At the end of the 3-0 defeat to Roma at the Olimpico , Sassuolo striker Sebastiano Esposito analysed the match in the mixed zone.
Esposito's words to Sky
You never put the goalkeeper under pressure
We're coming off a tough period. We're not giving our best. We're trying, but we're failing. Playing in this stadium against these champions was difficult, and we knew it. We tried with a low block to patch up the excessive goals we'd conceded, but after the first two, we crumbled. I have few words to say about the performance tonight.
On the reasons for the difficulties
"We train hard and respect the coach's requests, but we're not proving to be the team we were at the start of the season. I don't know why, but the only way forward is through hard work."
Esposito on Dazn
On the one hand, there's the joy of being confirmed in the national team, on the other, Sassuolo's difficulty in emerging from this negative period. How are you experiencing this moment, and what are the reasons for this situation?
Good evening everyone. Yes, let's say I'm happy with the national team, but right now I'm having a hard time thinking about it. I'll try to think about it from tomorrow onwards. Unfortunately, I can't find the reason why. The only way forward I can say, the one we've said to each other, is to work, to work harder, to start pedaling even harder. You can't blame anyone, because that would be too easy; it would be looking for an excuse, and it wouldn't do any good for us, any of us.
Compared to a few years ago, you've become a completely different player. Tonight I saw you battle for every ball, even running into your own penalty area. Are you trying to invigorate a team that seems fearful and is perhaps feeling the effects of this negative moment in terms of personality?
Thank you, mister. But unfortunately, I'm here too right now, I mean, I can't opt out of this moment, out of the team. If we're in this moment, it's certainly my fault too. I'm trying, yes, with those runs that are part of my nature, to make a splash or give that little bit extra. But that little bit extra isn't showing up right now, because all of us, without exception, need to give more. The only thing that can definitely help me is the fact that in recent years I've been playing for these objectives, for staying up. I know it's tough to stay up, especially when you're in a moment like this. It's hard to hold your head up, but you have to, as I said before, work and push harder than the others.
