Ranieri: “Without Totti, we struggle”

AS Roma lost for the second straight league game on Sunday, against Livorno (0-1). Without Francesco Totti, Roma remains vulnerable. Roma’s captain missed the last two matches due to a knee injury. Totti saw his team drop to the 12th place in the league. Roma boss Claudio Ranieri admitted his team must find a way to overcome the absence of its injured star player.

“Without Totti, we struggle,” Ranieri said after the match against Livorno. “When you are missing a player like Totti, who is a reference point in this team, it’s not easy.

“Today we created five chances in front of goal and had Totti been on the pitch, perhaps he would have scored one of them.”

Ranieri hopes Totti’s compagnon in the front line, Mirko Vucinic, will soon deliver in front of goal.

The Montenegrin forward has failed to score in seven league appearances for the Giallorossi this season.

“Vucinic has had four goal-scoring chances and has been unable to find the target,” Ranieri said.

“Sooner or later he will score although we hope it is sooner rather than later.”

Roma travels to the Friuli stadium to take on Udinese on Wednesday before hosting Bologna on Sunday.