El Shaarawy looking to go the distance in every competition

Here is what he had to say when he was interviewed by Sky Sport.

On the first few matches of 2017

“We started 2017 with positive results. The last two performances weren’t fantastic, but we managed to get to the next round of the Coppa Italia. In the game against Sampdoria we suffered a setback, but we have an opportunity on Tuesday to bounce back and reclaim second place in the table.”

On Roma v Fiorentina

“It will be a tough game; Fiorentina play very good football indeed. We need to get back to winning ways and go above Napoli, and so we don’t let Juventus get away. We need to keep on winning and go as far as we can in each competition we’re playing in.”

On Juventus

“They have won games and won them convincingly. It’s down to their mentality, also last season when they went on a crazy run. They deserve credit. They’re a strong side and have done very well. We have just as much quality, however, and we shouldn’t limit our ambitions. We have to try and stay on their tail.”

On Napoli and Dries Mertens

“He has always shown fantastic quality, just like the team as a whole. They play great football, with good build-up play. Then up front they have guys like Mertens, Callejon, Insigne and Hamsik. They deserve to be where they are, but we now have a chance to climb above them and we’ll do all we can to make that happen.”

On how he performed in 2016

“I’d say it was positive. I’m very critical of myself but I think I had a good year. I’m happy with what I’m doing here with Roma. I have high hopes, not just from a personal perspective but for the team as a whole. We, along with our manager, have all that is necessary to perform at a high level.”