Kevin Strootman warns his Roma teammates “it’s much harder” to play Sampdoria “away from home, in front of their fans”.
The Giallorossi are currently just a point away from the Serie A summit – although Juventus have a game in hand – and they take on the Blucerchiati on Sunday afternoon.
“It’s much harder away from home, in front of their fans,” Strootman cautioned, speaking to AS Roma Match Program.
Kevin Strootman warns his Roma teammates “it’s much harder” to play Sampdoria “away from home, in front of their fans”.
The Giallorossi are currently just a point away from the Serie A summit – although Juventus have a game in hand – and they take on the Blucerchiati on Sunday afternoon.
“It’s much harder away from home, in front of their fans,” Strootman cautioned, speaking to AS Roma Match Program.
“It’s a difficult place to go, they’re a strong team and they showed their value against us in the cup. We’ll do everything to take the three points.
“Who will we be watching out for? I can’t reveal that here, the interview comes out before the game!
“They’re tactically strong, Luis Muriel is definitely very good and it’s not just him. I think the most important aspect is their strength as a team.
“Especially at their ground we need to be careful that we don’t concede a goal. It’s our own fault when we lose and we have to show we’re ready against Sampdoria.”
Strootman also praised Lupi Coach Luciano Spalletti.
“He’s very good tactically, he prepares us really well for games. He’s put us in a position where we can change our formation several times during the game in order to win.
“In training we feel the desire to win, every day has to be a small trophy whether it’s a training match, a possession drill…
“Every now and then he gives us a kick up the backside and we need that, we must strive to reach our goals.
“Spalletti came in after my third [knee] surgery, and I was training with the Primavera. The midfield of the first team was playing really well with [Miralem] Pjanic, [Daniele] De Rossi and [Radja] Nainggolan.
“Because I was always on the bench last year I wasn’t physically and technically up to speed, but he always supported me.
“This year he’s spoken to me so much, ever since pre-season, and he does that even now. He said I should always play, so I have to improve a lot and get back to my level.”