Mancini speaks ahead of Porto return leg

Here's what the defender had to say....

You came off at half time against Parma after taking a knock to your foot. Have you recovered from that?

“Yes, I've recovered. It was a heavy blow and it was swelling up so the boss decided to take me off. It's fine now.”

What does it change for you playing on the right or in the centre of a back three?

“It is different. When you're on the right you can get forward a bit more and be a bit more aggressive. You can come into the pitch more and play the ball. You still need to think carefully but you can allow yourself a bit more. As the middle defender you're the guardian who has to keep an eye on everything that's happening on the pitch. The central defender and the keeper are the two who do the most talking and see lots of situations on the pitch. When I play there I have to plug the gaps because if the central defender messes up, the opponents have an open road to goal. Both positions are part of playing in defence and I'm happy in either. I try to do my best wherever the coach asks me to play.”

The 'veterans' of this squad are not enjoying the best of times at the moment but you're still a mainstay in the eyes of the fans. Can you see yourself ending your career at Roma?

“I'll talk about myself because my team-mates all look good to me. They look calm and they're working for the good of the team, having been here longer than the others, like Stephan [El Shaarawy] and myself. They're giving their all in training and on the pitch, wherever they play. As a team, we need people like that. The squad really feels like a family this year because we went through some bad times but the group never disintegrated. I've been here for many years and it's been a long time since I saw a group like this. It makes me proud.

“As for me and Roma, I've said this many times: I'm happy here, I love this city and I love this club. I can see the fans appreciate me and that fills me with pride and makes me want to give even more on the pitch. I live in the present and don't like to think too much about the future, but if I had to look ahead I'd have no problem saying that I'm very happy here.”

If Roma make it through to the next round, there's a high chance you'll be facing a Rome derby. Does that motivate your more or does it not change anything?

“It doesn't change anything. You're talking about something hypothetical but in the dressing room we're only thinking about tomorrow's game, not what might happen later, whether it's Athletic or Lazio. Tomorrow is what matters.”

Does this game feel different to other European matches?

“You need to feel the right amount of pressure. It's a big game and we know that but Roma have played lots of big games like this over the last few years and we always said the same thing. It's a make-or-break game and we've prepared well for it. As I said, we need the right level of pressure – for us, the coaching staff and the fans – if we want to produce a big performance against a great team so that we can go through.”

You had quite a battle with Samu Omorodion in the first leg. Have you studied any of the Porto players in particular?

“I have, yes. We played them last week. They're a strong side with some great players, especially up front with the likes of Pepe and [Francisco] Moura, who is skilful and fast. Last week I was up against Omorodion. Tomorrow, depending on what the coach decides, we'll see who I have to play against. And depending on that, I'll prepare for it as best I can. We have videos that the coach's staff give us so that we can get to know all the opponents we play against.”

What aspects of your own game are you working on?

“Bookings and protesting. If you're an intelligent person – which I consider myself to be – then you watch matches back. At the end of the year, I try to take stock. Well, I looked myself in the mirror and told myself that I couldn't miss three or four games a year because of yellow cards, for making senseless protests.

“The coaches have helped me. One of the first things the boss said to me when he arrived was not to contest decisions because he knows that it affects your game as a defender when you're on a booking.

“I'm 28 but I still have a lot of things I can improve. I'm trying to improve everything a defender can do – reading the game, the speed of my step, because being tall I can sometimes lose out to shorter opponents there. I'm working on different situations: when I was younger I thought that shouting at a team-mate who was struggling would fire him up, but now I realise that some players need a different approach. As you mature, you learn things. You never stop improving as a player. I think even [Francesco] Totti was still learning at 41. And other world-class players like [Paolo] Maldini. I'm not on their level but I try to improve every day in Trigoria, with the coach and his backroom team.”

Roma are less dangerous from set-pieces. Do you have an explanation for that?

“As the boss said, part of it is how good we are but part of it is just down to chance. Before we conceded in Porto, the keeper made a brilliant save to keep out Bryan [Cristante]'s header. Sometimes it's down to your opponents' quality.

“As for the goal we conceded: I went up slightly too early for a corner and didn't get a clean touch, it went to Angelino, who shot, and when the keeper sent it out they broke forward and scored from the transition, but quite by chance.

“Sometimes you take two corners and score two headers, as happened to me last year, and other times you get your header spot on but the keeper pulls off a super save. We work on these things and whenever there's a corner or a free kick we go up for it and try to score, because we know set-pieces are important.

"In the last two matches, we've been caught on the counter a few times from corners. We've looked at that and worked on it to do even better at stopping it from happening.”

What has Claudio Ranieri done to change things after the dramatic start to the season?

“When the coach first walked into the dressing room – there weren't many players because it was the international break – I suddenly felt my body relax, because that's the feeling he gives off.

“He didn't need any introductions – we all grew up watching him coach top players and great teams. He got us sorted out on the pitch, got each of us doing our jobs. He worked on the idea of a team, helping us and giving us tactical pointers.

“He brought back the smiles that had been missing because that's what we'd lost in the weeks before he joined. When you play this game, you need to smile. You need to be happy to hit the pitch every day, every week, to learn and grow. If you're not calm, you carry the tension with you in Trigoria and at home and it affects results.

“That's what the coach has done and you can see from the results. We haven't achieved anything yet but we're starting to see the results.”