Fazio calls on side to forge winning habit after Napoli triumph

Defender Federico Fazio believes Roma can make the next few months easier for themselves with a victory over Austria Wien on Thursday evening.

Fazio is well aware that it is important for the team to continue their winning habit after recent successes against Inter Milan and Napoli, but also believes beating Wien will make the side's Europa League job far easier as the group stage reaches its conclusion.

With two tricky away trips on the horizon in the UEFA competition, the centre-back - a multiple winner of the competition - knows it is important to pick up as many points as possible.

“We need to try to get the three points to strengthen our position at the top of the group so it doesn’t go down to the last couple of matchdays, which will be away from home in cold conditions," Fazio said.

"Getting all three points on Thursday would be huge for our standing in the group and also in terms of our morale.

"We want to keep on winning and get used to the feeling – it has to become the norm.”

Just how important was Saturday’s win at the San Paolo?

“It was very important, not just because Napoli are a direct opponent competing with us for the title and the top spots in the table, but also because it gives us real momentum and is a big blow for their morale. It was a massive three points away from home against a very strong side and it could make all the difference come the end of the season.”

Juan Jesus played more centrally against Napoli and the defence looked more like a back three. How did the coach ask you to set up?

“Our tactics were to dominate possession and build the play from the back. When we were in possession, we had a back three so that we could move the ball around better, but when we didn’t have the ball we switched to a four-man backline with [Alessandro] Florenzi dropping in at right-back.”

You really seem to have built up a strong understanding with Kostas Manolas…

“Every game I’ve played has been alongside him, so I feel very comfortable when we line up together. He’s a great player but we have a fantastic squad with over 20 top-level players. Everyone does their bit, in training too, and that breeds confidence.”

The man of the moment at Roma is undoubtedly Edin Dzeko. You see him every day in training – what’s his biggest strength?

“He always puts the effort in on the training ground. Right now he’s in great form in front of goal, but even when that’s not the case for whatever reason, he never stops working hard for the team. He’s a great player and a top professional and he puts everything he has into achieving his goals.”

You’ve moved up to second place in Serie A, but what are your objectives from here?

“It’s a long season and we’re competing on three fronts, but we want to keep fighting until May and try to win them all. In my eyes the league is the main objective, but it would be amazing to win any title so we want to go all the way in the Coppa Italia and the Europa League too. There’s still a lot of football to be played in Serie A but we need to keep our recent form up and fight until the end.”

You play Palermo on Sunday, while Juventus travel to AC Milan. How important a weekend is it?

“That’s right – Juventus have a head-to-head with AC Milan, but we need to concentrate on the task at hand instead of looking at other teams’ results. Our job is to go out and try to get the win. We need to keep focusing on ourselves because if we continue to pick up points then they could be all-important at the end of the season.”

You’ve been an ever-present within the team since you started the first Europa League game against Viktoria Plzen. Did you expect to play so much when you joined?

“Whenever you join a new club you always want to be playing and helping the team, whether that’s as part of the starting line-up or from the bench. We just need to keep doing what we’re doing, keep it tight, keep working hard and be consistent in our results.”

You seem to have had no trouble adapting to Italian football and the style of play here. Why do you think that is?

“I always used to watch Italian football on TV as a lad. All leagues are different – take La Liga or the Premier League – and they all have their own traits, but at the end of the day football is football and we’re professionals. This is our job and we’ve all been doing it for a very long time. It’s not all that hard to adapt. There are always some things that are different but that’s the case within specific leagues too – not all teams play in the same way. There are different styles, different coaches, different matches that need to be approached in their own way. Having said that, we’re used to it all by now because we’ve been playing for years.”

How is Serie A different to the other two leagues you’ve played in?

“I spent years playing in the Spanish league and I think the main difference with the Premier League comes down to possession – it’s much more important in Spain. English football is a lot more end-to-end – it’s a more direct brand of football and the teams don’t keep hold of the ball for very long or try to move their opponents around the pitch. Serie A is a bit of a mix of the two, though I wasn’t surprised by that because I used to watch a lot of Italian football and many of my past team-mates had played here and told me what it was like. It’s a fascinating league and great to play in.”

How are you settling into life in Rome? How useful is it to have friends like Diego Perotti to help you?

“I have a really special bond with Diego because we’ve spent years playing together. It’s not very often that you spend so long playing with a particular team-mate, especially at different clubs. More than anything he’s a friend now. Rome is a beautiful city – in some ways it reminds me of Buenos Aires. The way of life in Italy is quite similar to Argentina. Now that I live here, I’m understanding some of the things the Italian side of my family used to say and do when I was a kid in Argentina.”

The fans have taken a real liking to you. Can you feel their support? Do you have a message for them?

“Roma have very passionate fans. [Erik] Lamela was a team-mate at Tottenham and he told me all about it. I can see it and feel it when I head out into the city. Whenever we play at home it’s amazing to get that extraordinary support from the fans – it’s a vital part of us achieving our objectives. It’s fantastic when the team gives their all for the fans and the fans see that and repay us with their support. We can feel them spurring us on and that really helps our confidence as a team, especially when we’re at home. They can be decisive in us getting the three points.”