The words of the Giallorossi coach on the eve of the match: “The Nerazzurri are the strongest team, but they can be beaten too.”
Three consecutive victories in the first three matches as Roma coach. Now, Daniele De Rossi faces his biggest test at the Olimpico against league leaders Inter: “Every team is beatable,” said the Giallorossi coach on the eve of the match. “We will approach this game with the courage of the strong players, of which we have plenty. It will take courage, intelligence, and knowledge because even Inter, the strongest team in the league, can be beaten.”
De Rossi is studying the opponent, whom he has already praised since the post-match against Cagliari: “Inter loves and is used to having the ball, but there are situations that can trouble them. They are very strong, but we are also aware of our strength. We need to convince ourselves we can win because we can, in a single game we can beat Inter.”
All eyes will be on the former Inter player, Romelu Lukaku: “He needs to separate the emotional aspect from the footballing one. If he plays like he did against Cagliari, I’ll be satisfied because I liked how he played for the team, shooting on goal and initiating offensive actions. He knows how to handle the emotions.”
With José Mourinho in charge, Roma struggled against the big teams, but for De Rossi, it will be a first: “Results are never random, but I won’t comment on games I didn’t coach. When you face strong teams, losing and playing worse can happen, but Roma is strong too. We’re on a path that we hope will lead us to win many games like this.”
With the Europa League on the horizon midweek, facing three matches a week will be a first for De Rossi as a coach: “We’re focused on Inter, not Feyenoord. I’ll field the best team without thinking about anything else, and we won’t make rotations looking at the next game.”
De Rossi closed the press conference reflecting on his first weeks as Roma coach: “Two years ago, they called me a predestined, then after the SPAL experience, I found many closed doors, rightfully so. I ended up in the place where I dreamed of coaching. Now I want to win and stay here forever.”
