Eusebio Di Francesco admits he and Roma are going through a tough time but his sole focus is to guide the Giallorossi through to the Champions League quarter-finals.
Roma were dealt a hugely damaging 3-0 derby defeat by rivals Lazio on Saturday, putting Di Francesco under pressure ahead of a European second leg against Porto in midweek.
This has been pinpointed as a key game for the head coach, yet he is keen for Roma to take centre stage as they seek to defend a 2-1 lead in Portugal, setting aside his personal fortunes for the time being.
I would like to draw attention not to Di Francesco, but to Roma, he told a news conference.
My thoughts do not go to myself, but to my boys, for Roma to play a great game. It s not Di Francesco s game, but the players . The important thing is that Roma go through.
in 2008: beat Real Madrid 2-1 with this epic header from Rodrigo Taddei!
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague)
I m always thinking of the next game. After a positive run, we re having a tough time. The derby has damaged morale, but we must think about this game. This is a bit of a game of life or death.
With Kostas Manolas injured, Roma s back-line struggled against Lazio, with Federico Fazio particularly exposed.
But Di Francesco does not want to see individuals picked out and criticised at a key stage of the season, happy to instead shoulder the blame himself.
He responded: If we talk about individuals who made a mistake, we have to talk about the collective that approached the game very badly including, first of all, the coach.
