Ranieri applauds Juve spirit
Claudio Ranieri believes the 2-2 draw at Roma is a “super positive result” after Juventus were trailing 120 seconds from the final whistle.
“It is a super positive result. We came here with the utmost respect for Roma, a team that is in magic form at the moment,” explained the tactician.
“But we had to play our game. In the first half unfortunately Francesco Totti got in our way and scored twice.”
Alessandro Del Piero had the opportunity to equalise a lot earlier, but fired his penalty over the bar. Vincenzo Iaquinta eventually snatched a point with his looping header.
“We did miss a penalty, but the competitive spirit remained the same and we proved that. The defence went very well considering how much Roma create against every opponent. Besides, Totti is Totti. He creates and converts moves all on his own.”
Ranieri prompted a few surprised gasps around the Stadio Olimpico when he switched to a very attacking 4-3-3 formation.
“We wanted to show that Juventus are alive and kicking. I didn’t have Mauro Camoranesi available, so I preferred to opt for these three strikers to galvanise the squad. That was the message at the bottom of this change.”
After four rounds no teams have a 100 per cent record in what is proving to be the most competitive Serie A tournament in many a year.
Roma continue to lead on 10 points, while Juve follow a few places behind on seven. Inter, Fiorentina and Atalanta have eight points.
“I say that Roma have not been cut down by this encounter. In fact, the difference between Inter, Milan, Roma and us is that we have an entirely new squad, while the other sides have had time to gel. Having said that, we have a strong character and we want to win.”
The only sore point of the match was Jorge Andrade’s knee ligament injury, as he could be out for some months.
Spalletti rues Giallorossi errors
Luciano Spalletti insists Roma deserved to beat Juventus this afternoon and hinted that Pavel Nedved dived for a penalty.
“I am very happy with the performance of my men and all the chances they were able to create,” he said of the 2-2 draw.
“You cannot always win and a draw is acceptable, but today we did deserve the full points.”
The Giallorossi went behind to a David Trezeguet header – the first goal they have conceded this season in all official competition – but Francesco Totti’s brace turned it around.
Alessandro Del Piero ballooned a penalty over the bar and at the 88th minute Vincenzo Iaquinta snatched an equaliser.
“Cicinho made a mistake in tackling Nedved for the spot-kick, but I don’t want to put too much blame on to him. Nedved is an expert player who knows how to make the most of certain situations.”
Despite the setback that ends their 100 per cent record, Spalletti’s Roma are still top of the Serie A table.
“We are continuing to work like last season, there is nothing new. We will not be downhearted by this missed opportunity. Perhaps we should learn not to let our enthusiasm get the better of us, as that can lead to mistakes.”
It was a special goal for Iaquinta, who worked alongside Spalletti when both were at Udinese.
“It was a difficult game, Roma are a great squad, the toughest of all to take on,” said the World Cup winner.
“We could even have won it and wasted a lot of chances, but we believed until the end and took home an important point. Roma were already strong last year, so with new players they can really aim high.”
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