LONDON (ENGLAND) (ITALPRESS) – After the defeat suffered at the Maradona against Napoli, it is already time for Roma to return to the pitch to face Tottenham on the fifth day of the 2024/2025 Europa League. The Giallorossi side has won five points so far and needs to win at the English side’s ground in order to boost their hopes of at least reaching the playoffs of the continental competition. On the eve of the big challenge against Spurs, coach Claudio Ranieri spoke in a press conference emphasizing the level of the opponent: “It will not be an easy game and we know that. Tottenham have won 13 of their last 15 games in Europe. They are a team that grinds out play, they do the kind of soccer that I love because it gives joy to the fans. The coach is doing a wonderful, excellent job and I congratulate him. This is a match of the highest stimulus, we face a magnificent team. They will not let us breathe and we will have to be shrewd and smart to face this opponent.” Ranieri returned to the away match in Naples, in which his team, despite the defeat, showed the right attitude. “Tonight and tomorrow morning I will talk to everyone to understand who will take the field. I am calm in this respect, the performance we did in Naples I did not dislike. We lost because of indecision. However, the team reacted well and fought all the way, that is important.” “I ask the boys to give everything, you have to leave the field satisfied that you gave everything. I see the players with desire during training. I don’t expect who knows what in these three games, but the important thing is to fight until the last second,” added coach Ranieri. “We have studied this team and I like the way it attacks. It is a machine that pushes its engine to the maximum. We have to be smart and clever, making the ball travel quickly.” Good indications on Paulo Dybala’s possible employment for at least part of the challenge: “He has no pain, he has been training. We’ll see. It’s one thing to have him, it’s another to not have him. He is a boy very attached to the colors, he asked me to come to Naples. I only asked him not to get hurt,” the Giallorossi coach explained. Along with Ranieri, Mats Hummels also attended the press conference, emphasizing the value of the match against Tottenham. “I think this match is very important, we have to win three points to stay in the running for qualification in the top eight. It’s a great chance to turn things around, against a very strong opponent. There are big differences between Juric and Ranieri, now we defend more as a group – explained the German – Since I arrived I have found a group that always works seriously. In my career I had a worse period than this, with Borussia Dortmund I was also last in the standings in one season. You have to always believe and put the team in the best conditions to shine.” After a complicated start, new scenarios could now open up for the defender in the Giallorossi: “When I arrived I had not trained for three months and I had to find my condition, then I stayed out due to coach’s choices. Now I am sure that opportunities to play will come. I want to show what I am capable of to our fans. I am sure it will be a story with a happy ending.”- photo Ipa Agency -(ITALPRESS).
