Ivory Coast legend Yaya Touré has admitted Slovan Bratislava must improve their concentration, unity and fighting spirit after suffering a 4-0 defeat by Roma in the UEFA Champions League.
The Slovakian champions have now lost all three of their opening matches in the competition, conceding 13 goals and scoring just once, leaving Touré facing a difficult start to his first head-coaching appointment.
The latest defeat came at Rome’s Olympic Stadium on Tuesday, where Slovan struggled to contain their Italian opponents and were punished for defensive mistakes.
The result followed heavy losses against Paris Saint-Germain, who won 6-1, and Stuttgart, who recorded a 3-0 victory.
Touré, a former Manchester City midfielder, has been in charge of Slovan for four months.
His team have yet to find the consistency required to compete effectively at Europe’s highest level, with individual errors and lapses in concentration continuing to undermine their performances.
The Ivorian was particularly unhappy with the defensive approach that contributed to Roma’s goals, including a mistake involving Tigran Barseghyan during the build-up to the Italian side’s third.
“We were passive. At this level, these kinds of mistakes are very costly. We’re not united. We don’t stay focused for 90 minutes. We need to fight and support each other more,” he said.
Touré’s frustration was also evident when he spoke about the challenge of getting his players to respond to his instructions and avoid repeated mistakes.
“I can’t grab them, shake them, hit them or kick them.”
His comments underline the difficulty facing the former Ivory Coast international as he attempts to establish himself in management.
Having previously worked as an assistant to Roberto Mancini with Saudi Arabia, Touré is now experiencing the demands of leading a club competing in the Champions League.
Roma, meanwhile, used the match to recover from a painful European setback of their own.
They had suffered a dramatic 4-3 defeat against Real Madrid the previous week after conceding three goals in the final seven minutes.
The Italian side responded by taking control against Slovan early in the game. They opened the scoring inside 21 minutes when Hermoso headed home from close range after Daniele Ghilardi directed Lorenzo Pellegrini’s free-kick into a dangerous position.
Roma maintained their pressure and doubled their advantage six minutes before half-time. Molina scored his first goal for the club at the far post after Slovan goalkeeper Dominik Takac pushed a shot from former Aston Villa forward Malen across the goalmouth.
The visitors’ defensive problems continued after the break. Roma capitalised on hesitant defending to extend their lead in the 52nd minute, when Matias Soule won possession inside the penalty area before Malen laid the ball back for Pisilli to finish.
Malen then added Roma’s fourth goal from the penalty spot shortly before the hour mark. The penalty was awarded after Cesar Blackman fouled Wesley Franca, leaving Slovan with little chance of mounting a recovery.
The result was another setback for Touré’s team, who remain bottom of the Champions League table after three matches.
Their record of 13 goals conceded against only one scored highlights the scale of the challenge facing the coaching staff.
