Juan Jesus: People judged me too quickly

See what he had to say, as the defender sat down to discuss that game and his season so far.

Interviewer: How are you doing?

Jesus: "I'm OK. I'm a little tired as I always am after games because it's tough to sleep. But I'm pleased with yesterday's match. You feel it less when you win. You're happy. The happiness within your body makes you forget the physical effort you put in."

How does a defender prepare for a match and more specifically for a match-up against a forward?

"I usually watch footage of the best opposition forwards to figure out their movement. I watch and study the likes of [Jose Maria] Callejon, [Gonzalo] Higuain, [Antonio] Candreva and [Andrea] Belotti. Plus the fact that I train with the best of the lot really helps too. [Edin] Dzeko is big and powerful but also very mobile. It's important to study opposition players because when you see them on film, you might be able to anticipate that same movement in a match.

"I'll give you another example: Empoli's [Massimo] Maccarone is experienced and always makes the right runs. I forgot to mention [Mauro] Icardi who will punish you if you afford him even an inch of space. Then there's [Ciro] Immobile, Felipe Anderson and Keita [Balde], who are all quality forwards that can cause you problems. They're all good forwards, so you're better off studying them to avoid having problems."

The defence conceded a lot at the start of the season. Then something changed and now, whoever plays, the result is always the same.

"You can see the work we do on the training ground when we play matches. We're all quality players. [Thomas] Vermaelen is a very good accurate passer, [Federico] Fazio is a beast in the air, [Antonio] Rudiger is a powerhouse and [Kostas] Manolas is lightning quick.

"All of our centre backs are quality and the rest of the team gives us a hand too - the likes of [Daniele] De Rossi, [Leandro] Paredes and [Kevin] Strootman. That means the three up front can have some fun. We allow them to relax and do what they like."

Do you prefer playing three or four at the back?

"We're playing well as a back three so let's leave things as they are."

On paper, yesterday's match was very difficult. But you showed the desire to want to kill it off early doors. You looked like you wanted it right from the word go.

"We always focus on playing as best we can, not just scoring early. We have to do our jobs for Roma and I believe Serie A is exciting because lots of teams are playing well. Of course, the earlier we score, the better because then we play with greater freedom, the opposition come at us and we can make the most of that."

Despite scepticism at the start, Roma haven't lost a match you've started.

"I'm a humble guy and I just get my head down and graft. I don't listen to what anyone says about me. I know what a good player I am and how much belief Roma have in me. That's why I gradually began to show what I'm all about.

People judged me too quickly. I'm not a sensitive soul. If you criticise me, that's your opinion and I take that stick on board and try to improve. Plus I try to prove people wrong. I moved to a new city and team this season and it's always tough to settle at the start. Things worked out well for me because I have my agent behind me - he's more than that, he's a friend too. Plus I have my wife. They helped me out during the tough times."

Now you face a trip to Milan to meet your former employers. They sent you a nice tribute via social media when you left the club.

"Yes, Inter was my first club in Europe and I was just 20 when I joined. They gave me a very warm welcome. I miss the ordinary people who work there on a daily basis, like the cleaning lady. They were my family in Europe for a few years."

Inter v Roma will be a special match for you.

"Yes, I played around 140 matches for them but now I represent Roma and I'm very happy here."

Are you still in touch with anyone at Inter?

"I'm always chatting to Miranda and Eder, the Brazilians. [Juan Pablo] Carrizo is a mate too. Miranda texted me yesterday and told me he's suspended. He really wanted to play in the fixture. That means we'll have catch up after the game."

Now it's crunch time...

"Yes, and first off we have Villarreal who are a very strong side. Just because we beat them 4-0 doesn't make them a bad team overnight. We must keep producing. We mustn't relax, you only need to see what happened to AC Milan a few years ago. Every game is different in football."

You were coached by [Paulo Roberto] Falcao.

"Yes, when I'd only turned professional six months earlier. He's a fantastic, humble individual. You only need to look at what he achieved as a player."

What was he like as a coach?

"He wanted to import a little bit of European football. But it's more difficult in Brazil because it's a massive country and there are huge distances to travel. So we were a bit tired and we weren't able to grasp his ideas."