Perotti chats to Roma Radio about win over Milan, the clash with Juventus, Monchi and more

After being forced off with a knock during the game at San Siro the Argentine eased concerns about his fitness, before going on to discuss the forthcoming game against Juventus, the arrival of Monchi at the club, and more...

Roma Radio: First off, how are you feeling?

Perotti: "Good. Yesterday I picked up a knock but thankfully it hasn't swollen up. I hope to be fit and well in a couple of days."

So when you came off in the second half, that was partly as a precaution?

"Yes because I was running a little awkwardly and it hurt a fair bit at the interval. I've had my fair share of muscle problems in the past but, thankfully, I haven't experienced too many trauma injuries to my ankles and knees. That meant I didn't know how I'd react during the game. I was limping a touch and that's when I thought it wasn't good for the team to have me out there when I wasn't 100%."

You produced a gorgeous first-half display. It's a shame we've rarely seen you fully fit this term...

"Yes but I joined last year and I've always played. I've made 40 appearances this year and I hadn't done that for a while. You're right, I've often had to play through the pain barrier with some muscle complaints but I'm pleased because now I play a lot more when I'm not 100% than I did before when I used to worry about aggravating things.

"Ever since I moved to Italy, first with Genoa and now even more so here, my muscles have got stronger and I've been involved in games that I would never have played at Sevilla for instance. Sure, it's tough to play in Serie A or the Europa League if you're not 100% but reaching 40 games in a season is big for me."

The team played excellently yesterday. It was a big showing of character, don't you think?

"Yes because yesterday's game wasn't an easy fixture yet you'd be forgiven for thinking that when you see the scoreline. We came into it off the back of a tough loss in the derby and we played after Napoli's win at San Paolo and we were up against a prestigious side in the shape of AC Milan.

"It wasn't easy, basically. Yet I think we produced the right performance with the right mindset. The gaffer picked the right side and I think we responded out there as everyone expected us to."

Is it true that you're learning to defend more in the latter stages of your career?

"Yes. In truth I played as left winger in a 4-4-2 throughout my time at Sevilla so I had already learned to defend a bit. Obviously my game is better suited to going forward but I always try to do my bit in terms of tracking back depending on the opposition. Yesterday, for instance, I knew that [Mattia] De Sciglio would push on and that Suso is very good at isolating defenders down that side so I had to help out Juan Jesus.

"I need to improve in that area but I'm getting there. Clearly I had less defensive responsibility when I played as a false nine but when you play out wide you have to do more running and do your bit defensively too."

[Gianluigi] Donnarumma produced an unbelievable save to deny you. Have you got a message for him?

"When we were on the bus after the game last night, I actually asked [Stephan] El Shaarawy how he always scores when he goes for the far corner. Whenever I hit the target, the keeper always seems to keep it out. Donnarumma made an incredible save and he's a top goalkeeper - young with huge potential. He made some other good stops too, including one from Radja [Nainggolan]. It's a shame, it would have been a lovely goal. Maybe it wasn't powerful enough but either way what matters was that we won."

You're very good at beating players. Do you work on that in training and what's the secret to it?

"I think some things come naturally, like pace to Momo [Salah] and El Shaarawy's ability to make late runs. I don't think Suso helped De Sciglio out much yesterday because clearly playing one-on-one is not the same as the opposition doubling up on you.

"When I pick up the ball I look closely at the opponent's body position and I move and drop my shoulder to get past them. I've worked a lot on my left foot since I've played on that side even though it's not my strong point. That gives me more options though."

You play Juve on Sunday. What does this fixture mean to you?

"It would be massive if we could beat them especially after our disappointments in the cups because the derby loss in the Coppa Italia really hurt. It stung more than the Lyon exit because we would have played the final at the Stadio Olimpico. So we have to give our all like we did yesterday for ourselves and the fans who are no doubt angry.

"We had a great nine months and then in the space of 10 days we got things wrong and that threw our plans for the season off track. We nearly went through against Lyon but I believe a big performance against Juve could give us a lot of confidence ahead of next season."

Do you think Sunday's match against Juve could prove crucial in the race for second place?

"I think so because if we win we'll have a good chance of hanging onto second. There are still three matches to play and we have to try and record nine points. We have a great chance of achieving that because now we're one point ahead of Napoli. Regardless of the league table though, you always want to be involved in games against Juve, it's a prestigious fixture."

78 points is a massive haul. It's a shame that 10-day period has marred an almost flawless campaign...

"I understand when the fans get angry because we are too. However, if you look at the numbers it's unusual to score so many goals and record so many points as we've done this season. Ultimately, if we finish second, that's already progress compared to last season. As I've said, our exits to Lazio and Lyon still hurt because I really believe we had what it takes to go on and win them but sadly we didn't manage it. The Juve game could see us finish the season on a high so let's hope that's the case."

What's it like seeing Monchi here at Trigoria?

"I played in Andalucia for seven years. I worked with him and he's the one who brought me to Sevilla. The statistics show what he's achieved. He signed lots of players for Sevilla, like [Federico] Fazio, for small fees before selling them on for big money. He's a brilliant director of football and I'm sure he will do well here.

"Obviously Roma is not Sevilla though. I think this is a step forward for him. However it won't be easy because he's no longer at home like he was in Seville. He's new around here and has to learn the language. But I'm sure that if he even achieves half of what he did at Sevilla, this team will win trophies because he's very good at what he does. He sells well but he's also good at bringing in and developing players.

"It's not easy to unearth top talent before everyone else. He hasn't just done that with a couple of players, he's done with loads. Very few people are able to do that."