Roma's Kevin Strootman wants 'to thank everyone on the pitch’ and says ‘opponents are afraid of Francesco Totti’s impact’.
The Dutch midfielder made his first start since January 2015 in a 3-2 win over Genoa yesterday and underlined his gratitude to the club and ‘incredible’ fans for their patience.
“The fans always tell me I’m missed for my personality,” he told Roma Radio.
Roma's Kevin Strootman wants 'to thank everyone on the pitch’ and says ‘opponents are afraid of Francesco Totti’s impact’.
The Dutch midfielder made his first start since January 2015 in a 3-2 win over Genoa yesterday and underlined his gratitude to the club and ‘incredible’ fans for their patience.
“The fans always tell me I’m missed for my personality,” he told Roma Radio.
“I want to win and maybe I do something more to do that. Others perhaps do something more with their feet, I try to do it with the opponents, but I do my work and I want to win.
“I want to do everything with the team because I haven’t managed to for the last two years. I want to be ready from the start, but we must focus on these two matches. Then we’ll see what happens with the team, who stays and who goes.
“Totti is incredible, I have no words for him. In the last few games he was very important for us. Opponents are afraid when he comes on and changes the match. Dzeko also did that yesterday. Totti is our captain and it’s always a pleasure to play with him.
“Spalletti asks a lot in training, but it must be like this because the match should be easier than training. He’s changed some things here at Roma and I don’t want to make comparisons with Garcia because he also did great work here, but Spalletti has done something more.
“Our goal is to win the match and he does everything to win. Also yesterday he changed tactics, this shouldn’t happen because if we start the game well and win 3-0 there’s no need to change. He’s done well and we’re ready for all the game plans.”
“The fans’ affection is incredible. Sometimes I think about the fans of other clubs who tell a player who hasn’t played for two years that he should be sold and to leave. Here they’ve always supported me and I want to give something back to them.
“I want to play and to thank everyone: teammates, staff, directors, but I want to do it on the pitch, not with words.”