Karsdorp: Mourinho knows how to bring the best out of us

Here's what the Dutch wing-back had to say about the game at the Gelredome...

Do you still follow Dutch football? What do you know about Vitesse these days?

“Playing every three days more or less means it is not easy to follow it, but I always keep an eye on Dutch football. Vitesse have already had some really good results in the Conference League this season.”

How is it for you, working with Jose Mourinho?

“It’s really good well. I’m playing a lot, I’m starting most games. The boss demands the best from us, and you are aware of that every time you come to Trigoria. Against Verona we were 2-0 down and he fired us up at half-time; we went back out there and we got back on terms and very nearly won the game too.”

How are you feeling in Rome?

“Life in Rome is going well, I just became a father for a second time.”

How important is the Conference League to Roma this season?

“It’s a new competition but we want to try and win it. Unfortunately we were knocked out of the Coppa Italia. We want to try and achieve the targets we have set ourselves. We are still in this competition and in the league – where we want to finish as high as we can, hopefully in the top four.”

What have you made about the state of the pitch here?

“The pitch doesn’t seem to be in great shape from what I’ve seen, both since getting here and from a video I got sent to me.”

You’ve delivered a lot of good performances this season, but occasionally you’ve been caught out by dips in concentration – as have some of your teammates. Do you feel like you are getting better at cutting that issue out?

“I still don’t know if I will be starting the game tomorrow. As far as the rest of your question goes, it’s normal for any player to have a few highs and lows. It’s happened to me this season too. At the end of the day you have to make your evaluations at the end of the season – for now we are focused on reaching the targets we have.”

Can you give us a bit more about what it is like to work with Mourinho?

“It’s not just about what he does on the pitch, but what we does away from the pitch too. He’s different from other coaches. He brings out the best in you. For so many reasons he’s a very different coach from some of the others. Sometimes he is next to me on the sideline and you see him running with me, demanding more and more from me.”