The Roma striker, Artem Dovbykgave a long interview to the official channels of the Serie A League. Here are some statements reported by vocigiallorossa.it: “Am I the first Ukrainian in the history of Roma? I know it well, there is always a particular pressure if you play in a club like this but I am prepared for this. Football, however, without pressure, is nothing. I feel the support of the team and the coach, the club believes in me. I get excited if I play under pressure, it helps me believe in myself more. It gives me adrenaline.”
Why do they call you ‘The Machine’?
“They call me that because they see how hard I work in training, everyone calls me ‘Beast’ or ‘The Machine’, it’s easy to answer.”
There is a great tradition of center forwards in Rome: what effect does it have on you to be compared to Dzeko, Batistuta and the others?
“I know Roma had great strikers like Dzeko, Lukaku, Batistuta. But they were them, they played their way, I just want to be the ‘new Dovbyk’, show what I’m capable of and do my best here.”
Your idol as a child was Shevchenko, what memories do you have of him in Italy? What advice did he give you?
“Everyone knows Shevchenko in Ukraine, he is the best in the history of our country, he won the Golden Ball. He gave me advice when he was coaching the national team. Later, I used those words to be more aggressive, strong and hungry in penalty area”.
Italian defenses are a complicated test for all center forwards. How many goals do you want to score?
“I know that Italian defenders are difficult to face, there is the famous catenaccio, it won’t be easy but I’m ready. For me it’s a new challenge, but I believe that if you work hard everything comes on the pitch. That’s why I have to work hard. I don’t set myself a number of goals to achieve, I don’t like doing these things.”
You have a powerful shot, you attack depth well, what is your best quality and what makes you happy on the pitch?
“I think it’s being in the penalty area, aiming for the goal, shooting is the most important thing. I know how to attack very well, even with my back to the goal, these are my best qualities.”
Roma’s ambitions this season?
“First of all, all the fans want Roma to play in the Champions League next year. All the fans want it. I will do everything to achieve this goal.”