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Edin Dzeko believes Eusebio Di Francesco's brand of football will help Roma improve further and says the team will be “just as good, if not better” than last season.
The Bosnian striker is also hoping for continued success on a personal level but admits it will be tough to match his exploits of last term, when he notched 39 goals in all competitions.
“We knew the coach already because we played against him when he was at Sassuolo,” the 31-year-old said to Roma TV in Boston. “He got them playing good football and now he wants to reproduce that with us.
“Di Francesco knows exactly how he wants to play. We just have to listen to him and learn from him. If we do that, I'm sure we'll do well.”
You'll be looking to kick on from last season yourself...
“I had a fantastic year on a personal level because I scored loads. I want to pick up from where I left off and keep banging them in, but I know it's going to be difficult to score so many again. For now I'm training well here in the States with team-mates to make sure we start off on the right foot.”
This will be your third year at Roma. Perhaps you start this season a bit more relaxed than the previous two...
“I don't want to be too relaxed because otherwise you can end up thinking everything is easy when in fact it's only going to get harder. Next season may be a bit simpler for me in the sense that my team-mates know me better and know what I can do. As I said, I want to work hard and make sure I'm ready for when the season kicks off.”
Roma have signed Gregoire Defrel now. Does having a team-mate who plays in the same position as you give you extra motivation?
“I played 51 games last season, which is a lot but I wanted to play all the time. It's always good to have another striker, though. Now we've got Defrel and he's a great player. Personally I rate him a lot. I'm happy for Roma too because they've got a striker for the future. Obviously it's the gaffer who decides these things but I don't think we'll have any problem playing together.”
There have been lots of changes at Roma, from the coach to various players coming and going. Do you think Roma will be as good as last season?
“We're only just starting. Some important players have left but others have joined and I'm sure they're very good – I've been able to see that for myself in the last few days here. There may be more great players still to come too. I'm sure Roma will be just as good as last season, if not better.”
What's your personal target for the season?
“It's great to be playing in the Champions League again because it's the best competition in the world. We're happy to be in it again and we must prepare well for it. We'll be looking to do well in the Champions League, in Serie A and in the Coppa Italia too. We must work hard in pre-season because we'll have lots of games to play. Our rivals have strengthened so we'll be up against some great sides. I think Serie A will be even better than it has been in previous years.”
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