Wesley: “I want to become an important player for Roma. The red card vs Como was unacceptable.” | OneFootball

Tomorrow’s Europa League match against Bologna will prove crucial for Roma, given their recent league results.

Gasperini’s men will be looking to secure a spot in the quarterfinals, where they’ll face a team between Aston Villa and Lille.

Missed from the match against Lecce due to the red card he picked up in Como, Wesley will be among the key players in tomorrow’s match at the Olimpico.

The Brazilian spoke at the press conference: “First of all, I’m very happy. I want to continue on this path and become an important player for Roma. I have to thank everyone, especially the coach who wanted me here. I’ve always tried to do my best since I arrived. I came to help the team: I don’t feel like a Cafu, I don’t feel like a player who can transform the team on my own, but someone who can make a contribution.”

The former Flamengo player continued: “For me, it wasn’t a foul at all. I was well aware I’d already been booked and I didn’t want to leave the team with ten men. I went close to him, you can clearly see me coming from the side, and I put my arm down because he was falling on me. It wasn’t a foul. When they penalized me, I kept saying I hadn’t committed a foul, but I was told the footage showed otherwise. It was a serious, decisive, unacceptable incident, because we were at 1-1. Eleven against eleven would have been a different game. I hope mistakes like that don’t happen again, because they have a significant impact on the game.”

The Giallorossi number 43 continued: “Italian football is different from Brazilian football, from the one I played at Flamengo. However, I always think that, if I’m focused, it becomes harder for the opponent to get past me defensively and easier for me to get past them when I attack. The coach asks me to be very attacking, to make few misplaced passes, and above all, to make the right decisions. This is the aspect I’m working on the most: I think I’ve improved, but I still have a lot of room for improvement. I need to improve my consistency and maintain a balance between attacking and defensive play.”

On improvements since the start of the season: “I was very happy in the first Roma-Bologna match, I was eager to get to know the Olimpico and make my debut. I played on the right, then the coach realized I could also perform well on the left. Then the coach discovered that perhaps I played better on the left, so I started playing on the left. Nowadays, for me, it’s the same wherever the coach wants; I make myself available there. Where I improved the most, I’d say with my attitude, my tactical behavior on the pitch, which was different from the Brazilian one. I’m understanding Italian football better and better, and nothing else. I hope I can continue to improve, whether on the right or the left.”

On the Europa League: “Playing in Europe has always been a dream for me. It’s a competition that means a lot, because careers are built through these tournaments and trophies. I’ve always prioritized these competitions. These are matches where you need more than 100% concentration, I’d say 150 or 200%, because they’re do-or-die games. Tomorrow will be a very important match for everyone, and we need to be ready.”

Wesley then concluded: “Bernardeschi is a very strong player, with great qualities. It was a great duel, even if there weren’t many one-on-ones, because in our pressing system, the center back often comes out to tackle him. He’s definitely a dangerous player. I don’t know if he’s the most difficult player I’ve faced, because we’ve already faced many great players in that position, like Conceição, for example, but he’s still a top-level opponent, and we’ll have to be ready.”