Juric encouraged by Roma loss against Elfsborg: ‘The processes were better’ | OneFootball

Roma coach Ivan Juric insists he was not disheartened by his side’s midweek olss to IF Elfsborg in the Europa League, explaining that he was encouraged by what he saw from his players on the pitch, and has also provided an update on his key players ahead of Sunday’s Serie A match away at Monza.

The Giallorossi coach sat down for his customary pre-match press conference on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s game against Monza.

Juric began his press conference with a positive update on the likes of Paulo Dybala, Mats Hummels and Enzo Le Fee.

“I think Hummels is starting to feel better. We’ll see how he does in training today and then we’ll evaluate. Same thing with Dybala, we’ll decide after training. Le Fee has started working with us. Before training, I can say that everyone is fine.

Previewing Sunday’s game, the Roma coach added: “Monza is a team that plays great football. They have earned (fewer points) than they deserve. Raffaele has created an excellent team, they have perfect synchronicity. I saw them in-person and they left a big impression on me.

Juric reviews Roma performance against Elfsborg

“I keep saying that we played a good game the other day, both in terms of pressing and intensity,” Juric said when assessing Roma’s recent 1-0 loss to Elfsborg.

“The processes were better. Against Elfsborg, the intensity and pressing were good. The only game where I saw us suffer a bit was in the first-half against Venezia.

“The game the other day is a good example, I really enjoyed it. The team is reacting well. Regardless of the result, the defeat, I saw the right concepts. We made mistakes in our decision in the final third.

“The goal is for everyone to compete in the league, in Europe and in the cup. We brought home six points from the last two games, we are getting closer. To compete well on all fronts, in my opinion, you have to use as many players as possible.

“Roma had five or six clear chances against Elfsborg. What I liked about the away game was how we got into those closed spaces. You need quality, hard work and good positioning to improve in those final yards. This is our margin for improvement, we need to raise the level in that regard.”

Juric also opened up on  how his players reacted to the sacking of De Rossi and his arrival on the very same day.

“Lorenzo (Pellegrini) explained what happened well, how he experienced that moment. The boys are working very well in my opinion and are very focussed on the job we have at hand. Some details are still missing, but we are improving, both in terms of play and the aggression to close our opponents down.

“Let’s go step by step. Some things have been good for me, others I want to change, but not completely overturn them. The responses have been very positive.”