De Rossi: We did more than win - we were great to watch

The Giallorossi put Paulo Sousa's side to the sword in impressive fashion, with Edin Dzeko scoring twice either side of finishes from Federico Fazio and Radja Nainggolan.

De Rossi, captain on the night, was instrumental throughout - providing the assists for the opening two goals and playing a vital ball in the build-up to Nainggolan's great team goal.

“We were good to watch today," De Rossi said. "We stayed strong and focused right through to the last minute and played nice football on the counter too.

"Playing pretty football doesn't mean much in itself, mind. The most important thing is that – Sampdoria aside – we've looked compact, solid, strong in the tackle and tactically astute so far in 2017.”

One defeat like the one at Marassi is not so bad when sandwiched by a string of good results on either side...

“Yes, although our target is Juventus: they've lost one like us in 2017 but they remain ahead of us. We're still four or seven points behind and all we can do is keep trying to make up the gap by playing like we did tonight, and as we have been doing for a while now.”

The difference with Juventus is your away form because, like them, you've won all your home games...

“We've dropped points away from home but I don't think we were the same side we've become since then. The game against Cagliari, for example, came after we'd been knocked out by Porto. At Empoli we came up against a goalie who just kept everything out. Then there was the head-to-head in Turin, which I think was evenly balanced – won by a piece of magic from a world-class player.

"All we can do is try to earn more points than them – at least four – then see if we can take it down to the wire by beating them here three games from the end. That's how we need to look at things – just stay positive. There are loads of games left to play and it can still be done.”

Do you think Roma are very different to the side we saw at the start of the season or last term?

“We are different. Compared to last season we perhaps have a touch less quality because we've lost players like [Miralem] Pjanic and [Seydou] Keita, who were fantastic ball players, but we've gained in brawn and height – and you need that in Serie A too. I think we're just as competitive but we do play differently to before. We're neither better nor worse than the side that won all those points in the second half of last season and was just as enjoyable to watch as this team.”

How can you make sure Roma play with the same mental strength we saw today on other occasions?

“I think we were particularly easy on the eye today. You tend to find more space when you play a side like Fiorentina and I think the fact we scored in the first half helped to open them up even more. Of course you need to remain focused and strong, so we deserve a lot of credit too.

"We've played like that a lot recently, but today we did more than just get the result – we were great to watch too. If we want to keep fighting on all three fronts, we need to carry on doing the same things. We're certainly capable of it.”

Is this one of your best seasons?

“I think it is. I often watch Roma TV and see our old matches and I think I had a number of seasons when I was in the same sort of shape I'm in now. I had a bit of a lull when we weren't performing so well as a team, then last year I had lots of injuries and I started to doubt whether I'd get back to my old level, but you knuckle down and you find form again. Sometimes one injury leads to another. It affects you and it's not easy to shake off.

"Once I'd come out the other side it was up to me to get my fitness back up again and I also needed the team to support me. In order to play well you need a team behind you that's also playing well. If there was one thing that bothered me it was the thought of ending my career without getting back to level I managed to play at for many seasons in the past. I've succeeded in doing that this year.

"I was happy last season even though I was playing less due to injury - because the other lads were doing so well, because we were winning. We all want to be involved but at the end of the day what comes before anything else is what's best for Roma.”

What did it feel like to hear the fans singing your name at the end of the game?

“That's just our fans for you – they show their appreciation when you play well. I've never been short of love from the fans. I can't wait for us to have the other section of our fans back too – we really miss them. Things are starting to move along now so the singing should soon be even louder.”