Mancini on his Champions League anticipation and new Roma contract: “We’re talking. Let’s see what happens.”

Gianluca Mancini spoke to Sky Sport about failing to qualify for the World Cup, his contract renewal, and his season with Roma.

“I can speak to you as a key figure who unfortunately didn’t qualify for the World Cup: it’s a pain that hurts. I’m not watching the matches because it really hurts not to be there. I can’t, no, I don’t watch the matches live, because it hurts not to be there.”

“I don’t like to talk too much: if we didn’t qualify three times, it’s not just a problem with the young players, the youth sector, or the coaches, as I’m hearing a bit. It’s a bigger problem that we hope, over the years, with the young players we have, to be able to return to being protagonists at the World Cup.”

“Champions League qualification? In my opinion, it pays off for the whole year, which was extraordinary, with its ups and downs, but that’s normal in a long championship. As you said, the team did some great things, reaching two finals and a semifinal. All we were missing was this Champions League thing. For seven years, we’d always come within a hair’s breadth of finishing: fifth, sixth, and so on. The crowning achievement of this journey was actually qualifying for the Champions League, thanks to a fantastic third-place finish that will allow us to play in the Champions League next season.”

“My new contract? Pellegrini and I enjoyed our vacation, talking about everything and anything. Let’s see, I’m waiting. Look at my smile, I’m at peace.”

“We were talking and we’re still talking with the club. We’re talking, and throughout the year, I’ve been focusing on the games. We didn’t immediately agree on the main objective we had from the start, in the locker room with the coach, but as we went along, we increasingly believed we could achieve it, and in the end, we did. That was the most important thing. Then there are all the people involved, my agent, myself, and the club: we’re talking. As I said before, we’re still talking, I’m waiting for answers, and we’ll see what happens.”

“After the Verona match, at the final whistle, I was on the ground hugging Bryan and I thought about this. I pictured the stadiums, the Champions League theme music, which I’ve never heard and will hear when I’m thirty. And it’s beautiful just to imagine it. I can’t wait to play, to hear that theme music, to face great teams and this competition for the first time. I’m so happy and now I’m enjoying the last few days of vacation. Then we’ll think about the training camp to be ready for another important season, with even higher goals and a greater awareness of what we’ve achieved. But everything is erased immediately: we start again with a new season and new goals. We need to be strong straight away. This year there will be the league and the Champions League, so we all need to be ready as a team, as we always have, to do well.”

“The Juventus match was a real blow for 24-48 hours. Coming back in the 93rd minute or later was a tough blow. But our coach gave us a lot of confidence there. After that match, he told us he’d let us look like that for two days, but then he didn’t want to see us like that anymore, because we’d put in a great performance. We didn’t win due to incidents and even some of our own mistakes, but he was satisfied with the team and what we’d done. Even after the Inter match, when we suffered a heavy 5-2 defeat, he told us it was the first time he’d seen us let our heads down and with low morale. It can happen in a year, but it shouldn’t have happened again.”

“Then, in the last five games, he told us there were a lot of points up for grabs, with many teams fighting for the Champions League: if we believed in it and didn’t make mistakes, by getting 15 points we’d qualify for the Champions League. And so it was: five wins, 15 points. Looking back on the season now, after the Parma match and the Juventus match, which were a complete disappointment, this one gave us great joy. For me, it was the best match of the season, because it allowed us to reach the derby after a difficult period. Football gives and takes away: in March it took something from us, in May it gave it back. At the decisive moment, we were good, even a little lucky, as is necessary, in never giving up. Finishing third after a year like this is something unique.”