Ranieri's pre-Porto presser

This is what he had to say...

You've just finished your final training session before the game. Have all the players recovered?

“As of now, yes. I have everyone fit. Now I have tonight and tomorrow morning to decide on the team.”

Given the good results you've have been getting lately, would you say that Roma are fulfilling their potential? And have you had any news about the club's complaint to UEFA?

“I'm not interested in off-field matters. The referee is a French enfant prodige, who officiated the European Championship final. I had him for two games when I was in Ligue 1. He's a fine referee. Excellent. I've had lots of games, about 90 in UEFA competitions, and I've never said anything about match officials. I always accept everything – I know they do a very difficult job.

“As for the other question, I always say you get what you deserve. And you see the thoroughbreds at the end. We still have a lot to say, a lot to work on, a lot to improve. There's no point thinking 'Where would we be if I'd joined earlier?' What matters is what the lads are doing now: playing with confidence, enjoying themselves, helping each other – these are great things. And I think our fans are very happy about it too.”

Two Italian clubs were knocked out of the Champions League last night. Has that made you raise your guard even more about how difficult it will be against Porto tomorrow?

“I always have my guard raised, against all opponents. Football is a beautiful game because there are no foregone conclusions. The result is never certain and the best team doesn't always win. I said this after the first leg, and before it, that it's 50-50. Porto are an excellent team with a young coach. They've played five games with him and not lost any. We'll be up against a very good team, a very young team, with a great deal of technical ability. It will be a great game.”

How is Artem Dovbyk settling in? He's scored 13 goals in all competitions but still looks a little out of place at times.

“He's improving. He has to work very hard. He's our focal point in attack. Our top scorer. Sometimes he's a great focal point for us and sometimes we're not able to give him decent service. It's an ongoing process and one that needs further honing. I'm positive. The only way to iron out imperfections is by working.”

How is Mats Hummels doing now? And out of interest, you said a friend of yours reminded you of Anthony Taylor in Budapest. Was it Jose Mourinho?

“You have some imagination! No, not at all. Someone in the dressing room said it. I don't know who. It wasn't Jose.

“Hummels is recovering well. He looks good. He's looking sharper and more explosive, so he's recovered well.”

You've been in charge for nearly 100 days now. What's your assessment of this initial period? And if Roma are to go through tomorrow, what mistake must you not repeat from the first leg?

“The lads are in good shape. I'm very proud of them. They've been giving me everything since day one. They welcomed me in like one of their own and that was really nice. I'm happy with everything we did in the first leg. They played superbly, both with 11 men and when we went down to ten.”

You'll be missing a key player in Alexis Saelemaekers. Could Devyne Rensch start? Or could Matias Soulé be an option? 

“Tonight I'll weigh up these last few days we've had to prepare and choose who I think can do well on that side.”

But could Soulé be an option in that position?

“Everyone could be an option. Soul* impressed me a lot in the game against Napoli, when he doubled up on [David] Neres. He had a great game in that position. So yes, it's possible that he might get the nod.”

It seems that Roma sometimes get caught on the break a bit too easily after set-pieces. Is that just a coincidence or is it something you're working on?

“We're always working and we're always talking but I do think that sometimes there's an element of chance. We make mistakes of course, but apart from the goal we played very well against Porto, and against Parma too, when we stopped them from getting the ball forward quickly.

“I think sometimes you go through spells where you concede goals from a certain type of situation. We'll need to be very careful against Porto tomorrow. As I said, they're a technically gifted side and they play a very direct brand of football so we'll need to be very, very careful.”

Recently Zeki Celik has been used as the right centre-back in a three-man defence. Is that where he's going to play from now on? 

“I think he's a defensive player. Obviously when we have the ball, he tries to get forward. He does what he's capable of. Sometimes he might misplace a pass or two but he wants to be involved and he wants to improve. He scored in Porto from a run that was intentional. We all have weaknesses but he's another one who's working hard.”

How do you train a team to improve their shooting? In Parma, for example, you had 16 shots and only four of them on goal.

“Parma was a rather particular game. They covered all the gaps having to play most of the game with ten men. It's a bit like what happened to Atalanta yesterday. They kept circulating and circulating but couldn't find the right opening. That can happen in some games but I think we're doing well in terms of the number of goals we've scored and conceded. Of course there are natural goalscorers. I don't believe in algorithms but statistics do tell you if you have a certain type of player who's used to scoring X amount of goals. You might get a year in which they score a bit less or another in which they score a bit more. Sometimes it's about who scores the goals, how many players you have who are used to scoring goals.”

Porto's long-time president Pinto Da Costa died a few days ago. Do you have anything to say about him? And regarding the match, do you expect Porto to play more defensively?

“The news about the president is really sad. He was Mr Porto. I think he was president for 42 years – an incredible length of time. His condition only started worsening a few months ago. May he rest in peace.

 “As for the other question, Porto will come here to play their game. They'll probably be a bit more cautious but they'll always be ready to hurt us on the counter.”