Ahead of the Europa League challenge against Milan, AS Roma coach Daniele De Rossi was interviewed by Sky Sport Italia. He had these statements to deliver:
On his playing style and consideration of the opponent:
"In today's football, analysing opponents is crucial. Maybe it was important before as well, but now with the means we have and the numerous collaborators, we can know everything about our opponents, and obviously, opponents also know everything about us. If you don't know who you're facing, the game strategy you want to set with your players makes no sense. Even just the physical aspect of opponents forces you to arrange the team in one way or another."
His analysis of Stefano Pioli's journey, De Rossi said:
"I highly respect him. Besides being naturally curious and passionate, it's a job I've always dreamed of doing because my father has been doing it for a long time. I met Pioli at Chievo, where he played in a more speculative way. Then at Bologna, he played a bit more football, at Lazio even more, at Inter even more, until he arrived at Milan where he won a Scudetto by playing better than everyone else and adopting a very modern style of play, encouraging many players to attack in the offensive half. I can only admire him. I also respect him as a person. We had the opportunity to talk even in a not-so-good period when we both suffered the common loss of Davide (Astori), who was his player and like a brother to me. So that unfortunate event has brought us closer, and I greatly respect him."
How intriguing is it to have a pair like Romelu Lukaku - Paulo Dybala upfront? De Rossi answered:
"They need to be guided, trained, and stimulated greatly. They must be aware that they can always give us a lot, the maximum of what they have. Football-wise, they need to be managed differently. We need Dybala to be free, to be able to move across the entire offensive front to create superiority. We need many players between the lines who can collect and then send him deep to unleash his incredible technique."
