Roma came out on top over Lazio, winning the Derby della Capitale 3-1 and giving life back to their season. This win is the shock that the giallorossi needed to begin again and return to believing in their own qualities, as they take home 3 points that value twice as much, winning the most important game of the season for morale: the derby. After falling to Bologna and defeating Frosinone, only a victory would allow Roma to return to their true selves. After the game, manager Eusebio Di Francesco spoke to Sky Sport, and he did not hide his excitement:
"The decision to take a break was to take a look at ourselves, today we played a derby of men. We reacted and hunted that something extra that helps in moments of difficulty. We must continue to work this way, because this is the behavior that can bring us many other satisfactions. Even with Chievo we controlled the pitch, but we made mistakes like the one Fazio made. I was sure that there would be chances to score goals, and already after the first break we created those occasions."
"We worked a lot during the week to find triangles of play, I held a tactical meeting on this in the morning," continued Di Francesco. "I'm happy, because the entire team had the right disposition and it means that the team didn't lose their identity or the style of soccer we're looking to play."
Di Francesco then spoke on the condition of Pastore. "Pellegrini played trequartista against Sassuolo, in fact I anticipated him to be the substitute for both De Rossi and Pastore. The rage of Dzeko? In certain cases, he was right, but we know how attackers are. I liked him on the pitch, he did what I asked him to do. I look to make the team play in a way aligned with their characteristics. I know that tomorrow he'll be at work to score goals with Viktoria Pizen. Pastore? I think that it'll be very difficult for him to play in Champions League. We'll see."
