Diego Perotti warned Roma must use pressure “to motivate, not strike fear” as they welcome Napoli today, revealed his pranks and why goals don’t come easy.
It kicks off today at 14.00 GMT, click here for a match preview.
“Rome is a city that puts pressure on you, but it’s the kind of pressure that has to motivate you, not strike fear into your heart,” Perotti told SportWeek.
Diego Perotti warned Roma must use pressure “to motivate, not strike fear” as they welcome Napoli today, revealed his pranks and why goals don’t come easy.
It kicks off today at 14.00 GMT, click here for a match preview.
“Rome is a city that puts pressure on you, but it’s the kind of pressure that has to motivate you, not strike fear into your heart,” Perotti told SportWeek.
“You can’t settle for placement, you need to life a trophy. I don’t think any of us are wetting ourselves with fear, though. For example, I share a room with Federico Fazio in training retreats and he is asleep the moment his head hits the pillow. I’m the one who needs to pace around a bit before going to sleep.
“I am in love with Rome and my wife doesn’t see us living anywhere else. I think the best is yet to come and I hope I haven’t yet reached my top level. It was difficult getting here, though, and looking back I can’t help but be happy with what I’ve achieved.”
Perotti is the son of a Boca Juniors legend, so admits he struggled to overcome certain expectations of him.
“People think being the son of a great player makes things easier, but that’s not the case. I arrived at Boca, where my father had won everything, and heard people say I was only there because of my surname. This made me more closed off and wary.
“I might seem shy in front of the cameras, but I like to joke around and play pranks, very much like my Dad. Mohamed Salah is very reserved and quite a prude, so I always try to hug him during a shower and he hates it!”
Perotti has become more of a goalscorer at Roma than he was in any of his previous clubs, including Genoa.
“I’ll be honest, many Coaches asked me to go for goal more, but I find scoring difficult. I don’t want it to become an obsession, otherwise it’ll be even worse. Sometimes I see colleagues shoot from positions that I’d find impossible and I don’t know how they can even see the goal from there. It’s natural for me to favour an assist.
“I have been fortunate enough to play alongside figures like Juan Roman Riquelme and Francesco Totti. It’s frustrating seeing them every day in training and realise I’ll never even get close to their talent. It’s like a barrier separating us and them, which we can never overcome.
“I ask Totti the odd question about football, but try not to bother him too much. I have great respect towards particular players and if Totti doesn’t close that distance, I certainly won’t be the one to attempt it.
“When I arrived in the Deportivo Moron first team, if there weren’t any places in the locker room, I’d get changed standing up.”