Coach Ranieri says Roma´s problems ´all in the head´

Roma coach Claudio Ranieri believes his side’s unconvincing start to the season is down to mental problems, rather than simple fatigue.

“It’s all in the head, the team isn’t tired,” said Ranieri ahead of his team’s trip to Brescia on Wednesday.

“In this type of situation, state of mind and emotional factors play a fundamental role. When the team has got rid of these feelings, you’ll see that they start to turn things around again.”

Roma, who finished second to Inter Milan last season, are without a win after three matches of the current campaign and lost their opening Champions League group game 2-0 at Bayern Munich.

Roma were in contention for the Italian title right up until the final day last season and Ranieri believes the stress of the run-in has had a lingering effect on his players.

“When you’ve spent so much mental energy, you need a bit of time to properly get the engine running again.”