Perotti: We've achieved nothing yet

The winger, back in both form and fitness after a disrupted start to 2017, is looking forward to going back to a familiar ground this weekend - and hopes the Giallorossi can prove they are starting to develop a hard edge and winning mentality.

The winger also discussed the similarities between Roma and his old club Sevilla, his personality in the dressing room, and his amazement at Federico Fazio's current form...

You've had a few niggling injuries this season.

“The last one wasn't an injury as such – I just sat out for one game. I could have risked it and played but it wasn't worth it. It's better to miss one. I'm fine again now: I can train and play as normal.”

When you're not available, Roma have other great players ready to step in. How important is it to have that competition within a team?

“It's hugely important. First of all because it keeps everyone on their toes. No one can say, 'I'll take it a bit easier in training today.' Competition is important to make sure everyone keeps giving 100%. In some of the teams I've played in before that hasn't always been the case. If you ease up at all here, you find yourself on the bench. The competition we have at Roma is good because it's healthy competition and all the lads in the dressing room get on really well.”

There's been a lot of talk about Roma's new mentality – that you've become more pragmatic. Have you noticed that yourselves?

“We've kept loads of clean sheets recently and that's important. We usually score a lot – two or three per game – but we were conceding a few too many as well. It's better to score less, as we're doing now, and concede none. Clean sheets are a confidence boost for the defence and the team as a whole.”

Did you expect Roma to be like this when you first joined?

“No, I didn't expect all this. Everything's gone really well ever since I arrived. I knew I was joining a big club when I left Genoa to come here but I didn't expect to go straight in the team two days after signing. I instantly got on with my new team-mates too. I didn't think being at a big club would be this good. We've won lots of games and we only missed out on second place by two points last season. My first year here has been superb.”

Part of that change in mentality is seeing victory as a necessity. Does that make a difference?

“Yes, it's like I said just now. We racked up loads of wins last term and we got to a point where we weren't losing any but we still couldn't finish second or first. Winning five or six in a row is not enough – you have to win them all. Or at least try to. Winning must become a habit. You can't afford to relax at all. When you win a game on Sunday you have to think about playing the same way on Wednesday against whoever it is you have to play. If you think about nothing but winning it gives you the edge and makes it easier to win the title or reach a cup final.

"You can't settle for winning 10 or 12 – you have to win them all. We're playing well at the moment but we're still second. We've achieved nothing. And even if we were first, we'd still have achieved nothing. We have the league, we have Cesena in the Coppa Italia and then Villarreal. There's a long way to go. We just have to keep on winning.”

Roma have always had lots of Brazilians but now there are lots of Argentines here too. Fazio for example...

“Federico and I have known each other for ten years. The other day after our cup game against Samp we went back into the dressing room and I was sat next to him. I told him he'd never played as well as he's playing now, not even on his best days. I've always known he was a great footballer.

"We've grown up together as players and I know him well but the way he's playing at the moment – his confidence, the way he wins balls back... I've never seen him like this. I'm delighted for him because he's like a brother to me.”

Are Seville and Rome similar at all?

“They're both hotbeds of football passion. People are always asking you to win. Rome is bigger, there are more fans and they want to win more, but Seville is very demanding too. They stop you in the street and tell you you have to play well. Seville is a passionate, beautiful city and I have a wonderful memory of my time there.”

What does Diego Maradona mean to an Argentine footballer?

“I never got to seem him play in the flesh but I think he's the best. My dad played with him and he's told me stories about how he'd win games single-handedly, and the things he'd do in training. He gave me my first Argentina call-up when I was 21. I got this call from Maradona and I thought it was a joke. I saw what happened the other day when he went back to Naples: it's hard to believe a footballer can generate so much passion but I think it's fantastic.”

What are you like away from the pitch?

“When I'm not training I spend my time with my family - my wife and my boy. I've heard people say I'm serious, that I don't laugh or joke, but you can ask my team-mates – I love to joke about and I enjoy chilling with friends. Perhaps it's true that I'm a little serious when I'm playing – [Kevin] Strootman tells me that too. He's another one who likes a joke in the dressing room. Sometimes you get a different impression from the outside to how we really are.”

You've got another tough match on Sunday and it's a special one for you because Sampdoria used to be a derby for you.

“It's going to be really hard because they'll be out to settle the score after losing in the cup. It will as hard as it was at Genoa, at Udinese and against Cagliari. These are the games where you can win the title. It might look easy on paper because we won 4-0 in the cup but it's different on their patch. They have amazing support at home and they play good football.”