Ranieri defends Roma players, but Como ‘had more desire’ | OneFootball

Roma coach Claudio Ranieri refuses to blame his players after a 2-0 loss at Como, but insists Cesc Fabregas’ men had ‘more desire’ to win the game.

The Giallorossi failed to win the third consecutive match under Ranieri, conceding two goals in the stoppages at the Stadio Sinigaglia on Sunday afternoon.

“I believe it’s Como’s merit. They had more desire to win the game,” Ranieri said at a post-match press conference with DAZN.

“They changed the system by playing with five defenders. There was a mentality switch, and I warned my players. Honestly, Como always got first on the second balls, which surprised us. I am sorry because we left their striker with one of our midfielders in the build-up to the [first] goal. It’s a pity because we were playing our game. We could have scored in the second half despite not being on the same level as the first half.”

Ranieri didn’t blame his players even if the Giallorossi were below par after the break.

“I liked the first half. The performance was there and I can’t say the lads didn’t give their all, but Como had more desire,” he said.

“At some point, we were unable to understand the game and the referee. In those situations, you must understand which direction the game is going.”

Paulo Dybala started the third consecutive game as a false 9, while Artem Dovbyk was introduced from the bench in the second half.

“Obviously, when El Shaarawy, Saelemaekers and Dybala play together, attacks are more fluid,” said Ranieri.

“We have work to do with Dovbyk, and he has to get back in shape. He’s been injured and sick since I came here, so he needs to improve and you’ll see that he’ll give us good satisfaction.

Ranieri defends Roma players, but Como ‘had more desire’

“The commitment was there, but we had to understand the ongoing battle,” said Ranieri.

“We had to hit them, just like they hit us, always with fairness. They won thanks to their desire; we gave our all, but it wasn’t enough.”

Enzo Le Fée started in the middle of the park for the Giallorossi but wasn’t entirely convincing.

“I told him to play with one or two touches, which is what I said before the game too,” revealed Ranieri.

“I said we should not have passed from the middle because they’d be highly resolute in defence. The referee would blow the whistle sometimes, and some others wouldn’t, so I didn’t want them to go through the middle.”

Ultimately, Ranieri was quite happy with the team’s spirit, although the result was clearly disappointing.

“It was positive with some uncertainties. We have to go forward with the desire to bring Roma higher and higher,” concluded the Roma coach.