Dzeko: Let’s begin a new chapter

“We have to win tomorrow to begin a new chapter,” began the Bosnian forward, who was appearing alongside Rudi Garcia at the pre-match press conference. “Achieving our target of qualifying for the next round will give us the boost we need going into the matches leading up to Christmas.”

How would you rate your experience at Roma so far?
“We started the season very well and it’s only been in the last few weeks that things have dropped off. There are still a lot of matches left to play and we are still in the hunt across the board. We need to give 100%, starting from tomorrow, when we look to hit our first target of the season.”

You haven’t scored as many goals as you would have liked to so far. Is there something wrong with the way Roma play?
“If I don’t score it means that I’m doing something wrong, not the rest of the side. I know I should have done better on a couple of occasions – in the match against Torino, for example, I should have scored to make it 2-0 and secure the win for us. That said, I’m optimistic about the future: I’m sure that the goals will come for me and that the team will keep improving.”

Do you ever think that the team doesn’t play to your strengths?
“I’ve played in lots of different systems at other clubs so I can play well here too. If you’re a good striker then you need to be able to score in any playing system. I could have scored more goals, but I’m the first to criticise myself and I accept the criticism of others. However, as I’ve said, I’m confident about the future and starting tomorrow I want to help the team to win.”

How do you explain the tough time you’ve been having?
“I’ve had spells in the past when I’ve not scored for a number of games in a row, but it’s something that happens to all strikers and it’s never an easy situation. It would have been better to score in every single game as that would have given me more confidence, but I prefer not to spend too much time thinking about it. I want to do better and score lots of goals in our upcoming matches.”

Some have said you’ve been looking a bit down during recent matches. Have you lost confidence in your ability?
“I don’t like losing, so maybe that’s why I’ve been looking down. I know this team is good enough to win every match. Obviously I’m not happy for me or the team because we deserve more.”

The stadium is probably going to be half-empty again tomorrow. Were you expecting this kind of atmosphere when you joined?
“Obviously if we want to win something we need the support of all our fans. The results against Barcelona and Juventus at home proved that. It’s sad to see the stadium empty and as I said a few weeks ago I hope the situation can be resolved soon because we need our fans.”

Can Roma win the Scudetto?
“If we play the way we have in our last two matches then no we can’t. But I know we’re better than how we’re playing at the moment so we need to stand up tall for the upcoming matches. There is still a long way to go – you don’t win the Scudetto in December, but at the end of the season. We need to take each game as it comes. We are good enough to achieve big things.”