The first press conference took place this morning Daniele De Rossi as coach of Roma. Here are the words of the former midfielder.
What Rome has seen and what Rome would like?
“I smile not because of the question but because I see faces I know and that I didn’t think I’d find. The first training sessions give you answers up to a certain point, we’ll have to see how long we can maintain this intensity, they go to two thousand, they quickly absorb those 2-3 concepts, no more, that we want to put in.”
Have you heard from Totti? What did you say to each other?
“We spoke, he sent me good luck in which he showed me his happiness and amazement. We spoke a couple of times, we promised to see each other and we will spend some time together which is a which always makes us happy.”
Would he be happy at the end of the season if…?
“We would be happy if we were among the top 4 in the table, it’s not easy but it’s a goal to aim for. When you change coaches there are problems, it’s not a rare thing in the world of football, I have to see what are the things that I think They don’t work for me and I assure you that you won’t make it in 2-3 days. Luckily, I’m a fan of this team and therefore I don’t have to watch the videos again because I’ve seen them all, it’s the team I know most in the world and therefore we shortened that study phase.”
Is this the right time to come home?
“Was it the right time to reject Roma in your opinion? There are men who refuse and men who throw themselves in. It’s not just wanting to go back to wearing a sweatshirt, a question of affectation, one also thinks about the team and I’m sure it’s a strong team and I think that the work we will have to face will have to lead us to make a good impression, also for me in terms of career development.”
What would you like Daniele De Rossi’s football to be remembered for?
“You know if Guardiola said ‘my football’ we could listen to what he means because he has that breath of genius, as it would be for De Zerbi or for Simeone or Conte, coaches who have changed something in football. There are coaches for whom even to the eyes closed you recognize the coach’s hand. If our team at the end of this journey is recognizable and the players recognize themselves in this I will be happy, if my team was able to achieve results and play well I would be happy”.
What did they tell you about a possible stay?
“The presidents were very clear about the duration of the contract and the content of my stay here. I said ‘it’s fine’, put the amount and I only want a bonus for the Champions League. It wasn’t blank but I would have signed blank, naturally I won’t do it my whole career like this but the only thing I asked him is to treat me like a coach, not like a legend, not like a former player, I don’t want to go around the pitch with Romolo. I’ll play it to the death to stay here and I think they are satisfied with this, I want to earn my confirmation on the field in a clean way.”
There are no conditions in his contract until June but there is a bonus for fourth place. We also talked about the Europa League and what did they tell you about the future?
“The presidents were clear about the duration of the contract and my stay. I said ok and asked for a bonus. I signed at the amount they told them, but I won’t always do that. It was a great opportunity. There are no conditions for the renewal and I told him it was fine with me and I want to play my cards. I only asked him to treat me as a coach but as a flag. I won’t go around the pitch with Romolo. They agreed on this then they know that from the first second I heard them that I will play to the death to stay here. They are happy with this, I want to deserve confirmation on the field. It would be a dream for me.”
On defense? 3 or 4?
“I fell in love with this job with Spalletti and the final blow was given to me by Luis Enrique, so my love and my inspiration comes from this way of playing, which is 4-man. But this team has been built with 3-man, for years he plays like this and therefore I keep the chance to decide until the end. We tried both things, maybe he will play some games with 3 players, others with 4 players depending on what the match strategy will be.”
Someone spoke of a “calming effect” regarding his choice. Could the atmosphere outside Trigoria be destabilizing or an extra stimulus?
“I’m not stupid, the calming effect is a bit of a bad way of defining the choice. I think that perhaps with other coaches here the reaction could have been even worse. No one is more capable than Roma fans of knowing how to love two people together, no one will take away their love for Mourinho but I think they can do it with me too. It’s normal that I wasn’t chosen for the dazzling results with Spal, I’m not stupid, but calming is bad, I think various aspects were taken into consideration in the choice”.
Did you expect to return to Roma like this? As soon as you entered the locker room, did you hear the Roma coach?
“One doesn’t think that they would send away the most successful coach and take you. I expected to become one but in a more gradual process. The history of coaches who came in on an interim basis and then stayed is full, the latest being Palladino who I don’t think was chosen to be one but then he earned confirmation since he is now one of the 2-3 best there is. I don’t have to pretend that I’ve never been in here, I don’t have to pretend that I don’t want to good for Pellegrini, Cristante…then on the pitch I feel like the coach, the feeling is that they like what they hear on the pitch.”
Did you get in touch with Mourinho?
“I sent him a message, not out of circumstance. He was among the first to write to me when I signed for Spal, I’m not so interested in knowing if he was bored, with all due respect, I have to focus on what I can improve.”
You said that Roma are a strong team, did you have an idea of what the main problems were?
“We also found some problems while watching the matches. I don’t think that Roma played as badly as they said but they played some matches very well and others very badly, this ups and downs was the problem. They had some alternations from the point of view of performance on the pitch, we are giving ourselves the ideas and reasons but it would be disrespectful to say it here in the press conference. Live you are impressed when you see when Dybala, Lukaku, Pellegrini touch the ball… the one who impressed me is Pisilli, I didn’t think he was so strong.”
What should not be underestimated in tomorrow’s match against Verona?
“First of all, Verona, coached by a person I respect a lot who kept the bar straight at a time when Verona was thinking of something completely different. It is a solid team, structured for the physicality of its players, the emotion of “We shouldn’t do any tricks on our debut. There may be a bit of bad mood but we’ll all have to be very warm, me on the bench, the players and the people outside.”