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Leonardo Spinazzola discusses Roma’s Europa League ambitions

Andy Mattioli
I

Roma wide man Leonardo Spinazzola discussed at length his complicated recovery from a torn Achilles tendon, his rapport with Mourinho and Dybala as well as Roma’s Europa League ambitions in a recent interview with AS.

“It’s still too early to say if I’m back to being my former self, I’m picking up my rhythm and I’m very happy to be able to push hard for the full 90 minutes,” said the Italian fullback who started the last five games in a row for Roma.

“Since January of this year I finally felt that I could get back to my best,” he added.

“Mourinho? The coach gave me confidence and reassured me day after day. He knows how to keep the group happy, he wants the best for us, but it’s based on attitude, not just on results. If you give everything on the field, he doesn’t say anything even if you lose.”

“Real Sociedad? We’re a team with identity and hunger. We want to beat them and qualify to the next round. Europa League is essential for us and this year we have important objectives at stake.”

“Dybala? Paulo is a champion who can determine the outcome of a game at any time. He is a positive, cheerful teammate who has given us a lot on and off the pitch. I hope he scores a brace tonight,” Spinazzola added.

On winning the Conference League, “It was crazy, inexplicable. When we lifted the trophy, I said ‘tomorrow in Rome we’ll understand what we’ve done.’ The city was so packed with people that we couldn’t finish the second round of the city on the bus… They told me that winning in Rome is like winning 100 times elsewhere, and it’s true.”

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MatchDay 30
1 Apr 17:00
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