Leandro Paredes underlined how Roma need to improve at ‘picking up the pace’ and shared his faith in coach Jose Mourinho.
The Giallorossi have disappointed in the early stages of the new season and currently sit 13th in the Serie A table after seven games, having picked up eight points in that time. Mourinho has become the target of much criticism and many are now expecting him to leave at the end of the season.
Roma returned to winning ways on the weekend against Frosinone and will be hoping to start generating some momentum with another victory in the Europa League, where their next opponent is Servette.
Speaking in a press conference via TMW, Paredes first reacted to Mourinho’s suggest that he ‘loves football’.
“I thank the coach for his words, we have a lot of room for improvement because we are a strong team that can always do better. Picking up the pace is among the things we need to improve.”
He was asked if he felt ready to be a leader for the Giallorossi.
“I found a very different Roma and I feel happy to be here, my family is happy. I feel ready for this challenge here.
“I love Roma and I will do everything to give my best, every day, every training session to win something with this shirt.”
The Argentinian midfielder commented on how it feels to be a more central figure with Roma, compared to Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.
“It matters and a lot. I think that when I was here, I had a good time. At PSG I was great the first three years, last year at Juve was a difficult year. When I arrived here the coach gave me confidence.
“For me his trust and that of my teammates is very important. For me and Roma, it’s an honour to have him as coach.”
Finally, Paredes was asked about his physical fitness.
“Since I arrived, I feel I can do 90 minutes like in the last game. I spoke to the coach, and he doesn’t want me to play so many minutes tomorrow, I wanted to play, so for me it’s very important to keep playing so I’ll find my 100%.”