Claudio Ranieri explains why the introduction of Nicolò Pisilli transformed Roma in their 4-1 win over Lecce, stands up for the Friedkin family and protects ‘sad’ Lorenzo Pellegrini.
This was a special match anyway for the lifelong Roma supporter, because it was his 100th on their bench in three different career stints.
It was also Ranieri’s first victory in this third era, after two Serie A defeats and a 2-2 Europa League draw away to Tottenham Hotspur.
They swept Lecce aside in the second half with Alexis Saelemaekers, Gianluca Mancini, Pisilli and Manu Koné completing the 4-1 rout, after Nikola Krstovic converted a penalty given away by Saud Abdulhamid.
“The performance was strong, which I wanted against a team that is accustomed to battling hard. We needed to match their ardour and desire to battle for every ball, then make our quality come out,” Ranieri told Sky Sport Italia.
“I am pleased because many individuals needed this confidence booster. In the second half, we struggled a little, but when I introduced Pisilli as an extra midfielder, it restored our balance.”
With Artem Dovbyk suffering from flu symptoms, Ranieri opted to start Paulo Dybala as a False 9 supported by Stephan El Shaarawy and Saelemaekers.
“We had three of them against two of ours in midfield, so we couldn’t keep that system going. It seemed logical to give us greater solidity in midfield with Pisilli, who is an excellent mezz’ala that I was missing last week when he was suspended. He’s tough, works hard, can shoot, assist, he is young and has a bright future ahead of him.
“I am happy for the team and for the fans too.”
This is the first time all season that Roma have been able to score four goals in a single match, so will this system be used again?
“I won’t tell you,” laughed Ranieri. “I don’t think it was a debut in Serie A, but Saud Abdulhamid has a lot of pace and when Celik got injured, I introduced him. He was too timid in the first half, we weren’t giving him the ball enough, but he provided the assist later on.
“We are not even laying the first brick in the foundations, we are just gathering the cement together to start doing that. This team must do more, it must not settle, but we also have to take it gradually.”
Ranieri protects Friedkin and Pellegrini from Roma complaints
Lorenzo Pellegrini did not play a single minute of football again this evening, as he remained on the bench.
“I said when I arrived, in my career I worked with two splendid goal-scoring midfielders: Frank Lampard and Lorenzo Pellegrini,” reiterated Ranieri.
“However, Pellegrini is going through a period where he feels sad inside. He feels the weight of Roma on his shoulders and that is not right.
“When I see him smile and play in a light-hearted manner, then I will play him.”
Dan and Ryan Friedkin were in the stands, but they were jeered when shown on screen at the Stadio Olimpico, as fans remain sceptical of their strategy at the club.
The Sky Sport Italia pundits were discussing why the Friedkins don’t ever speak to the media, instead leaving it to the coach or director Florent Ghisolfi.
“I am not here to defend anyone, but I asked my press secretary who the American Presidents are in Serie A. There are a lot of them and none of them talk to the media,” Ranieri pointed out.
“This is their way of doing things. They choose people and they trust them, then if things don’t go well, they are the ones who put the investment in. I hope that now they have picked the right people, because we are all trying to do our job in the best way.
“Evidently the American club owners want to deal with it this way, they speak as little as possible to the media. They speak to those who run the club and their employees, but not really to the media.”
