Perotti focused on turning things around

The Giallorossi head to Bologna on Sunday, looking to end a five-match run without a win that includes Wednesday's 3-0 Champions League defeat against Real Madrid.

Perotti appeared as a substitute in that game at the Santiago Bernabeu - his first game of the season after suffering an injury at the end of pre-season - and is now eager to help the team get back on track.

“We expected to have more points on the board and to have played a bit better so far," Perotti acknowledged.

"We know there is still time to improve in that regard, and on Sunday we need to get back to winning ways and rediscover our form.

"If we do what we know we can, what we have trained so hard on like last year, the wins will surely come along.”

Do you have an explanation for how things have been going?

“Unfortunately there isn’t an obvious answer, otherwise we would have got it and put it into practice on the field. It’s not just one thing but a few different ones, we players have to bounce back but if we don’t put into practice on the pitch what we know we need to do then things become harder.

"Every team is well organised and able to hurt you now, just look at Chievo. Now we need to get out of this together, as a united group, but we know that we have to do it on the pitch and not with words – starting on Sunday against Bologna.”

What are things like for the coach right now?

“It is always the easy route, to blame the coach. Sacking him is always the easiest way out, but last year we reached the semi-finals of the Champions League with almost the same players, and the same coach too. We cannot have become a worse team or two or three months.

"The relationship with the boss is the same, there is a lot of respect and a huge desire to do well from both players and staff.”