Zeman defends ruthless Roma selection

Zdenek Zeman said he is not afraid of dropping some of Roma’s star names after wielding the axe for his side’s 2-0 win over Atalanta.

The Czech Republic coach dropped Daniele De Rossi, Pablo Osvaldo and Nicolas Burdisso for Saturday’s game but still came away with the result he was looking for.

“I have always said that everyone can play in my team and I chose these 11 players to start,” he said in his post-match interview.

“I am interested in what the lads do at this moment and right now I considered this to be the best line-up.

“We suffered above all at the start of the game, but this win is important for us and everyone around Roma.”

The 65-year-old also said the players he dropped were still important to him and he implied that they will feature in the coming weeks.

“I do not doubt the quality of De Rossi, Osvaldo and Burdisso as they are important players who I hope can give us a great deal,” he said.