OMNISPORT

Roma coach Eusebio Di Francesco views his managerial style as a mixture of Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte.

Trophy-laden spells at AC Milan, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich established Ancelotti as one of the most successful Italian coaches of the modern era, while Conte was key to Juventus reasserting themselves as the dominant force in Serie A before becoming a Premier League champion at Stamford Bridge.

Di Francesco appreciates the man-management skills of the 58-year-old and the energy of the Chelsea head coach, believing his approach sits between them.

"I like Ancelotti's calmness and the relationship he can establish with his players," the Roma boss told La Stampa.

"Conte is very good from the motivational point of view and is a great worker on the training pitch.

"I think I'm in the middle of the two."

Di Francesco left Sassuolo to replace Luciano Spalletti, who led Roma to second in Serie A last season, at the helm and, after an inconsistent start, has maintained their place as title challengers.

Roma are four points off leaders Napoli and possess a game in hand on the teams above them, but their head coach is unwilling to think of a Scudetto tilt until after Saturday's trip to face defending champions Juve at Allianz Stadium.

Di Francesco said: "For now, let's leave it alone. We want to challenge. If we grow further and pass tests like the one in Turin, we will talk about it afterwards.

"Juve have returned to being ruthless and cynical, they give the feeling of never conceding even when the opponent is at their best. Did you see the Inter game? They didn't win, but they deserved to.

"The increased competitiveness [in Serie A] motivates me and I think that the race will be between the top five. I also include Lazio, even though they are a bit further away."