Claudio Ranieri reveals why he made no substitutions as Roma crushed Parma 5-0, the advice he gave Artem Dovbyk and why there is ‘one Roma with Paulo Dybala and another without.’
The Giallorossi needed a boost following the 2-0 defeat to Como, although there were already positive signs in the midweek 4-1 Coppa Italia victory over Sampdoria.
They swept Parma aside at the Stadio Olimpico this afternoon, with a Dybala brace, Alexis Saelemaekers volley, Leandro Paredes penalty and late Dovbyk tap-in.
“I don’t know if it is the best Roma of the season, but I do know we have to improve,” Ranieri told DAZN.
“The lads had to cancel out the second half against Como, they did that and now we can have a nice Christmas, but after that we’ve got to do better because Roma have not won away from home in Serie A for eight months.
“It is not right that we have one Roma at home and one away, we need to wake up and do better.”
Curiously, and certainly unusually in an era where five substitutions are allowed per match, Ranieri kept the exact same Roma line-up from start to finish. Is this because the coach has found his first choice XI?
“I did not make changes because I saw they had the right approach, there were no dips in concentration, so I decided to just stick with them.
“There was no thought of these are the first choice players and others reserves, absolutely not, that was not in my thoughts.”
Dybala has been linked with a move to Galatasaray in January, but Ranieri is only the latest coach to insist it would be a huge loss to the club.
“I always said Paulo plays when he is in shape. If he seems tired or that the game needs something else, I will take him off. Jose Mourinho said it and so will I, there is one Roma with Dybala and one without.”
While Ivan Juric left Mats Hummels and Paredes to gather dust on the bench, Ranieri has instead put his faith in the experienced pair.
“What can I say? Hummels is a World Cup winner, he played a Champions League Final. He had flu all week and barely trained, but when he says that he can play, then I play him.
“Paredes is the same, an incredible playmaker who needs only one or two touches. These are the players I like, they have experience and can dictate the tempo.”
Dovbyk had several big opportunities before he finally bundled it over the line from a couple of yards, so is last season’s LaLiga top scorer struggling for confidence?
“I liked the way he moved and combined with his teammates, but he must learn to just go for goal, whether it’s on his right or left boot. A striker must not be afraid to make a mistake, sometimes that can lead to a goal too, it’s what I told him,” revealed Ranieri.
Following a brief Christmas break, Roma will be back on the pitch with a huge trip to Milan on Sunday December 29, then the first game of 2025 will be the Derby della Capitale against Lazio.
“We have to play for the position we are in, take it one game at a time and drag ourselves out of the quicksand. We await the test at San Siro, as I said when I arrived, we’ll see where we are by the end of December.”
