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Here’s what the boss had to say…
What didn’t you like about Roma’s performance?
"In the first half we played well, even if we were a bit too sluggish, but we created some good goalscoring opportunities. In the second half the game changed completely. They mirrored us and showed more desire to win. We made a mistake with their free kick that led to the first goal - we left a midfielder to defend against a striker, and that's something you should avoid. An experienced team shouldn't make a mistake like that.
"Como did everything they could to win the game. We didn’t do a good job of creating the same chances that we created in the first half."
Did fatigue creep in towards the end?
"Possibly, due to the commitments we’ve had to deal with, but I don't like to make excuses - we should’ve shown the same desire as them. I told the guys who came on that the game had changed, that we’d have to up the intensity, that we had to be decisive, determined and pay close attention to the referee, because you never knew which way he’d make a call. We had to adapt and interpret the game in a different way, but we weren't able to do so."
Paulo Roberto Falcao offers his thoughts from the studio: "I think that by appointing Ranieri Roma made the right choice. I have total faith in what you’re doing."
"Thank you, that’s very kind, Paulo."
How’s Artem Dovbyk doing?
"He's not 100% yet. We made so many passes up front in the first half and there was never anyone to convert them into anything. [Stephan] El Shaarawy had taken some knocks, he was limping, so I put Dovbyk on, so at least there was someone who could finish off the moves. We weren’t able to carry on from where we left off in the second half."
Are you taking stock now and then in January you might ask to make some signings, or are you satisfied with the players you have at your disposal at the moment?
"I'm satisfied with how the lads are doing, but of course, if there's an opportunity to improve the squad - and of course it can be improved - I certainly wouldn’t say no."
Would you say that this Roma side at times see their confidence and belief crumble?
"No, I wouldn’t say that. From when I joined and in our first match away against Napoli I liked how the team played, but we weren't good at counterattacking. Then against Tottenham [Hotspur] we played an open game, which we could’ve won or lost, but the team responded well. We’ve gradually improved since then, and even when we lost to Atalanta we tried to take the game to them.
"We knew that it would be open today, a game in which both teams wanted to win. I expected a bit more in the second half. We had some chances, but we weren't able to take advantage of them, unlike Como. They were more alert than us to first and second balls - this isn’t a good sign because a team like Roma must always be alert."
Was there a problem with your team’s attitude in the second half?
"It would be hasty to use the word ‘attitude’ here – one match doesn’t define a team’s attitude. We have to bounce back. We’ve got the Coppa Italia coming up and we want to get through to the next round. This match will serve as a lesson for us."
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