Roma striker Tammy Abraham said it’s ‘time to show my leadership and help’ the Giallorossi. ‘I fell in love with this club from day one’.
Abraham arrived from Chelsea ahead of the new campaign and started with two assists and a goal in the first two games.
The England international continued by scoring another in his fifth game and has contributed two in three Conference League games with La Lupa.
But the 24-year-old has struggled a bit lately and knows he must step up his game and ‘show my leadership’.
“In football there are ups and downs,” Abraham said at a press conference. “That’s when you learn more. For me, it’s the best time to show my leadership and help the team.
“It happens, sometimes you go through difficult times. Things are better now [physically]. I’m a player who wants to be there and somehow I put aside my physical problems.
“I hope to get back to 100 per cent as soon as possible. I fell in love with this club from day one, it’s my way to show my passion for the club.
“They believed a lot in me and it’s up to me to pay back through my performances.”
He was asked about the difficulties he has faced after moving from the Premier League to the Italian top flight.
“I wouldn’t say that it’s difficulties with the environment,” he said. “Football always comes with challenges.
“I have played against and with [coach Jose] Mourinho. It’s a challenging context, where you learn something every day.
“The whole team is getting to know each other better every day. Once we have learned everything, we will be a great team. Rome was not built in one day.”
Serie A has offered a more tactical approach than what he has been used to in England, but Abraham said he ‘knew’ what to expect after playing at youth level with England.
“I grew up playing against national teams, especially at youth level,” he said. “I knew what awaited me. It’s part of the learning and growth process.
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“I’m young, I come from a more open football. It’s part of my growth process to learn about the weaknesses of certain teams and players.
“I’m sure that very good things will come in the future.”
Abraham spoke about the embarrassing 6-1 defeat to Bodo/Glimt two weeks ago and was asked if the Giallorossi are seeking revenge against the Norwegians.
“You don’t expect to lose when you enter the pitch,” he said. “You don’t want to lose like that. It was a bad match, to say the least.
“Tomorrow we have the opportunity to show what we really want. We are facing an excellent team, as we have seen, but we play to win.
“The best way to prepare is to have confidence. We expect to play a good match tomorrow. We have to be ready and play our best to clear that page.”
Roma have six points from three games and Jose Mourinho stressed the match is ‘not decisive’ in terms of qualifying for the knockout stages.