Felipe Anderson praised Coach Stefano Pioli for giving him the belief to improve on an indifferent first season to become one of Serie A’s biggest stars.
The 21-year-old has been in sensational form under Pioli and is the Biancocelesti’s joint top scorer with 10 goals this campaign, a remarkable turnaround from his performances last season.
“I have grown here and changed my personality,” Anderson has said to Brazilian outlet O Globo.
Felipe Anderson praised Coach Stefano Pioli for giving him the belief to improve on an indifferent first season to become one of Serie A’s biggest stars.
The 21-year-old has been in sensational form under Pioli and is the Biancocelesti’s joint top scorer with 10 goals this campaign, a remarkable turnaround from his performances last season.
“I have grown here and changed my personality,” Anderson has said to Brazilian outlet O Globo.
“I’ve learned to confront problems and Pioli gave me the chance to show who I really am. His calmness and trust in me have allowed me to integrate myself during this season.
“Pioli always tells me that I have to keep improving. At the start of the season I wasn’t in the starting line-up, but he always kept me in consideration.
“Little by little I earned my place. I owe a lot to Pioli and to the club.”
The Aquile spent a reported €8m bringing Anderson to Rome in the summer of 2013, but he disappointed in his first season in Italy.
“Don’t forget that when I arrived in Rome I was injured, I wasn’t familiar with European football and I needed time to adapt,” said Anderson.
“The tempo here is completely different, you can’t deny it. The football is a lot more physical, fast and tactical and I wasn’t used to that.
“During that year I didn’t play a lot but I worked very hard, studied tactics and listened attentively to the advice of my Coach.
“This year I’ve had the chance to show my qualities thanks to the new Coach, to the group and to the squad that has always supported me.
“I have earned the trust of everyone, I have matured, and you can see this on the pitch.”
The blistering form of Anderson led Sampdoria Coach Sinisa Mihajlovic to go as far as to draw a comparison between the Brazilian and Cristiano Ronaldo, something the youngster was quick to brush off.
“I’m proud of that comment, but I know that to get to the level of Ronaldo is hard, if not impossible.
“This kind of compliment motivates me and gives me the desire to improve every day. It’s a great honour for me.”