Armenia international Henrikh Mkhitaryan felt Roma suffered ‘an undeserved defeat’ against Napoli on Sunday and revealed the Giallorossi 'must improve mentally’.
Mkhitaryan bagged his seventh in Serie A this term, before the Partenopei captain Lorenzo Insigne scored the match-winning goal to make it 2-1 at the San Paolo.
But the Arsenal loanee didn’t think Roma deserved to come empty handed from Naples, Football Italia reported.
“I think we played better than in previous games, it was an undeserved defeat,” Mkhitaryan told Roma TV. “We tried to give everything.
“After 1-1, we had the chance but weren’t concentrated when Insigne scored. However, we are working hard to finish the season in the best possible way.
The Armenian forward claims Roma’s problems are more mental than physical but claims the Giallorossi have the capacity to bounce back.
“I think it’s more in our heads, we must be calm and not go crazy, thinking we have lost everything,” he added. “There are many games remaining and fate is in our hands.
“We have a great team and can recover if we win the next game. We have to help each other. Everything will be fine because we have a good group.
“In these moments of difficulty, the team are important, and we are a real team, we help each other. We can win the next match if we are strong mentally.”
Mkhitaryan claims the mentality can help them feel better physically too.
“If we feel good mentally, we improve physically too. Without having the right frame of mind, you won’t do anything on the pitch. We must be mentally stronger, then the body is just a matter of training.
“If things are going well, you can give more physically. We have a big squad, and everyone can help out.”
The 31-year-old said he feels better, after having struggled with injuries during the first half of the campaign.
“I feel good, I have played continuously since the resumption. You don’t only need experienced players, but a mix of young and old.
“We need intelligent players, physically strong and the coach knows how to pick his men. Us experienced players can help the younger ones.”