Maurizio Sarri acknowledged Roma's superiority after Atalanta's loss, telling Sky Sport that the opposition were the stronger, sharper team and will fight for the title until the end. Sarri analysed a difficult first half in which his side suffered territorially but managed to create few clear moments for Roma to exploit. "There was a need for a lot of suffering," he said. "We faced a squad stronger and more in form at this moment. And I think it will fight for the title until the end. We knew it would be a difficult match. There were moments of suffering in the first half but we were careful, we did very well also in the first half-hour of the second half. In the end instead we were too deep, perhaps struggling physically. We paid for it, but we come out with the awareness of having put in difficulty until the end a squad that at this moment is impressive."
Sarri told DAZN that Roma could have scored a second goal during a strong spell in the second half but ultimately lacked the physical capacity to sustain high defending in the final quarter. "We suffered the first half territorially but not in terms of chances; Roma's chances were not many," he explained. "We did a good half-hour in the second half, we could have doubled. In the last quarter of an hour we weren't able to defend high and keep the technical players away from our area. We could have made it 2–0 but Roma is in an extraordinary moment and getting her to the 90th minute is already a high-level performance."
On Matías Soulé's management, Sarri conceded the approach could have been handled differently but stressed that Atalanta's tactical setup left them exposed to counter-attacking threats. He defended his final substitution decisions, noting that his last two changes were forced by players unable to complete the match physically. Regarding Gaetano's expulsion late in the contest, Sarri disputed the referee's decision: "Gaetano says he said nothing to the referee and those around him said the same thing. I think the referee completely confused the situation. A clear refereeing error."
Sarri acknowledged the gap between the teams while identifying progress in his squad's second-half display. "We are defending ourselves too deep compared to what my teams usually do," he said. "It's a process; in the 30 minutes of the second half I saw very interesting things. At the moment Roma is the squad most in condition in Serie A, it will be in the title fight until the end."
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Maurizio Sarri has praised Roma as title contenders following Atalanta's recent match, acknowledging the Giallorossi's impressive form and quality. Despite the fixture ending level, Sarri told both Sky Sport and DAZN that Roma will fight for the Serie A title until the end, describing them as "the strongest team of this period" and noting they are currently "the squad most in condition in Serie A." He recognised that his own team faced a superior opponent in difficult circumstances, particularly after Atalanta's transfer window left them with new arrivals still integrating—some having completed only two or three training sessions.
Sarri's analysis of the match itself centred on a tale of two halves. Atalanta suffered territorially in the opening period but created few clear chances against Roma. The manager felt his side performed well in the opening thirty minutes of the second half and had an opportunity to double their lead but ultimately lacked the physical capacity to sustain their defensive shape in the final quarter. "We could have made it 2–0 but Roma is in an extraordinary moment," Sarri explained, adding that reaching the 90th minute against such opposition represented a high-level performance.
The manager also addressed two late-match incidents. On a red card shown to Gaetano, Sarri disputed the referee's decision, insisting the player denied saying anything to the official and that those around him corroborated this account. Regarding his substitution decisions, Sarri stressed these were forced by players unable to complete the match physically. He defended moving Kristovic for Scamacca by noting the importance of "having the courage to come out shorter," though he acknowledged his team must continue improving their defensive positioning as part of an ongoing process.
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Testo Originale / Source Text
“Maurizio Sarri ha parlato ai microfoni di SkySport al termine del match perso contro la Roma. Queste le sue parole: Come valuta la prestazione della squadra? "C'è stato bisogno di tanta sofferenza. Abbiamo affrontato una squadra più forte, più in forma di questo periodo. E che penso lotterà per il…”
Read the full article in Italian at Forza Roma.
