Strootman: I feel proud to have represented this club for five years

Read everything Kevin Strootman had to say in an interview with Sky Sport Italia on Thursday.

The midfielder, who turned 28 earlier in the week, was asked about Roma's upcoming away trips to face Udinese in Serie A (on Saturday) and Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League next week.

“They will be two tough matches," Strootman said. "Udine is never an easy away trip while the Champions League is very important for us, to start well in the tie. We want to bring back two good results.”

What has changed tactically with the switch to a 4-2-3-1?

“It’s a small change, nothing big. It depends on the opponent. Perhaps we have a bit more solidity when defending but it has not changed a lot. We had to make a change because things were not going we well. We lost games we should not have lost. We have won our last two and we need to continue like this, without changing too much. Here you say it is now a 4-2-3-1 but we still play with three central midfielders. It’s not a big switch but maybe something we needed.”

In what ways are Roma better than Inter and Lazio?

“I don’t know. If we do an interview in May perhaps I can tell you then. We have a proud group, but so do both of them. Inter have had their difficulties, Lazio have been doing well and no-one is falling off the pace. They are both doing well but we are strong group. Certainly Juventus and Napoli have been stronger in the league. We are battling for third, and for fourth, but we are a squad and a club that needs to be playing in the Champions League. We aren’t in the hunt with Napoli and Juve but we must qualify for the Champions League.”

What sort of spell are you going through personally?

“It’s a tough question. I’m happy to be back out on the pitch. I’m 28, I’m old considering I play alongside players born in 2000 now. I want to help the younger guys now, the Primavera guys, and give everything I have on the pitch.”

The best moment of your career?

“Difficult to say. Maybe the goal in the derby [last season] against Lazio. It was in a tough moment, after the injuries, I wasn’t playing that well and had lost a bit of confidence but the coach always picked me to play. I wasn’t playing well in that game and then suddenly I scored. Scoring then gave me so much confidence and strength. It was a special moment.”

What does Roma mean to you?

“It’s difficult to explain. You need to play here to understand it, or you need to be a fan. Maybe a fan could explain better what Roma means. Five years here is something special for me, I feel good here. It’s not for nothing that I renewed my contract. We always say it would be incredibly special to win here but unfortunately this year we only have the Champions League left to try and do that, which will be tough. In the years to come I need to win something here. We must improve a lot more, because it’s a club that is so important to so many people. De Rossi and Totti have reminded us of that a number of times.”

The fans worried that someone would pay your release clause…

“In football you can never say never. But what was written about my contract never interested me. I am happy to play here, after my injuries I was always supported. In football you never know if the club might prefer another player, or maybe I will no longer feel so comfortable here. But for now I am only thinking about staying here.”

You mentioned Totti…

“It’s still difficult to believe he’s not out there on the pitch. But he’s always with us, at breakfast and lunch, and always in the changing room. But now I seem him only in a suit, and it’s normal he struggles with that. He hates to dress up and now he has to all the time. But it’s good that he stayed at Roma. There is no-one on the pitch more important than him. He needs to be here his whole life. I agree with the fans.”