Ranieri previews Lecce trip

Here's what the boss had to say...

Who will take Paulo Dybala's place against Lecce?

“Wait till Saturday and you'll see. I have several options. The lads who went away on international duty have come back looking good, and looking determined, so I'm happy about that. It's going to be a very difficult game. Lecce have picked up five points in their matches after international breaks and we haven't got many ourselves, so we should take that as a warning. There'll be a great atmosphere – a fiery, bold, relentless atmosphere. Those who play already know what they'll need to do.”

Is there a favourite to come in for Dybala?

“No, there's no favourite. There's training, and whoever shows me they have that bit extra.”

Gian Piero Gasperini has opened up to Roma in recent comments. Is he the favourite to become the next coach of Roma?

“I was expecting this... I'm happy because this week we're talking about Gasperini. Next week it will be someone else. If you go up to a coach and ask, 'Would you join Roma?', do you expect him to say that he'd never join Roma? The funny thing is that you've listed so many names and yet you've mentioned not one of the people I've spoken to. I'm very happy about that. It means we're on the right track.”

Francesco Farioli?

“It's not him.”

Is the deadline before the end of the season?

“The deadline is whenever the president wants to say it. And you know the president.”

What do you mean, 'when he wants to say it'?

“It means when he wants to say it. You enjoy this anyway. If I say no, you don't believe me, and if I say yes, you'll go crazy. So I just say no. You can relax.”

How will Roma change without Dybala? Might we see a four-man defence? And will Lorenzo Pellegrini become central again in his period?

“Everyone is central. What I told the lads today is that 16 of them will play. Then of course the talking is done on the pitch. Some are readier than others and players can't maintain the same form all season. A player who has been trundling along until now might need a rest and someone else will come in. We'll see. They're all central at Roma. And you've seen that I have no preferences or anything. The players are following me, they know they'll need to keep pushing till the end and we have to get going again. The start is always difficult. This game at Lecce will be the start of the run-in.

“As for the four-man defence, we play four and three – it's very flexible. Lots of teams do that. Some build play with three defenders although they play with four. Others defend with five or four. It's all very fluid and depends on the moment.”

Will the new coach be chosen by you then approved by the owners? And how big an impact are the fans' feelings in your choice? Is that something you're bearing in mind?

“[Florent] Ghisolfi and I will choose. We'll take a list of possibles to the president and then the president will choose the coach.”

But do you get the feeling he'll pick a coach chosen by you?

“Yes. As for the fans, they're important. But we know the fans like to back those who do well at Roma. The chosen person might not be so popular initially, although I think he will, but it's the facts that matter. Whoever comes knows they need to be successful, they know that Roma want to be at the top. They'll know that for the first two transfer windows we can't spend crazy money. Whoever joins has to accept those things. He must know that. I'll say it again when the president says who we'll get and I'll make sure that it's clear what our expectations are, how we need to support and help the new coach.

“I think the most important thing to note – you often ask if I'm staying on – is that if I were to stay on, we would lose a year. Why lose it? I'm not the future of Roma. Whoever joins has to be the future of Roma. So the earlier they come, the better.”

Leandro Paredes said a few days ago that he did everything he could to return to Boca in January. How did you take those comments and how much did you influence him regarding his renewal?

“I influenced him by telling him that I wanted him here for next year. The fact that he said he wants to go back to Argentina sooner or later is like me saying I want to go back to Roma. How did I take it? Normally. If he said 'I did everything', what did he do? Leandro is here. That's what matters.”

So we can rule out Gasperini becoming Roma's next coach?

“You can rule out all the coaches you've mentioned.”

So Gasperini won't be the Roma coach.

“No.”

Will it be someone else?

“Of course.”

How is Mats Hummels looking and could he start against Lecce?

“He could start. He's fine. He could be available for selection. He's training well and could play.”

Do you think the chairman will appear before the fans and set out his plans publicly in the coming months?

“Why is it so important? I've never seen a chairman who is that important. To me the president is important when he has a plan and when he pays us at the end of the month. Whether or not he comes to talk to us is not important. 

“You should know that the Chelsea chairman before [Roman] Abramovich – because I only spoke to Abramovich on his private plane – I saw him more often when he was no longer the chairman. When do you see chairmen talking in other countries? It's only in Italy that we want the chairman to talk. Tell me about another American chairman in Italy who talks. Why is it important? He's already said it and I can repeat it: he wants to make Roma great. He's already spent a billion. He can't buy because we have this agreement with UEFA. What more? Is what I tell you not enough?

Maybe some people feel the need to hear from the chairman after so many years, not that they don't believe what you say.

“You saw how keen he was to bring in [Jose] Mourinho in the pursuit of success. It's a very particular moment because clearly he's gone beyond not his own budget but what's been imposed by UEFA. You can see we're pushing really hard to build the stadium. I prefer to have a chairman who doesn't say much but does a lot. That's what I prefer. Whether or not he appears doesn't change anything to me. And that's me speaking as a fan. We could ask, 'When will he get this stadium done?' Hopefully we'll break ground as soon as possible.”

Manu Kone was one of France's best players but recently his performances for Roma have waned a little. How do you explain that difference?

“He was tired. He rested with me and did well for France.”

Will he play?

“We'll see. If he's recovered from the last few days, yes. Otherwise he'll be on the bench.”

Will Alexis Saelemaekers start at Lecce? And how far have you got in negotiations with Milan to keep him?

“You'll have to talk to Ghisolfi about negotiations. I'm not the right person for that. He's getting back to his usual performance levels and he's one of the players likely to start the match.”

How is Dybala after the operation?
“I spoke to him and he's doing really well. He's very happy with how it went and now he just needs to wait. Our medical staff will do all they can to help him recover the right way. Without rushing things or delaying them, which is what the surgeons often say for an ACL. With an ACL, you always have a six-month wait but you wait for an ACL. This wasn't an ACL. He had the small part that was deteriorated removed. It will take less time but we can't say how much exactly. We're confident. He's happy with how things have gone and the treatment he's had.”