Spalletti: 'We need better players to compete with Juventus'
Luciano Spalletti had some interesting things to say in the press conference following Roma's 1-0 victory over rivals Napoli this afternoon.
The former Empoli and Zenit manager said that stealing second place from Napoli (now only two points ahead of third-place Roma) will be "very difficult, judging by our remaining fixtures [Genoa away, Chievo at home, Milan away], but we'll try. When I arrived it was hard to imagine us going this far, I didn't expect it but the boys have earned it week in, week out, in both games and training".
Asked about how he intends to compete with Juventus next season, the Tuscan manager had this to say: "We need to buy stronger players, though Roma are in a good position. One needs to be cynical, and have the courage to face up to these uncomfortable truths. Ultimately, it will help the club grow".
Asked about starting talisman Francesco Totti, Spalletti revealed that "Totti is useful for 15 or 20 minutes. If he comes on determined to change the game then his contribution is always important. The team gets a boost out of, even a mental one. He would have earned a chance today, after scoring a few recently. I even considered starting him, but he may have run out of steam chasing after opponents all game".
The Tuscan coach also analyzed Roma's 1-0 victory: "Napoli are a strong side, they ping it around well and have assimilated their system. We may have played a bit deep but we didn't back down mentally, we had some struggles but we kept it tight, and we looked for, and found, a great goal, which we deserved".
"I think we deserved it, I don't think we stole anything, even though we have to improve from a personality standpoint".
@EdoDalmonte
