Marco Verratti: 'We give everything for this shirt'

Marco, with Thomas Tuchel's arrival you had to get used to a new method, but you won 14 matches in a row. Did you expect such a start to the season? 
"No, I didn't imagine that, it's historic! When you start the league, you hope to win every match, but it's really difficult. Especially after the World Cup, a lot of players arrived late. I remember the first games, some players weren't at their best physically. We won without playing all that well. The team was serious, we killed games off when we had the chance. The players are very happy with the start of the season."

You're 26, you've been at the club for six years. Do you feel that you're going into an important period in your career?
"Yes, even if every season is important. I hope to improve physically and have fewer injuries. Football today has become very physical, we play every three days with the Champions League. I'm at an age when you know your body better, you have more experience. Of course, the more games you play, the more you age and the easier it is on the pitch. It's an important year for me and I hope it'll be magnificent for the team."

This season, Paris Saint-Germain were drawn in a tough group in the Champions League. Could that prove to be a blessing in disguise? 
"I think so, yes. When you get out of a group like that, you gain confidence. You have played some big games against some big teams. Liverpool went to the final last year. Of course, if we get out of this group, we'll have some certainties. But there's still a very difficult match left in Belgrade. It's important for the future. We have put in some benchmark performances, that shows us what we can do when we play as a team. We go to historic stadia such as Anfield or the Marakana in Belgrade. It's a very special stadium, a great atmosphere, but that's part of our job."

The team was under pressure in the second half against Liverpool, but didn't crack and stayed united. Is that something important for the future? 
"Of course, I think they are the kinds of matches in which you have to suffer. But as we did that, it shows our maturity. We played a little deep in the second half, but they didn't have a clear-cut chance to equalise. I have heard it said that we don't have team spirit, that we're not ready to sacrifice. Those things hurt us a lot. We give everything for this shirt, to win. Sometimes it's possible, sometimes it's not. Against Liverpool, it was our last chance, we knew it would be difficult to get out of the group with a draw. It's a message for us, for the other teams and for the people who sometimes say things without really knowing."

Belgrade didn't lose at home to either Napoli or Liverpool, it's going to be a tricky game. Should you take the lessons learned from the first game between you or forget it?
"They're unbeaten in 17 or 18 matches at home. They're very different at home, even if we mustn't forget what we did in our home game. Of course it'll be a different match. We're not thinking we'll win 6-1 as we did at the Parc. In difficult matches, we've shown our level. If we want to do something major in the Champions League, we have to win there. They won't give us anything. We have to go there with a good attitude."