ROME (ITALPRESS) – “The club’s letter to Uefa? I am not interested in things outside of soccer. Letexier is a French enfant prodige, he was designated for the European Championship final and when I was in Ligue 1 he directed some of my matches. He is very good. I have 1,200 matches and I have never said anything about referees, everything is fine with me, I know they do a very difficult job.” This was said by Roma coach Claudio Ranieri in a press conference on the eve of the Europa League play-off return match against Porto, speaking about the designation of the French whistle after protests over Stieler’s direction in the first leg. At the Olimpico they will start from the 1-1 draw in Porto. “Football is a beautiful sport, nothing is written. I said at the end of the first leg match that it will be 50-50. Porto has a young coach who in five games has never lost and has a team with a high technical rate. It will be a good game,” added the Roman coach who then also makes a point about the condition of his squad, postponing formation choices to the next few hours. “I have recovered all the players, between tonight and tomorrow morning I will decide the eleven to send on the field,” explained Ranieri. “Hummels? He is recovering well, he has another step again, more elegant and explosive. He is a recovered footballer.” Saelemaekers, disqualified, will not be there. On the right, Ranieri must choose a replacement: “Tonight I will do the examination of the whole mini-week and choose who to employ on that flank. Soulé? He impressed me in the game against Napoli, when he doubled on Neres. He could play in that position,” the coach added. Also in the press conference was one of the leaders of the locker room: Gianluca Mancini. “If the derby hypothesis in the round of 16 is an extra motivation? For us it is indifferent. You cannot think about that, in the locker room we are focused on tomorrow’s game. Then we will see. Whether it is Lazio or Bilbao for us is indifferent. But first we have to think about tomorrow’s game.” The bond with the square is growing stronger and the Giallorossi defender, now one of the senators on the staff, assures that the group is united and determined to achieve the best. “I am fine in Rome, I love this city and this club,” he added. “The fans appreciate me and this fills me with pride and pushes me to give something more on the field. I live the present, I don’t like to think too much about the future, but I have no problem saying that I am very well here. As far as the team is concerned, my teammates are serene and they all do what is good for the group. They train 100 percent, they give their best in any role and position. We are a real family and a group like this is a long time since I have seen it,” Mancini concluded.- Photo Ipa Agency -(ITALPRESS).
