Spalletti looks to end Blind feud

Roma boss Luciano Spalletti has looked to end his war of words with Netherlands coach Danny Blind over the fitness of Kevin Strootman.

Spalletti had suggested his midfielder was "butchered" on international duty, forcing him to miss the Europa League draw with Austria Vienna with a back injury.

Blind suggested Spalletti's frustrations were more down to his side's inability to beat the Austrians, and insisted there was clear communication with Roma during the international break.

And rather than exchanging further barbs with the Dutchman he has tried to put the issue to bed.

"Danny Blind? Yeah, let's just say he's right. I haven't got time to get into this anymore," he told a media conference on Saturday.

"Kevin Strootman is available, he trained well and is coming with us. We still need to consider his condition the right way."

Without Strootman Roma threw away victory on the European stage despite leading 3-1 with eight minutes to play.

Late goals from Dominik Prokop and Olarenwaju Kayode snatched a point for the visitors, leaving Spalletti disappointed to see their three-game winning run in all competitions come to an end.

And he expects a reaction from his side this weekend as they entertain Palermo in Serie A.

"That’s the level we need to reach – what we showed [in the 3-1 win] against Napoli," Spalletti added.

"The anomaly was the game on Thursday night against Austria Vienna.

"When you're dealing with a situation, it's never just down to one area; what happens is a result of the approach in other areas.

"What happened hurt us, but those painful moments will never take away our desire to do something great for the side. I'm convinced that we'll show that from tomorrow."