Pellegrini speaks ahead of tomorrow’s game

This is what he had to say...

How important is tomorrow’s match? What’s it been like dealing with the whistling?

"Tomorrow is a big match, as part of our journey this season. We’re working to find the spark that we didn’t manage to achieve early on in the campaign due to the results we got. It’s a crucial match for our season prospects in Europe, and more generally as we seek to carry on working hard with smiles on our faces, as has been the case recently.

“As for me – and I also think that I’m speaking for Bryan [Cristante] here – you let your football on the pitch do the talking. It’s there that you’re judged and you’re able to bounce back from a bad period. However, if you’re not careful, if you don’t work hard and if you’re not on the ball it then you could find yourself in a rut.

“Ultimately it’s a good thing that it’s this way – it’s our job, and judgment and criticism is natural is a player is having a bad time physically or mentally. Your performances are always there for you to solve problems. What’s more, it helps that when I go into the dressing room at Trigoria I feel like an important part of the squad, of this family feeling we’re trying to engender as quickly as possible. This is how it is every day.”

With all due respect to tomorrow’s game, can we go back to the day of Daniele De Rossi's dismissal? Have you spoken to the owners and the former CEO? Is it true that you would’ve been willing to set aside your leadership and your captain's armband?

"I don't think that it's a lack of respect towards our current coach, because he’s been fantastic with us. He understood as soon as he arrived that the atmosphere was gloomy because the team wasn’t expecting it [the sacking, ed.]. He was great at turning this gloom into a desire to change things. We’re happy with how we’re doing.

“As you can imagine, I’m not one for messing around – I’m used to speaking the truth, and so that day I said what I was on my mind. Let's say that other things also happened, about which my opinion wasn’t asked, so unfortunately things went as they did.

“I’ve got so much respect for Daniele and his coaching staff, because in my opinion, they’re a great group of people who were doing so much for us. But now obviously we move forward because Roma comes ahead of everything, and Roma as a club always moves forward.

“I haven’t said this to the boss before but we were really lucky to find a man – not even taking into account his role as a coach – who was able to understand what we were going through and change our mentality. He was aware of the gloomy atmosphere and was able to transform it into a desire to turn things around and put us back on track.

“Being captain isn’t just important when we play – it’s every single day. How does that manifest itself? It’s about trying to make things go well, trying to help your team-mates who are having a rough time. I’ll never stop doing this for Roma, seeking to help ot my team-mates, with all the power I have within me.

“Wearing the captain’s armband isn’t just a symbolic gesture that you make on the weekend – it’s a profound feeling. My feeling with this group is deep, and I hope my team-mates feel the same. During this tough period they’ve shown themselves to be a real unit and I’m proud of this.”

We’ve recently seen Roma fans protest and leave some parts of the stadium empty. What’s it like to play in such conditions?

"It’s important to play well, in a way that can change the minds of those who are protesting against you. I hope that this situation is purely related to performances, because I’ve got nothing else to complain about. Only by playing well and getting results will this situation change.”

You already knew Niccolo Pisilli well, but did you expect him to develop as much as he has done?

"Niccolo is a top lad and is really humble. Every day he’ll come into training, work hard and pay attention to every little detail. This is fundamental for all of us, because there’s no limit to how well you can do, given that if you face a hiccup then you need a way of bouncing back.

“He’s a top modern footballer. He’s great at passing and tacking and really knows how to get involved in a game. What’s more, he’s got goals in him. He can set his own ceiling. Everyone is fond of him here, so to see him score and celebrate like he did on Sunday was an amazing emotion for all of us. Firstly, because his goal won us the game, and secondly because it reminded me of something I experienced myself, and it’s always nice to see it happen to such a pure, joyful and humble lad.”