Roma Boss Chooses to Stay Positive Despite Elfsborg Defeat

Roma manager Ivan Juric insists he saw ‘a lot of positives‘ in Thursday’s underwhelming 1-0 UEFA Europa League defeat at Elfsborg. The Croatian tactician tweaked his formation in last night’s game in Sweden as the Giallorossi slumped to another disappointment in Europe.

After a 1-1 home draw against Athletic Bilbao in round one, Roma lost to Elfsborg. However, Juric rested numerous key players, including standout forwards Artem Dovbyk and Paulo Dybala, who entered the frame midway through the second half.

Despite attempting 20+ shots and generating a decent-looking 1.12 xG, Roma could find an equalizer. In all fairness, Juric’s team controlled the tempo and enjoyed much more possession, but to no avail. After the game, the ex-Torino boss delivered his verdict on the match.

“I saw a lot of positives, we moved the ball well, and there are certain things we need to improve on the counter-attacks, but I do not agree with your vision of the game,” the Roma coach responded when asked why the performance was stilted, via TMW.

“I saw a lot of good moves, many chances to score and we accept that we were unable to score, but I would not call it a negative performance, nor a chaotic one.

“What I notice is the preventative marking because even when we are in superiority, we are not aggressive enough to stop those counters,” the Roma boss continued. “We kept the ball for long periods, but there are situations we need to improve.“