Roberto De Zerbi said his Albion team ‘played with pride’ as they bowed out of the Europa League.
Danny Welbeck’s superb first-half goal earned Albion their fifth win in eight games in their first season in the competition, but they lost 4-1 on aggregate to AS Roma.
The Italian says his players will now throw all their efforts into qualifying for Europe again through their Premier League finish.
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“Today we saw our team play with pride,” said De Zerbi. “I knew my players were capable of responding in this way. They were really hurting after the first leg and so was I. I was especially proud today because I saw a lot of Robertos on the pitch.”
After a two-week international break Albion will begin a ten-game run to the end of the season and will target a top seven finish to guarantee European football next season.
“I believe in my players, and I know we can fight to reach another historical target,” said De Zerbi. “We have ten games and, apart from one week when we have three games in six days, we can prepare our best for every game. I hope we can play with James Milner and Joao Pedro before the end of the season, and we will try to reach the European competition again.
There was a nice moment just before the final whistle when De Zerbi embraced Roma boss Daniele De Rossi. “Daniele is a friend before, during and after the game. I wanted to win the game of course, but not in a nasty way. I am not in a trance during the game.”
Match reaction in association with SnickersUK.com