De Rossi in the Manager Seat #1982

De Rossi

Why SPAL experience Shouldn’t discourage Roma

De Rossi certainly developed a reputation of being one of the greatest leaders in Italian football history. He coined the nickname The gladiator. It is a phrase that many used to describe his fighter's mentality. De Rossi was never the most talented player because of this, it made him much more relatable than the king of Rome himself Totti. The romanista idolized Totti on some level they related to him. Not because of his footballing ability, but because he was a symbol of Rome. A player that was one of the best in history had opportunities at Real Madrid and Chelsea but stayed at his boy hood club. Despite the lack of investment and trophy cabinet, he stayed true to his city and his team. He symbolizes Rome in a way that no one really has. He is the king of Rome undoubtedly. However, from a football perspective he was someone that was hard to relate to in certain senses. Primarily because he was such a terrific footballer. So gifted and could do things that none of us could have imagined in our wildest dreams. What he did wasn’t replicatable. Young Roman children as much as they would have liked to replicate the things that Totti did on the pitch. He was such a super talent that it was impossible to do. He symbolized Rome in a different way, but De Rossi was more relatable to the people of Rome. De Rossi became in my view a top 50 player of all time. However, he never had the talent of many others. His entire career as a footballer was based on leadership and winning intangibles. Having the right mentality and doing the dirty work that no one else can do. He gave his absolute being to the club he put his body on the line for Roma. From risky tackles to always finding a way to disrupt the opposing midfield and attack. So many times, the opposition looked like they were going to score, and De Rossi came out of nowhere. His game was more about grit determination and the battle mentality more than anything else. On natural ability, there are so many from a talent perspective that were superior. He was a gladiator because of his mentality and the sacrifices he often made. De Rossi is more talented than all of us. However, the things he did on the pitch could be replicated . He did it at an extremely high level but the basic mechanics of what made him great kids could often try. It almost made him a relatable character to the city of Rome. While Totti was almost beyond reality. He was so godlike to the people of Rome that on that level it was hard to relate to someone that does that gifted and the people saw as more than life. De Rossi was someone that we felt we could identify with. He was a representation of us. Anyone that has supported Roma for a long time, whether from Rome or not. When we saw him on the pitch to a certain aspect we saw ourselves. He had so many qualities that had to do with the gladiators mentality. It was clear that De Rossi was always going to be a manager down the line. His father, Alberto de Rossi had been in charge of the youth team for many years. He’s been around the coaching carousel as an adult and as a child. His father spent most of his managing career as a youth coach for Roma, but with that said it was in him to be a manager down the line. Immediately after retirement de Rossi was linked to three Serie A jobs. Fiorentina, Crotone and Cagliari This was before he even got coaching badges. He didn’t even have the license to coach yet. The immediate interest despite not having any experience yet or the proper materials yet. He was still on the shortlist of three at the time top jobs in Italy. It shows how much we saw a top coach within him when he played. It was obvious one day he was going to get an opportunity to be a coach. He finally got an opportunity last year. SPAL made a plunge on De Rossi. They were in the bottom of Serie B. They needed a miracle so in came de Rossi. However, he was set up to fail from the beginning. The team didn’t have the quality necessary to keep them themselves from relegation. De Rossi wasn’t given the proper finances, even at a minimal margin to be able to turn the tide. He brought Raja Nainggolan his former Roma teammate as a free agent. That was the extent of what he could realistically bring. He did well certainly have some moments. Then January hit he lost his best player. He wasn’t given a prayer or any hope to save his job he was ultimately sacked last February. Prior to SPAL he worked as an assistant under Roberto Mancini’s, Italy at the euros in 2020. Italy went on to win the tournament. De Rossi was not the top assistant but he was one of them. He has the experience in the national team circuit as an assistant and he had a dreadful experience in the second division. De Rossi never got a fair crack at success when he was with SPAL. With De Rossi returning to his boyhood club in hopes of turning their dreadful season around. He should not be judged based on the experience he had with SPAL. He was given a horrible situation without much to do to save it. SPAL were already done and dusted before he got there. It would have taken a miracle for him to pull them out. Even though he has not been successful yet, he was in a situation that prevented him from doing so. As Roma head into the second half of the season with De Rossi in charge they shouldn’t be discouraged by what happened with SPAL. Today SPAL find themselves in 18th of a possible 20 in group B of the Italian third division. They still have the same problems as they’ve gone through yet another horrendous season thus far. Just highlights that de Rossi was asked to save the titanic for this new experience. What happened last year should not discourage anyone as it was out of his control. He still has a real chance to do something special at his boyhood club this time as the manager.

Jose Mourinho Worked Miracles: Why it was time to move on

2 and 1/2 years ago before the special one came to Rome. Roma was in complete disarray. The quality of the squad left something to be desired. Roma was on the fringe of losing many critical pieces. Roma didn’t have winning mentality or intangibles to survive in many of the games they were losing. Under previous managers it felt like as soon as Roma conceded a goal the game was over. Roma lost big leads in embarrassing fashion so many times over the years. They were so many problems at the time. Now there are still a lot of problems now. However, Jose came into a situation that wasn’t ideal and needed to find a way to fix it. The point totals and the overall record over the last 2 and 1/2 years may not have been the most encouraging. However, what people don’t realize is the level of miracles that Jose pulled off here in Rome. Not only did he help Roma reach a level of success in Europe they’ve never had It was more than that. He became one of us He is a romanista. The level of emotion he showed when Roma won the conference League he felt like all of us. We may not have played the most beautiful football, but he fought for us and defended us at every turn. It was such a pleasure having him in Rome. He made a huge difference in a very short amount of time. Now we’ve arrived at the breaking point and ultimately, I hold the belief that it was the right decision. However, it would be very reminiscent if we didn’t appreciate everything he did and the impact he made at Roma. Jose was brought to emotion so many times. He was given a very difficult set of circumstances and still maximized it as much as he could. There’s no going away from the results that speak for themselves, particularly this season. However, he brought Dybala to the club. The biggest acquisition Roma have had in 20 years. He grabbed Tammy Abraham from Chelsea and even though Roma paid top dollar and even though his second season wasn’t as good as his first. 27 goals in all competitions that first season. We’re hoping to see his bounce back here. Start soon and I hope Tammy continues to show growth here in I am very indecisive about Lukaku but nevertheless he brought a player that has already scored 15 goals this season. As much as I have some concerns about Lukaku, particularly in the big games. Lukaku is still a dangerous goal scorer. Jose brings him here and the success he has at least from a statistical standpoint is very impressive. The longer he’s been here the more I have learned to appreciate him not only as the manager but as a man. He’s saying our song every time he stepped out. He delivered what he promised and even though Roma ultimately couldn’t crack the league positioning we would have liked. It’s been nothing but a pleasure. We didn’t win a trophy for 14 years. He led us to a conference league final despite a difficult road. He gave us the feeling of winning again. That night in Albania for many Roma fans, especially ones who have struggled for so long was beautiful. All of us were in tears. The next season he takes it to Europa League final we losing penalties and largely due to some horrendous referring decisions by Anthony Taylor. When I mean he fought for us. I mean he fought for us. He called the English referee A disgrace. He ultimately ended up suspended for it for multiple games in Europe, but nevertheless he took us to two European finals in back to back seasons. It’s still a painful night that we went all the way to the end and couldn’t capture another European trophy. His entire time here he had issues with the money, the budget and how many resources he actually had. He still managed to work miracles. He finished 6th in the league in both seasons. However, considering the limitations in so many ways, he was keeping the titanic from sinking. I completely respect the owners decisions to part ways with Jose. It’s a sad exit and he will always be remembered fondly. The hard cold facts is this. He was leading Roma to the worst season we’ve had in 30 years. We are 9th in the league and have secured less points than we have had the last two seasons. He failed multiple times to win the derby. Three losses in five games is just not good enough. One of the biggest responsibilities of a Roma manager. He’s to win the derby and finish ahead of Lazio at this moment Lazio are better, however, only one win in five against them is unacceptable. As great as Jose was and has been for Roma. He also continued to make similar mistakes. Refusing to take out Lukaku in big games when he was making Roma feel as they were down to 10 men. Paredes starting matches in every single game, even though it is clear that he had done nothing to justify his continued position. The tactical setups and several games also set Roma back. I won’t say he left a toxic environment, but I’ll say this. There were some internal struggles and relationships that were fractured this past year. As much as Roma could have waited the intention is clear. Roma no longer is capable of reaching the expectations that we all expect from them. Our expectations are high and honestly there’s no reason they should be. He did the best with what he had, and I’ll really miss him. But I think I think we all understand that we need to build and get ourselves out of this transition with someone that knows the club and that can be given time to become something important. Again, Roma has been taken backwards but Jose took us forwards with anyone else We would have been an even worse position than we are now. In the end. Ultimately it was the right decision. Roma is cleaning house all along and unfortunately not his fault of his own. This was the right decision. However, he’ll always have a home in Rome. The relationship he developed with the romanista is one of great affection. I can’t thank him enough for what he’s done here. All of Roma will keep him in our hearts. The tears that he has shed for us has touched us to our very being. This is a goodbye that none of us wanted to see because of how much we loved Jose. Maybe he wasn’t what he wants was but he still the special one and he delivered a trophy to a club that him been dying for it. This time had bumpy roads along the way, but we fought with him. He’ll always have a place here. When he comes back, he’ll be celebrated for what he achieved under the circumstances that he achieved them. Grande Mister

Style of Play and Who Benefits Most from De Rossi

We could see various changes from Roma in the coming weeks as De Rossi will attempt to make his influence from the manager seat at Roma very quickly. The formula will likely be very different. Jose Mourinho played a very defensively oriented system. Primarily operating out of the 352 formation. There’s a possibility perhaps that De Rossi occasionally will play with three at the back when needed. However, the expectation is the formation will change to a more and attacking style of play. I’ve said this but if Roma are getting results I don’t think it really matters whether or not the football is attractive or not. The problem is Jose wasn’t getting results and wasn’t changing the system very much. One can only speculate on what we’re going to see from a formation standpoint. However, it is speculated that what we’re going to see is a 4231 formation. A back four than two holding midfielders Pellegrini as an attacking midfielder the possibility of a Dybala on one side and Zalewski on the other then Lukaku up front. Not only will this formation be much more attractive and I think we’ll work much better with Roma’s personnel but with the players that are currently unavailable due to the tournaments going on in Asia and Africa such as Sardar Azmoun when he returns de Rossi in this type of formation has the capabilities of playing him out wide instead of up front which will give him opportunities to have an increased role. The other thing that needs to be taken and consideration is this. Tammy and Abraham is expected to return possibly next month. Roma already has Lukaku in the setup, but Tammy is capable of playing that wide role as well. You could slide him over there and then you could slide the Iranian on the other side if needed, especially if Dybala misses more time through injury. Again, this is pure speculation, but this is the type of setup he put forth when he was the top man with SPAL. He’ll now have better players to put in those positions and I think this change of formation could be a great deal of good. Roma have had defense a problem so the back four element of this could be very critical. Chris Smalling potentially coming back than Evan Ndicka When he comes back from the Africa cup of nations. I think what makes sense is Cristante taking over Paredes role in the team but the possibility of putting Zalewski and attaching him to the attack could be a very dangerous piece as his contributions lean more in the attacking side Then as a fullback. They’re speculations floating around that. This is the type of lineup that he’ll go with. Of course I have no way of knowing for sure. It’s possible De Rossi goes with the 352 initially against Verona before changing it to the 4231 which is a decent possibility just so he’ll have more time to prepare. As he arrived this week and has only been at the club for a couple days, only done a few training sessions so he could ride out 3-5-2 and then adjust his formation for the next week after that. However, the formation is likely to change and I think that is overall a net positive for Roma Because if these ideas are to be believed, I think he’ll be able to maximize Roma in a different way. From an impact standpoint, De Rossi we’ll make a huge difference with a few individuals on this team. The obvious one here is Bove. Now why is this one highlighted so significantly? The picture above is with De Rossi and Bove. I believe this is the center piece of the way De Rossi can impact Roma in a huge way. De Rossi and bove will click immediately. The reason for this is that they are more alike than different. Not only will de Rossi appreciate the qualities of the Italian talent, but the 21-year-old plays exactly with the type of intensity and style as de Rossi did. They are so similar and so many ways. It’s common knowledge that he is the best midfielder on Roma. He’s not always flashy. He doesn’t score a whole lot of goals. However, he doesn’t have to. Goal contributions is not how you quantify his impact. He very similarly sacrifice his body for Roma repeatedly. He’s a tough player that gives everything he will battle through any tackle and will be taken to the ground often just because of his physical nature opposing teams end up targeting him as the part of the midfield. Now not in a dirty way, but just because it’s physical and gritty nature, he is quite obviously going to end up in the burst of chaos constantly. He does a terrific job in both facets of the game. He has defensive capabilities. He can take the ball off of anyone and re-establish Roma in the midfield. He also can get forward and link up the midfield with the attack which could be key, especially the second half of the season. Roma’s winning percentage when he starts games and when he doesn’t our night and day. He is the first player on the team sheet in midfield because they’re so similar and because De Rossi has been around Bove since he was very young in the academy, he’ll know exactly how to put him in the right sort of situations and make him and even bigger star than he is. You can laugh all you want. Bove has been a team of the season player so far this season. He is the future captain of this team de Rossi is aware of that and will put him in the best positions to maximize his ability. For Bove this is a great way for him to learn from a player that has so much history is Roma and that plays very similarly to him. He’s going to learn a lot and I think were going to see him become an even bigger star than before. Another one is Crisante. Now Cristante has already established himself as one of the best midfielders in the league. He has done this over many years and is one of the most consistent players at the club. He’s been at the club for 6 years and is approaching 250 matches. Played for Roma. Cristante may not need a whole lot of assistance since He’s already pretty established. However, I think De Rossi will get him to another level. The two have already played together for many years. He will know exactly how to maximize what he brings to the table. There’s already a familiarity with one another. They made it Champions League semi-final together they’ve been to war together. They’ve shared the locker room together. The two of them will create or recreate what they’ve already done as teammates. Another one is Pellegrini. We all know what Lorenzo Pellegrini is capable of.At his best. He is a top 10 midfielder in the world. The problem is we haven’t seen his best for quite a while. Many times He’s been a weak link as he has struggled quite a bit this season. He’s displayed a creative outlet at his best. However, he’s hit a wall and can’t seem to surpass it. De Rossi played with a young Lorenzo Pellegrini before he became a regular difference maker for Roma and became captain. They play together at the tail end of De Rossi’s career. He was more a squad piece at the time rather than a regular or captain for that matter. De Rossi was captain. He wore that badge. I think he understands Lorenzo Pellegrini and the pressure. He now faces carrying an armband that Totti and De Rossi and Dzeko wore. One of the biggest keys is getting Lorenzo Pellegrini back to what he does best. From a passing perspective and play making ability, he is exceptional, but we haven’t seen that version of himself recently. According to reports this week, De Rossi and Lorenzo Pellegrini had a one-on-one meeting between the two of them discussing the status of the team and the plans De Rossi has. This is music to my ears because the fact that they’re formulating an actual conversation one-on-one between each other will only do positive things for the club. Now. We love Jose around here We do. It was kind of sad seeing him go. However, Jose never had such meeting. At least to my knowledge with Pellegrini, this is a step in the right direction. Then the last one that I touched on briefly is Zalewski. He broke on the scene a few years ago that first year he was terrific. Last year he had some ups and downs a bit inconsistent but still showed quality. This season’s been again a little up and down. Him being advanced into an attacking role under De Rossi could be absolutely massive. I think that De Rossi will unlock the Polish international to see him more of a piece going forward in the attacking sense. Roma have other fullbacks that they can play with so allowing him to go forward and be a part of the attack I think is a smart move if he plans to do that. At the primavera he was an attacking player. De Rossi was at the club when he was bossing it at youth level. He’ll know how to get the best out of him. There are other players that also will positively the influenced by the Rossi but these players in particular I think will make the biggest difference under the Roma legend.

This Shouldn’t be Short-Term: Roma Should give De Rossi a Real chance at Permanent job

De Rossi has gotten the call the call he has been waiting for his entire life. De Rossi lived out his dream playing for his boyhood club going through the primavera into the first team winning trophies with his club. Then becoming captain of his club. Now the big call has come across. He’s earned his coaching badges. He’s had some experience and now he is manager of the team he wants played for. There are very few people that know Roma better than De Rossi. He spent 20 years of his life at this club. From every stage all the way until the end. If anyone knows how to get this back on track and get Roma back to competing for trophies, it’s De Rossi at this point. Jose is a better manager but that is simply not the point. Roma needs someone they can build with someone that they can give time to get this back and running. He is going to be stranded with a short budget at least for the time being. He doesn’t have huge resources. However, giving De Rossi time to put these things together is exactly what the aim should be. Roma has gone through so many managers in recent years. What Roma need to do is accept the reality they are in transition. The aims and objectives of the club are out of their reach. The reality is Fiorentina have more reasonable champions league objectives than Roma. For the time being Roma need to assess realistic objectives. Fighting for the Europa League is now their reality. Getting into Europe is now their reality. Winning trophies on a regular basis and fighting for the Champions League is not something that Roma have the means for. If Roma are going to go through transition, they need a manager that can build with. Someone that knows the inside and out of Roma. Nobody knows this better than De Rossi. De Rossi has been given a contract until the end of the season. However, the ownership has some work to do in many areas. I still support the ownership and their vision. However, Roma need a new sporting director that they will hire in February. This should not be a temporary solution. This should be a permanent one. As long as de Rossi does well enough. He should be given the job on a permanent basis. Weather Roma like it or not, they’re in transition sticking with a manager and letting him build this Roma side back up should be the plan. I don’t support this for a temporary solution. This should be a permanent one. The status of Roma right now and trying to get them back to a Champions League side is going to take some time. Roma do not have the resources or the finances right now to be able to compete at the top level. Hiring another manager in June makes no sense whatsoever. De Rossi knows Roma’s so well. He has it in him to be a world-class coach. Roma have given him his dream job and They should let him put something together. Let him build a project that can get Roma back to a Champions League side once more. If this is just temporary and Roma are looking for a more permanent solution, the same problems are going to come up. Roma have to stick with someone for multiple years. It is better off if that someone is De Rossi, one of the best players in Italian history, a former captain and someone who spent 20 years of his life at this club. He’s been in the stands since his retirement has a fan of the club. Now he will sit on the sideline. Trying to turn around what has been a disastrous season so far. Roma must give him time. He should have the opportunity to have a real shot of this. They shouldn’t be taking him out of this position in June. Give him a couple years to put this together because De Rossi is capable of turning this around. There’s enough quality in this side for him to maximize. He will have a plan in how he’s going to turn this. Let de Rossi work. A project should be outlined under De Rossi. He knows Roma better than anyone in the building. He will know how to fix it. The ownership should give him a real chance and give him time to do it. Roma don’t need to look for another manager. They got one. Just give him time and De Rossi will turn this around. Starting his tenure with a couple of wins will insist belief back into the squad. Then after this season De Rossi will have something to work with give him time and allow him to continue beyond this season. Roma have already had a historically bad season but let him get to work!