Newly acquired goalkeeper Pau Lopez held his first press conference today since joining the Giallorossi from Real Betis. These are his words:
How did your first days of the ritiro go? What does the Mister ask of you?
I have to thank the director and the club, both of whom took a chance on me. Now it’s up to me to return the trust and give the performances they expect. Right now we’re focus a lot on the defensive end. The concept of pressing and high intensity has been emphasized these last few days. I’m sure we’ll work on more later but to date this has been the focus.
Starting the build-up with the goalkeeper is important in modern football.
It depends on the manager, but in any case – the goalkeeper must adapt. If this is what the manager wants, then a goalkeeper who dominate in certain aspects can be useful.
What are the flaws in your game?
I have some (laughs). As Petrachi said, I come from the Spanish school of goalkeeping, much different than the one here. Savorani’s way of working is different: the technical aspects are stressed and every little detail matters. I’ll be fine after I get acclimated, I really want to learn. Everyone spoke very well of Savorani, I will listen to his advice and I hope to learn the best way to play in the Italian league.
Great goalkeepers like Alisson and Szczesny passed through Roma. Is the Brazilian a role model for you?
Alisson was an important goalkeeper and is one of the best. I do not like comparisons, I am Pau and I came here to Roma to write my story. Now the story of Pau starts and I hope it’s a good story, so people can be proud of me.
Did you choose Roma instead of Barcelona?
I didn’t want to leave Betis but then I 100% wanted Roma. The options were Roma or Betis. I have chose to come here and the idea of ​​coming here materialised: I am happy.
Did you chose to reduce your wages?
Roma and I both wanted this. Efforts were made by both so it does not seem appropriate to add anything else.
You are the most expensive goalkeeper in the history of Roma. Did you expect to be worth so much?
It is always a huge responsibility when a club bets on you, you never know how things will go. The only thing I can guarantee is hard work, humility and sacrifice, now it’s up to me to prove myself. In any case, I’m calm: I’ll work hard to make the people and fans proud.
Do you like talking a lot on the pitch?
Yes, I already understand Italian, but out of respect to the club, I have to learn to speak it. For the club, for the fans and for my teammates, I have to improve.
