El Shaarawy: We can’t let up now

In an interview with Sky Sport Italia on Wednesday, the Giallorossi forward spoke of his satisfaction at the team’s current form but argued that they must take advantage of their chance to move into third spot outright at the expense of Fiorentina, regardless of how good a side the Florence-based outfit are.

“We’re pleased with what we’re doing but we can’t let up now,” began El Shaarawy. “It won’t be easy to beat Fiorentina because they’re a strong team and play good football, but we need to build on our performances and get another three points. We have the chance to overtake them in the table.”

What effect could Roma v Fiorentina have on your league standing?
“It’s a match of vital importance because if we win we can move into third place outright.”

Is it going to be an advert for the beautiful game?
“Roma and Fiorentina are definitely two of the sides playing the best football right now.”

On a tactical level, what kind of match are you expecting?
“We’re in the middle of a good spell both physically and mentally, but we’re going to need to have complete focus and concentration on Friday. Fiorentina can sting you at any time, but that said we know what we’re capable of.”

How did you feel after those two goals against Empoli?
“It was a great feeling and I was delighted to get my first brace for Roma, but just like the team as a whole I don’t want to let up now.”

You’re just five points behind Napoli now. Can you make up the gap?
“Yes, but we need to take each game as it comes. Let’s focus on beating Fiorentina and then we’ll see what happens.”

What’s Luciano Spalletti like as a coach?
“He’s a fantastic coach who knows how to communicate with the players and has turned the team round from both a technical and a tactical perspective. We have to stick behind him as the results have been good so far. He has great attention to detail and it’s our job to implement what we do in training when it comes to the matches.”

You met Jim Pallotta yesterday. What did you think of him?
“He made a great impression on me. He said well done for my start at Roma and congratulated me on my goals. But both he and Spalletti have both told me not to let up. We’ve achieved nothing yet.