AS Roma coach Zdenek Zeman defended two of his youngsters after defeat to Udinese.

Roma let slip a 2-0 lead to lose to Udinese yesterday.

Zeman said: "Dodo has quality and is currently not 100 per cent fit. He is an important player who needs to settle tactically into the squad. Erik Lamela scored two goals and missed another two easier chances. He is trying to find the net, which for a striker is the most important thing."