Daniele De Rossi blasts 'truly stupid' Roma duo Romelu Lukaku & Leandro Paredes as he makes shock vow to 'clamp down on behaviour' following 4-0 Serie A victory over Cagliari

De Rossi registered his third consecutive win since replacing Jose Mourinho as Roma thrashed Cagliari 4-0 courtesy of a brace by Paulo Dybala and a goal each from Lorenzo Pellegrini and Dean Huijsen. Despite the thumping win, the manager was unhappy with the on-field behaviour of Lukaku and Paredes.

The former Chelsea and Manchester United striker had a face-off with Yerry Mina in the first half, while Argentine midfielder Parades picked up a yellow card after a scuffle with Nahitan Nandez.

Speaking to reporters after the game, the former Italy international said: "Look, I like it when players try to defend their teammates, but when leading 4-0 they need to be intelligent. We need to clamp down on this sort of behaviour because getting booked when you are 4-0 up is truly stupid. We cannot afford to lose any of these players."

He added: "There are few midfielders with his quality in the world. But he has to improve his positioning, finding himself in the path of the ball. He needs to listen to me because I used to do that well. Without having to run like someone who has four lungs, he can be more decisive when defending."

With De Rossi in charge of the team now, the Giallorossi are well and truly back, having registered three wins in a row in Serie A to re-emerge as contenders for Champions League qualification. They have climbed up to fifth in the league and are just a point behind fourth-placed Atalanta.

De Rossi's side will be next seen in action on Saturday as they take on league leaders Inter in a crucial Serie A clash. It remains to be seen if Lukaku and Paredes retain their places in the Roma lineup after their ill-discipline.