Manu Koné talks Roma’s preparations, praises team performance after Derby win | OneFootball

Roma midfielder Manu Koné revealed some secrets regarding the team’s preparations leading up to tonight’s derby victory.

Following the team’s 2-0 win over Lazio, Koné said to reporters, “We prepared for the match like this: we worked hard all week, analyzed the opposing team, their tactical setup, their strengths and weaknesses, and studied how they position themselves on set pieces.”

“Tonight we started off strong, especially in the first half. We are really happy with the win.”

On whether he would like Ranieri to stay on the bench next year, Koné replied, “Yes, why not. He is a great coach, he is proving it: he is bringing out the best in this team and has immediately brought charisma and confidence.”

When asked about whether he spoke to any of his teammates about the derby, the Frenchman said, “Honestly, no one spoke to me individually about how to approach this match from an emotional point of view, simply because, from the moment I started living in this city, I realized that this was a special match, full of tension.”

“During the week, working with attention and care, all the staff and players prepared the match in such a way as to fully understand what kind of challenge we would face.”

“This victory gives us great satisfaction: we wanted to win for the fans, for the club, for the coach, but above all for ourselves.”

“With Guendouzi we are good friends even off the pitch, we are teammates in the national team. What happens on the pitch stays on the pitch: we both wanted to win this match, because we have that kind of mentality. I am sure that we will exchange a message and everything will be resolved.”

“We are all competitive, both individually and collectively. It is true that we have accumulated a bit of delay, but we are proving that we are on the right path.”

“We are a team with good players, a solid mentality and all the qualities to climb the table. However, it will be essential to take one game at a time.”

“We knew it was a special match, the fans wanted a game like this, and we played it with pride because we really wanted to give them this satisfaction. They dragged us along, and I think it was especially evident at the beginning: on every occasion, in every tackle, we gave it our all.”