Roma leave the Juventus Stadium defeated. The 1-0 loss leaves a seven point gap between them and Juventus. Spalletti spoke to Sky Sport after the match: “We were very good in the first 15 minutes. After they scored, we played a good game while also taking risks. We put them in many one on one circumstances. We lacked a little bit of luck in a few scenarios where we could have done more. We were not very organized; they ended up playing a closed game, and this allowed us to see how strong they are from a physical perspective. My choice to start Gerson? I substituted him because he was on a yellow, and because we had to do a little something more. He is not Salah in one on one situations. I was attempting to compensate for the physical strength of Juventus. When the result changed so did the game. I wanted to arrive at the 50th minute and only then think with difficulty. If I had done things differently, there would have been even more suffering to be had in the match. Physical duels, like the one when we conceded, are what makes the difference in a match.”
According to Spalletti, the following is what Roma lacks: “There are other teams which are as competitive as Roma. We must focus on ourselves, but at this moment, Juventus are a more balanced side. We recently have suffered injuries with Salah and Peres. Salah only trained for ten minutes with the squad yesterday. The choice of Gerson was intended to help overcome the physicality of Juventus. We have other characteristics, and could have started the match by utilizing our quickness of play. But the first thirty minutes of the match were marked by physical contrasts. This is what we require in order to be like them. When it comes time to battle hard, our players respond with different qualities. Can the scudetto still be challenged? Yes, until next year. This is true about not only us, but also other teams. As long as the math permits it, the scudetto race is open.”
