IAGO FALQUE: "WE STILL BELIEVE IN SECOND PLACE"
Iago Falque maintains that he and his team-mates haven't ruled themselves out of the fight for second place. The Spanish forward revealed that although they're aware of the quality and consistency posed by Juventus and Napoli, getting direct qualification to the Champions League group stages would be a huge achievement for the Giallorossi who must try to overtake at least one of the top two.
"We still believe in second place because getting straight into the Champions League without having to go through the qualifying rounds is much better," said Iago Falque. "We know the teams in front of us rarely lose and we haven't got loads of room to play with until the end of the season, but we're keeping our eyes in front of us and we'll try to catch at least one of them."
How you feeling ahead of the Rome Derby on Saturday?
"I'm feeling good because we're enjoying a good run of form and we're playing well. I reckon we're going into the game in better shape than them, but everyone knows the derby is a one-off game that's different from all the others."
What effect has Luciano Spalletti had to help you achieve this run of picking up points in nine consecutive games?
"Spalletti is doing a fantastic job. The team is playing really well and we've found that consistency again which we had from the beginning of the season until the first derby. We were doing really well until that point and then we dropped off. Now we've got the right mentality back and we hope to carry on in this spirit until the end of the season in order to secure our objective of Champions League qualification."
You played wide in a midfield-three in the derby earlier on this season, which is where Spalletti sees your future as well. How do you find that position?
"I like it and I think it's a position that suits my attributes. I played there when he used me against Empoli and I performed well. I've spoken with the coach and he believes I can also play as an attacking winger. I'll play wherever he wants me to."
It looks as if you're better now but how much did your knee injury have an effect on your season?
"Unfortunately, it did influence my performances. I lost so much strength in my knee and let's say that now I'm 80% fit. I'm able to manage it and I can train without any problems."
(Photo LaPresse)
