“I love to win.” Wojciech Szczesny met the media today in his first press conference as a Roma player. The goalkeeper, who has moved to the capital on a season-long loan from Arsenal, discussed the Giallorossi supporters and the upcoming season: “The fans here are very passionate, like me. I expect to develop a good relationship with them.”
Having shown everyone the progress he’s made with the language – “qui si parla italiano!” (“We speak Italian here!”) – the Poland international answered questions from the media on his team-mate De Sanctis, next season’s targets and the derby.
Are you learning Italian? How important is it for you to communicate with your team-mates?
“Learning the language is very important. Qui noi parliamo italiano! I’m used to talking to my team-mates a lot and I’ve already spent two days with my new colleagues. I hope to develop a good rapport with them so we can build a very strong side.”
Have you already spoken to Morgan De Sanctis? If, so what did you say to one another?
“Morgan speaks good English and he has already taught me some basic Italian to use on the pitch. He’s very nice and is helping me a great deal. He’s an excellent goalkeeper and I expect very stern competition between us but I hope we can both benefit from this and improve.”
Are you expecting to start at Roma?
“Every player wants to play and I’m here to learn, to help the team and I know Rudi Garcia has faith in me. Every footballer wants to win and I’m here to do just that.”
You’re known as an extrovert. What relationship will you have with the fans?
“I’m very passionate about football. From what I’ve seen, the supporters here are also very passionate. I like to celebrate when we win and I get angry when we lose, just like the fans do.”
Could Roma alternate between goalkeepers like they do at Barcelona?
“It definitely worked in Barcelona where they rotated the goalkeepers domestically and in the Champions League but that decision lies with the coach. He knows how to use us and how to rotate. I hope to earn my place in the side in training and help the team.”
What happened last year? You had a great start to your career, then perhaps you lacked a bit of consistency…
“That’s what happens to young keepers when they become starters early on and they miss a few important training sessions at that age. Playing a lot of football though gives you plenty of experience and I hope to use that for the benefit of the team.”
Why did you choose Roma?
“It was very easy. Roma are one of the biggest clubs in Europe and I’ve come here to show what I can do, improve and compete in a difficult domestic competition and the Champions League. This will be a great experience that everyone would love to have. Any player would be proud to come here.”
Via social media we’ve seen you playing Tottenham’s song on the piano having beaten them in the derby. Do you know what could happen if you did something similar here?
“I’ll try to stay calm and behave myself. I know how passionate the fans are here and it’s not a good idea to overdo it when it comes to our opponents. That said, I obviously want to win the derby.”
