Luciano Spalletti has called for another step up from his Roma players as they prepare to face Fiorentina in Serie A on Friday.
Roma have won six games in a row under Spalletti since January 30 to force themselves back into the Champions League picture, their run seeing them climb above Fiorentina into third place.
With 11 games remaining, claiming a top-two place is still a realistic ambition for the capital club given Napoli are only five points ahead after three without a win.
Spalletti hopes to reduce that deficit even further at Stadio Olimpico, but has warned his players they need to raise their level if they are to maintain their winning streak.
Fiorentina are good at anticipating the way the opposition play and tweaking their approach accordingly…
Aston Villa are closing in on the signing of Joe Cole, .
The midfielder was not offered a new contract at West Ham United, who he re-joined on an eighteen month deal in January 2013.
The 32 year old made just thirteen league starts last season, taking his all-time Premier League appearance tally to 366, across spells with Liverpool, Chelsea and two with the Hammers while he spent the 2011-12 campaign on loan at French Ligue 1 side Lille.
He has been capped fifty-six times by England scoring ten goals, though he hasn’t featured for his country since coming off the bench in the Three Lions’ 4-1 defeat to Germany in the last sixteen of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Villa boss Paul Lambert is keen to strengthen his squad after the Midlands cl…