as [Nicola] Zalewski’s pass. Against Union I felt like we played the same as we did against Fiorentina – our attitude was the same. It’s just the result was different. We lacked concentration at points of the match. There were times when they overwhelmed us numerically on the counter and we just weren’t alert. That’s not what my team is about. I thought that in Belgium we had our eye off the ball – we made mistakes and just weren’t at the races. I struggle to accept this. We played well against Torino and Verona, but we had a shaky performance in Europe. I can’t explain it.

“As for Hummels, there’s never been an argument - he’s a great professional. I’m not going to say it’s purely a footballing decision - maybe there are other reasons. You have to do certain things in order to play well. I have to pick someone who does those things for me and I believe that [Bryan] Cristante did a good job in that position. It’s very simple. There was no argument. Nothing happened. The same goes for me fielding [Nicolo] Pisilli in place of [Lorenzo] Pellegrini – it’s because Pisilli gives me certain things.

 “I know it's tough, and I expected to see more myself, especially when I first came here. Up until now I have to be honest about my job, I have to choose what's right. I have my demands, and that includes what I ask from Pellegrini. Pisilli played and he gave me more guarantees, even if he's a kid and Pellegrini is our captain. There's total professional honesty.”

Where do you think the team has improved in some ways?

“It's funny you should ask that... I thought we played well against Torino. We were composed and organised. Our opponents had been scoring loads but they only had four shots against us, and we created a lot ourselves. The Verona game was very good, better than Torino in terms of the intensity, the way we moved the ball around, the chances we fashioned... We conceded two goals but we didn't come under any pressure.

“There were small things we could have done better, but I had a good feeling. In Belgium I didn't see heart and soul or focus. I saw running – running on impulse – but I didn't see heart and soul. The match in Belgium was like the Fiorentina match – even if we'd won it.”

How do you explain these inconsistent performances? Do you expect the big personalities in the team to lead by example tomorrow. By that I mean the likes of Paulo Dybala and Lorenzo Pellegrini.

“Dybala won't be involved tomorrow. He felt a twinge while warming up yesterday. He wanted to train but the niggle wouldn't go away. I still have to decide whether or not Pellegrini will play.

“I get the impression we're not always 100% focused on the result, on our performance. You can give it different names. Tactics are important but if you don't have that other element, you can't compete. At the moment there are games in which we're not competing. We don't have that element you need which is at the basis of football.”

When did Dybala get injured? In Belgium?

“He's had injuries in the past. They're not an injuries: they're feelings, scars that pull a little and keep nagging. Not injuries. He felt it a bit in Belgium. He wanted to try and train anyway yesterday but he felt this niggle.”

Is there a mistake or something you regret about these two months?

“I don't know really. I don't think so. We've tried to do everything. What annoys me as a coach and as a man is that I can see we're capable, that there are games when we're capable, but then there are others when we play bad. It's normal. But it's this lack of consistency on a mental level, not being really on the ball, that has really bothered me.”

How's Evan Ndicka? And based on what you just said, have you ever thought – after a game like the one in Brussels – of going to the owners and saying, 'This isn't for me. I can't do anymore than this.'?

“Ndicka has recovered. He had this virus, which come of the assistants had. He's had a bit of a rest too after all the games he's played.

“We cleared the air after Florence, got things off our chest. I haven't taken a step back, maybe others have. I have a clean conscience. We've done a lot of work. Whether or not other people have taken steps backward, I don't know. As I said, it's not easy because I have a good feeling and then it vanishes. It's not me trying everything and the situation never changing. I've seen lots of improvements in certain games then complete blackouts in others.”