Roma Players Disappointed by de Rossi Sacking, Juric Says 

Roma’s head coach Ivan Juric looks on during the Italian Serie A match between AS Roma vs Udinese Calcio at the Olimpico stadium in Rome, Italy, 22 September 2024. (EPA)
Roma’s head coach Ivan Juric looks on during the Italian Serie A match between AS Roma vs Udinese Calcio at the Olimpico stadium in Rome, Italy, 22 September 2024. (EPA)
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Roma Players Disappointed by de Rossi Sacking, Juric Says 

Roma’s head coach Ivan Juric looks on during the Italian Serie A match between AS Roma vs Udinese Calcio at the Olimpico stadium in Rome, Italy, 22 September 2024. (EPA)
Roma’s head coach Ivan Juric looks on during the Italian Serie A match between AS Roma vs Udinese Calcio at the Olimpico stadium in Rome, Italy, 22 September 2024. (EPA)

New AS Roma coach Ivan Juric said his players were disappointed by the sacking of Daniele De Rossi, but he was pleased with their performance as they clinched their first Serie A win of the season by beating Udinese 3-0 on Sunday.

De Rossi, who spent nearly two decades at Roma as a player, was sacked on Wednesday after his team failed to win any of their first four league games. Former Torino coach Juric was appointed as his replacement.

Roma's CEO Lina Souloukou stepped down on Sunday due to the fans' anger over De Rossi's sacking.

"Upon becoming coach, I saw that some of the guys here were extremely disappointed about Daniele´s sacking," Juric told Sky Sports.

"They were very honest with me in telling me that they were very upset about him being fired. It's something I really appreciated, because sometimes players hide such emotions.

"In the last few days they have worked well and put in many hours... I really liked how the team responded, especially in the first half."

Roma, who have six points from five matches, host Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League on Thursday, before facing Venezia in Serie A on Sunday.

"We’ve got a large squad which allows me to shake things up. In the next two weeks we'll see a lot of rotation," Juric added.



Alexander-Arnold Not Disturbed by Transfer Noise, Liverpool Boss Slot Says

Trent Alexander-Arnold of England (L) and Christos Tzolis of Greece (R) in action during the UEFA Nations League match between England and Greece in London, Great Britain, 10 October 2024. (EPA)
Trent Alexander-Arnold of England (L) and Christos Tzolis of Greece (R) in action during the UEFA Nations League match between England and Greece in London, Great Britain, 10 October 2024. (EPA)
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Alexander-Arnold Not Disturbed by Transfer Noise, Liverpool Boss Slot Says

Trent Alexander-Arnold of England (L) and Christos Tzolis of Greece (R) in action during the UEFA Nations League match between England and Greece in London, Great Britain, 10 October 2024. (EPA)
Trent Alexander-Arnold of England (L) and Christos Tzolis of Greece (R) in action during the UEFA Nations League match between England and Greece in London, Great Britain, 10 October 2024. (EPA)

Liverpool vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold is not disturbed by the growing speculation around his future at the Premier League club and is fully focused on matters on the pitch, head coach Arne Slot said.

The 26-year-old England right back has been linked with a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid with his Liverpool contract running out at the end of the season. Alexander-Arnold last month said his contract situation will not be played out in public.

Having come through the ranks at Anfield and captaining the club across its youth levels, Alexander-Arnold has won the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and the Club World Cup among other major honors since making his senior debut for Liverpool in 2016.

Captain Virgil van Dijk and winger Mohamed Salah are also out of contract at the end of the campaign.

"I think you underestimate our players. These players are used to being linked with all the top clubs on a daily basis, if they have contracts or not," Slot told reporters ahead of Sunday's Premier League home clash against Chelsea.

"If you think they're disturbed by this interest then you don't do justice to how strong they are mentally. This is part of our job. This is part of this world we are living in. You just focus on what you have to do.

"Maybe if you're 17 or 18 years of age it could be difficult for you. But Trent has won the league, has won the Champions League; Virgil and Mo the same. I don't think that is a problem for them to perform and that's what we see at the moment because they're playing really well."

Liverpool, who top the Premier League table with 18 points from seven matches, suffered a blow with first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker facing a spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.

Slot said he expects the 32-year-old Brazil international to return before Christmas.

"But you never know. It is always difficult to know how an injury will go in the first stages, so we can answer that question better in two or three weeks' time," the Dutchman added.