Szczesny: Perfectionist Spalletti helps us to win

Wojciech Szczesny believes the fact that Luciano Spalletti is a perfectionist is behind his success at Roma.

The Polish goalkeeper explained that the Giallorossi boss demands a lot from his players, identifying this as one of the key parts of Roma’s good form in Serie A.

“Spalletti doesn’t accept errors in any area, including behaviour. He wants perfection,” Szczesny told Roma Radio. “That’s what makes the boss special. It’s enabled us to turn our league form around and win a lot of matches.”

A few matches ago, we saw Spalletti shouting at you to ask if you needed glasses…

“That’s right, we were at Empoli – at the start we wanted to pass the ball around, then [Edin] Dzeko came on and the boss asked me to launch it forward for him. I messed up one of the balls by a couple of metres and he made himself heard from down the other end of the pitch, shouting ‘Dzeko, Dzeko’.

“At the end of the game I was afraid to go back into the dressing rooms. It was a funny incident but it’s also quite significant because as I said Spalletti always wants the maximum from all of us at all times. That’s what’s enabled us to do so well in recent times and win so many games. We should have beaten Inter too. But believe me, he’ll listen to this interview and if I’ve said something wrong he’ll kill me… [laughter].”

It’s the Derby on Sunday. Does it feel like a special match?

“Of course. It’s a derby and you can tell it’s going to be a different kind of match against a good side. We’re coming into it in the best form possible, with moral high and nothing but victory in our minds. We know that for the fans it’s worth much more than the three points, but if we want to make them happy we just need to focus on bringing those three points home with us.”

You’ve integrated into the group really well here at Roma. Would you like to stay?

“Football is the most important thing in my life. If things go well in football, my life’s going well too. I feel like I have everyone’s confidence here at Roma, from the boss to my team-mates and the whole club. Things can only go well when you have all that.”

You’re on loan from Arsenal right now. Are they a similar club to Roma?

“Yes, they’re similar because they both have phenomenal players. It’s difficult to compare different leagues – the Premier League is more physical, while tactics are more important in Serie A. Both teams have had a good season and I hope that next year both clubs win their respective leagues.”

A while ago you joked that Toni Rudiger was the best defender of the last 50 years. Do you believe that?

“I said that three months ago and his performances are proving me right.”

Were you always going to be a goalkeeper?

“No. No-one wants to be a goalkeeper when they’re young! I started at the age of seven and wanted to be a striker. But you only have to look at me to know I could never have been a striker. One day my coach at the time asked me if I wanted to have a go in goal, and in any case I had my father as an example to follow. I gave it a go and it worked.”

Do you think that all goalkeepers are a bit crazy?

“I think we’re crazy because we play in goal and that we play in goal because we’re crazy. The theory works in both directions. A while ago a team-mate from the national side said that if someone wants to be hit by the ball 100 times a match and do a boring job, they must be crazy!”

Who’s the craziest in the Roma squad?

“I’d say Radja first and then… Nainggolan. He takes first, second and third. I’m up there too but he’s streets ahead. Compared with him I’m calm, I’m relaxed, I never smile…”