At the end of the match drawn against Olympiakos, the Roma coach Daniel DeRossi spoke to the club’s official channels: “We needed to give another answer. A small step forward in both condition and attitude, we played in a real stadium and it’s nice to bring back the atmosphere of the matches that count. Today we interpreted it well”.
So many debuts.
“Yes, it’s normal as we move forward. The atmosphere is great, I felt warmth towards the players and we need it: there are players who need time to settle in, but the warmth must never be lacking. We already consider some of them sold and forgotten, but we need the support of the fans for all the players”.
The new ones?
“Everyone contributes their own, both in terms of convictions and numbers, I speak with the players. Then the negotiations are not unblocked without those who really count, if Dan Friedkin had not taken the helm, the Dovbyk negotiations would not have been unblocked. Some blocks need to be resolved by the bosses, we are happy and grateful for that. We needed Dovbyk, strong, who did well in LaLiga, we are happy but he will also have to fit in. He did it very well in the group, the players who came here all strongly wanted Roma. It was something I asked for and it is not easy to see people who refuse money or more famous teams, they are here with their head and heart”.
The retreat in England?
“I’ve read a lot in these weeks, it makes me laugh about the retreat in Trigoria. This is the right time to go away, not when we had 16 players from the Primavera. In Rome it’s hot, in Cagliari it will be hot. The footballer must also train in the brain, you train hard even when it’s hot, you want to go home, you stay there and work. We did it very well, our luck is that the kids don’t lower the level of the squad. Obviously now it will be different and it’s the right time to go there. Some people may change, it’s normal. Now we are a real team”.