Exclusive: Florenzi’s indepth review of Roma’s 2015-16 season

The midfielder had just scored one of the greatest goals in Champions League history against the best football team in the world and it seemed like the Vines were circulating before the ball had even hit the back of the net.

If there were any football fans outside of Italy that didn’t know who Florenzi was before that goal, they certainly did afterwards.

But, eight months on, how does the Roma star reflect on that night and the season as a whole?

ASRoma.com sat down with the Italian international to look back on the season that was – starting with an opening day visit to Verona….

"We were keen to get off to a good start but Verona made it tough for us and in the end we came away with a draw that we weren't happy about. I managed to score our first goal of the season but we wanted to kick off with three points."

You made up for it a week later when Juve came to the Olimpico. What did that match mean to the team?

"We produced a fantastic performance that day in every sense – we really had Juventus under the cosh. We were better than them and we deserved the three points. [Miralem] Pjanic's free-kick and [Edin] Dzeko's header were two of the best goals all season."

Let’s talk about that goal…

"I remember it all as if it were yesterday. I remember every second of those two minutes from when I shot from 65 yards through to the explosion of noise from the crowd. I remember people could hardly believe it. I could barely believe my own eyes when I saw the ball slowly drifting down and into the goal. I lifted my hands to my face, then I heard the roar of the Olimpico and my team-mates ran over to celebrate with me. On a personal note it was the most exciting moment of the whole year."

Did you realise it would make you popular all over the world?

"Yes, besides the fact it was on the FIFA shortlist for the Puskas Award, I soon noticed that lots of people – especially from abroad – associated me with that goal."

From the end of September to the start of November, Roma recorded a six wins in seven games. People thought this was the year…

"We picked up lots of good results and got ourselves up near the top. We were hopeful we could challenge for first place. The only black mark was losing to Inter at San Siro, which I don't even think we deserved because we'd played well and that shot by [Gary] Medel was excessive punishment.

“I remember our superb win against Fiorentina at the Stadio Artemio Franchi when we played a different game than what we were used to – more defensive, playing on the break and clinical up front. That was a really great night."

One of the photos of that match shows you celebrating at the final whistle with the captain's armband...

"Yes, that was one of the first times I'd worn it and it was another reason I felt so happy and proud. I remember we all went over to the away stand to thank all the fans who had made the trip. Doing that with the captain's armband made it feel all the more special."

November saw the start of a run of poor results that led to Rudi Garcia's sacking. What happened?

"It was a bad spell for all of us – the players and the coaching staff. You can't describe in words what happened. Maybe it just got to a point where he couldn't give us that extra something we needed to take another step forward and at the same time we, the players, weren't able to carry out his instructions exactly as he wanted."

Another snapshot of that period is your hug with Garcia after his last win in the Giallorossi dugout against Genoa. Was that palnned?

"It was an idea we'd all had together, as a team. In the dressing room we decided that whoever scored that day would go over to hug the coach because we wanted to show him we were behind him, as he had been behind us when we'd had personal issues in the months and years beforehand. It's never nice when you're coming in for criticism and we all wanted to show him our solidarity."

How do you assess Garcia's time at Roma overall?

"The years he spent in Trigoria were fantastic for Roma. He got the team competing on the international stage again."

You came second in your Champions League group under Garcia. Did you make it harder than it could have been?

"I don't think so because we came through what was a tough group in my view. Besides Barcelona, who were clear favourites and came first as expected, there was Bayer Leverkusen, a team that's used to playing in the Champions League, and BATE Borisov, who we knew were always going to be tricky at their place as they then proved.

“We knew we'd probably have to earn our place in the next round in our home match against the Germans and that's the way it turned out. We played well and beat Bayer 3-2 and that put us in the driving seat for qualification. Roma should be playing in the Champions League every year – it should be our bread and butter. Hopefully we can do even better in the competition over the coming years."

There's an image of you from that crunch match against Bayer - not watching Pjanic's penalty with the score at 2-2...

"There was too much riding on it and I didn't want to watch. It happens sometimes. The fans do the same thing. Maybe that was my Roma heart… I preferred just to wait for the roar instead of watching."

Luciano Spalletti returned to Roma in January. What did he say to you first?

"He told us we were a great team and we shouldn't forget it. But to actually be a great team and get back on track we needed to work hard. That's what we did and the results started coming for us."

Drawing with Verona and losing to Juve wasn’t the best of starts. What was the mood like in the dressing room after those two games?

"The draw against Verona was a bit random really because they didn't do much at all in that game. We dropped four points against them over the season – they were our bogey team. But it was our first match under Spalletti and I don't think it tells you too much about the gaffer's influence because we'd had very little time to work with him.

“Against Juve we wanted to play a different sort of match – we wanted to impose our own game more. We ended up playing on the counter and that wasn't what we or the gaffer wanted. But at the time Juve were a much more rounded side than we were and they were full of confidence. We didn't let it get us too down, though. We were already starting to get in the right mood and we never looked back from there."

You picked up points in 17 back-to-back matches after the Torino game with three draws and 14 victories. What were the most important games in this run?

"I'd say the wins against Fiorentina and Lazio because at the time both sides had aspirations of getting into the European spots for the Champions League and Europa League. Both sides also came into the fixture against us with good expectations, but we tackled the contests well and got the results we were looking for with two big performances from a mental, physical and technical point of view.

“Obviously the final scoreline in those two games doesn't leave any room for doubts about our performances – a couple of clear 4-1 victories."

What were the three main qualities on show throughout this incredible run of 17 matches?

"One, the ability to keep possession and boss the play. This team really wants to control the game and impose our own game. Two, flexibility - seeing as there are a couple of players in this side who can change position on the pitch with disarming ease, creating problems for the opposition who lose their reference points. Lastly, the ease with which we score goals as we have devastating players up top and 17 different players have got on the scoresheet this year, quite a lot."

Shortly after the January transfer window, there was the two-legged tie against Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16. Was it frustrating having to play that game so soon after Spalletti and the new players had joined the club?

"The Champions League doesn't wait for anybody, you have to take it as it is as with all the difficulties attached. In my opinion, we approached the tie against Real in the right manner, putting in two decent performances. Unfortunately we weren't very clinical in attack and didn't finish off the chances we had created. In contrast, they did well to punish us just at the right moment, both at the Stadio Olimpico and the Bernabeu.

“In the end, the two 2-0 scorelines tell you exactly that. It's a shame about the missed chances, but that's how it goes and we should have done better in front of goal."

One of the highlights of the season for many fans was Kevin Strootman's return after 392 days out of action in February. What did that mean for you?

"We all couldn't wait to see Kevin back at work because he really is a war machine. He doesn't stop for a second. For people who know him, it's almost annoying sometimes to see how much he puts in during training. He works like somebody obsessed, putting his whole heart into what he does. We can all learn from him how to play football and how to go about life."

We can’t not mention Francesco Totti's two goals in three minutes against Torino in April. That was unreal…

"With five minutes left to go in that match against the Granata, nobody was thinking about victory – a draw maybe but there was so little time left. As it happened, Totti came on and turned the contest on its head in just three minutes, handing us the three points.

“We are really delighted to have him with us. When he comes on the pitch, you can feel the buzz from the fans, who explode with joy as soon as they see him get up from the bench and make the atmosphere special. You need to watch Francesco not only in games but throughout the whole year to understand how he behaves among the group and how he makes us feel. There's nothing else to add about the legend on the pitch. He has that special something which makes him unique."

You mentioned the fans, this season has been a strange one with the Curva Sud absent from home games. What has that been like for you?

"It's been a tough year from this point of view because the fans are fundamental for us. I'm not just saying that as well, we really do need them because their presence is a really important factor. I just hope that this situation can be resolved as soon as possible so we can have them behind us during games once again."

You've said that your goal against Barca is your highlight from the season on a personal level, but what was the best moment for the team in 2015-16?

"The 4-1 victory in the derby during the second half of the season. We produced a fantastic performance that day, outclassing the opposition which isn't easy to do in a cross-city derby. From a collective point of view, we played at a really high standard and committed very few errors. We scored four goals, including my own, and you can't really ask more of a team in a game like that. We dominated the match and clearly deserved to win."

What was the worst moment of the season?

"Going out of the Coppa Italia against Spezia at the Olimpico, which was also my lowest point personally from the season. We definitely didn't set out to make such a bad impression in front of our fans. We exited in a really bad fashion from that competition, which could have been a trophy to bring home at the end of the year. A shame. That was a performance and an afternoon to forget for everybody."

Considering the highs and the lows, what's your overall assessment of Roma in 2015-16?

"At the start of the campaign, expectations were high but looking at how the season panned out, let's say that it's still been positive. We were in the race right until the end for second spot but Napoli showed they deserved it by never giving up. Even if we have to start from the qualifying rounds, we have nevertheless achieved the aim of getting into the Champions League. A team like Roma has the duty to be in this competition every year."