Pellegrini focused on changing fortunes against big sides

The first leg against the Ukrainian champions gets underway at 21:00 CET on Thursday.

Here's what Pellegrini had to say ahead of the game at the Stadio Olimpico...

Do you think the team believes it is better than a year ago, when you lost to Sevilla in this competition? Does the team believe it is stronger now, ready to go all the way?

“That has to be the case. We’ve now had almost two years together to work on things, with the coach, with a settled first-team squad. We know that tomorrow we are facing a side that were in the Champions League, but we will play our game and focus on the things we’ve prepared.”

How do you cope with the alternate praise and criticism you seem to get from fans?

“I think football is great because it is everyone’s game. Everyone can have their own thoughts on a player or a coach. As players we need to get used to being judged. But I can say that opinions don’t motivate me to do more. What motivates me every day is my own ambition. My focus is on always improving, in training and then in matches – that way I can be happy with myself and, hopefully, have others be happy with me too.”

You lead the league in assists from corners and free-kicks – but you are still yet to score from a direct free-kick. Are you the best in training, is that why you insist on still taking them?

“This is similar to the question before. I am pleased to have provided so many assists – because that means we have been scoring goals. I leave the statistics to others. As for free-kicks, it’s not for me to say [who is the best]. At the end of training we stay behind to try and improve – the key thing is working hard to get better, because the rewards will arrive eventually. Anyway, we have a lot of players who are dangerous from free-kicks and corners. We often rotate who takes them, as you’ve seen.”

More than once the club’s CEO Guido Fienga has said: “We will convince Lorenzo Pellegrini to extend his contract by presenting him with an ambitious project.” Since the arrival of the new owners, how do you judge that?

“I would absolutely define it as an ambitious project. I have had the chance to speak to the Friedkins, to Tiago Pinto, to Fienga too. And that makes me happy, to be part of a project where we want to push on. I am a lad who goes out on the training pitch every day in order to get better and to improve. And knowing exactly what the ambitions of the club – and the coaching staff – are, that makes me happy to be going out and doing that.”

You have conceded lots of goals this season, especially against top sides. How do you explain that?

“As the coach has already said, we have often created problems for ourselves. It’s not an issue with the style of play, because we work on every detail in training. We are a well-organised side that don’t give much away, at least as long as we don’t create problems for ourselves.

"This issue, with us conceding goals from when we have possession… we need to improve. And if we want to stay at the top of the table, where we all want to be, we can’t make individual mistakes.”

This season Roma haven’t beaten a big side in the league. Shakhtar are a big side. What’s the plan?

“The only way to improve on that is by going out and trying to win these two games. Home and away. We can make a start by doing everything we have worked on, by maintaining our concentration and understanding exactly what we need to be doing in each moment.”

Italian clubs seem to be struggling in Europe at the moment. As a player, why do you think that is?

“From my perspective I don’t think Serie A has dropped in quality. Actually I think it’s an even better league now, after Juventus had a monopoly for the last nine years or so. Serie A is a really competitive league, just like La Liga or the Premier League. I think the issues in European competition are a little subjective, and you have to take things team by team. We will try not to be one of those sides who falters in Europe. We will try to win tomorrow to put to bed this fact that we have not won against a big side – and also to reverse the trend of Italian sides in European competitions.”