| Francesco Totti remains an injury doubt to face Parma, but Roma Coach Luciano Spalletti admits he has to get used to some bruising treatment.
“I hope that I can field him,” said the tactician. “The fact that he has had to train on his own and without the boots needed for a match situation means he hasn’t fully recovered. We’ll evaluate the situation before the game, but Totti does want to play.”
The Giallorossi star has been struggling with a recurring ankle injury for several weeks and the fiery Coppa Italia clash with Juventus midweek saw it flare up again.
“Over 20 fouls were committed on Totti in that game and four Juve players were booked for their challenges on him. A champion needs to live with this sort of treatment and Francesco does well to deal with it. Otherwise, Coaches begin to say that one star or another needs special consideration from the referee, and that just isn’t very fair.”
The reference could well be to Juve boss Fabio Capello, who suggested after his red card in Wednesday’s game that Zlatan Ibrahimovic was being picked on by referees.
That bitter encounter also sparked fireworks with Ibrahimovic’s agent, as Mino Raiola claimed Totti is a diver and “is only a lion at the Stadio Olimpico.”
“You have to leave some situations alone so that they don’t escalate,” responded Spalletti. “Looking back on that match, I think my players acted professionally.”
Roma may have lost their eight-match winning streak in all competitions, but hope to get back on track and make it seven victories on the trot in Serie A against Parma this evening.
“Parma are an excellent squad. I am convinced that many of their players have a strong future ahead of them. I realise it will be matching a club record if we make it seven consecutive Serie A wins, but we just hope to take it one game at a time and maintain the same attitude.”
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发表于 2006-2-4 06:35:00