Daniele De Rossi has leapt to the defence of Roma's under-fire coach Rudi Garcia by saying it would be "vile" to sack him.
Garcia is back in the firing line after a 6-1 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League in midweek was followed by a 2-0 defeat at home to Atalanta on Sunday. Rather than moving to the top of Serie A, the Giallorossi saw their advantage over fifth-placed Juventus cut to three points, and the finger has once again been pointed at Garcia.
De Rossi, who is captaining the side in the continued injury-enforced absence of Francesco Totti, has assumed responsibility for the latest stumble, insisting Garcia is still the right man to guide the team.
"We've shown that we are capable of playing good football," he said, quotes La Gazzetta dello Sport. "Certainly we have got to improve and the coach has his share of the blame, but we all do.
"It would be vile to pin all of the blame on the coach because it is we who take to the field and we are big enough to assume our responsibility.
"If we start going around saying it's the coach's fault, or the goalkeeper's fault, then we're going to get battered like we did between February and April [won four of 18 games]. If you are technically stronger, like we are compared to Atalanta, then you have got to question everything -- your running, efforts, physical condition.
"Last year, we emerged from a difficult situation and now we've got to look forward and think of our game at Torino, which is going to be fundamental."
Roma's sporting director Walter Sabatini is not planning a knee-jerk reaction either, sharing De Rossi's belief that not only one individual can be held responsible.
"Garcia's future is not up for discussion," he said. "We're going to continue with him right to the end because he deserves [to be coach of] Roma. We will suffer with him; I don't believe there are any players who would play badly to get their coach sacked."
It had been reported prior to the Atalanta game that Garcia and Sabatini had a recent row over squad selection, but the sporting director's support would suggest otherwise.
"Of course we have disagreements, but when he takes a decision, I defend him to the end," Sabatini added. "There's no cold war between us."
The atmosphere was quite different in Bergamo, however, when Atalanta returned from their first win in Rome for 12 years to a hero's' welcome.
Over 500 fans congregated at the club's training ground, calling for the team to "take us into Europe" and lighting flares as they arrived back from the Eternal City.
Atalanta are ninth in the table, three points off the Europa League places.