'Be a monster!' - Tammy Abraham reveals Jose Mourinho's influence on him at Roma as he aims for World Cup spot
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ByEurosport
Published 14/11/2021 at 12:27 GMT
Tammy Abraham is enjoying life in Italy after switching Chelsea for Roma in the summer to play under Jose Mourinho. Abraham, who is currently in the England squad, reveals what he is learning from Mourinho and hopes his performances in Italy will continue to catch the eye of Gareth Southgate ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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Tammy Abraham says Jose Mourinho has told him to "be a monster" at Roma.
After falling out of favour at Chelsea, the 24-year-old has scored five goals in 17 appearances for Roma so far this season after leaving the Champions League holders in the summer for £34m to join the Serie A club.
Abraham's club form has seen him called up to England's last two squads and he came on as a substitute in the Three Lions' 5-0 win over Albania on Friday.
Abraham says Mourinho, who took charge of Roma in the summer, has told him to be more aggressive if he wants to improve as a striker.
"Jose has told me just to be a monster," he said.
"I think one of the things he said was that I was too much of a nice player and that you have to show that aggressiveness as a striker as you’re getting older.
"It’s not always about being nice on the pitch. You need that character, you need that presence to frighten defenders and I think that’s something I’m learning and getting better at.
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"It’s always tough when you move to experience a different country and different culture. I felt the sooner I settled in the better and started learning different types of football and different styles.
"I’ve gone to spread my wings and hopefully I can keep up the level of performances I need to stay in the team.
"Of course, the World Cup was in the back of my mind but really I just wanted to play football.
"For me, it’s still a young career and I just felt I needed to go out and play some games to improve and hit the highest levels and hopefully I can keep striving."
Abraham has scored just once in his last seven appearances for Roma in all competitions, but is hoping to emulate the impact Romelu Lukaku had at Inter Milan before he then returned to the Premier League for Chelsea.
The England international has been surprised by the level of Serie A and says there is greater emphasis on defending in Italy than there is in the Premier League.
Abraham added: “One thing I didn’t expect was Italy to be so tough. Players are very smart and defending is very important in the Italian style of play.
"In England we’re so used to attack, attack, attack and for me it’s about learning the other way – how to break down teams.
“It’s part of the learning curve and you see the likes of Romelu Lukaku, who have gone abroad and come back to England.
"At first it was at the back of my mind whether I really wanted to leave the Premier League. It’s the best league and where everyone wants to play. You always have doubts in your mind.
"But going to Serie A and a team like Roma, which is a massive club, I don’t think people will really forget you as long as you are doing your thing, scoring and playing well. That makes a noise in itself.
"I just have to keep doing the right things really and, as you can see, Gareth keeps an eye on players abroad."
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