ROME (ITALPRESS) – “Whether the cups are the most important competitions for us? Every game is important precisely because of a total growth of the team. I arrived and we were afraid of what Roma could do. Now we have to think about doing well in every game, at the end we will see what we have managed to do.” This was said by Roma coach Claudio Ranieri in a press conference on the eve of the match against Eintracht in the Europa League, decisive for the passage to the group stage. Tomorrow, the Giallorossi will have few central defenders on their roster partly because of the imminent transfer of Mario Hermoso to Bayer Leverkusen: “When I arrived he was injured, then he caught up with the others. He’s a guy I like a lot, he’s gritty and he’s come to a good form but rightly he wants to play. Now he prefers to leave and I only want players who are happy to be in Rome. I understand him, such a player deserves to play,” added the Giallorossi coach. Who then addressed the rumors about a sale of Paredes: “All the rumors about Leandro I hear from the press, not from him. But if he does not want to stay, as I said for Hermoso, I am not holding anyone back. Cristante? He is a newfound player and could, with different characteristics, replace Leandro. He doesn’t have that verticality, but he has other qualities. They are two complementary players and could also play together,” Ranieri concluded. At his side, in the conference, a veteran of a thousand battles like Mats Hummels: “Eintracht is a team I know well, they are very strong and able to organize themselves on the field with different automatisms. Some players are good friends, they are doing better than expected, but they are not a surprise.” As for Roma, “we are steadily making progress and we also earned points against Tottenham, Bologna and Milan,” the German center-back’s words. “There were many arrivals in the summer and this has affected the team’s continuity. Since the coach (Ranieri, ed.) arrived, we have shown signs of a path of improvement.” And on his moment in Italy: “I understand enough 50% of the questions, but I still don’t feel like answering in Italian. However, I understand and use football terms. The future? I am 36 years old, there are also issues to be seen on a private level and it will take some time before I make a decision,” Hummels concluded.- Photo Ipa Agency -(ITALPRESS).
