Roma manager Daniele De Rossi attended tonight’s press conference on the eve of the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals with Milan.
Upon arriving in Milan, De Rossi spoke to reporters, alongside Paulo Dybala who will also be involved in tonight’s media duties.
“San Siro was the stadium that I wanted to revisit again the most,” said De Rossi. “The one stadium that is the most different from all the others, apart from ‘my’ stadiums in Rome and Argentina, it is a stadium that exudes football, we are happy to be here and we can’t wait to play tomorrow.”
“We must be prepared to play two very high level games. We cannot afford to drop focus, it doesn’t matter whether we play away or at home in the first leg.”
“Smalling? Smalling is fine. He’s been regularly training with us. On Saturday I brought him in because I thought we needed strength and quality.”
“He can play tomorrow just like everyone else, he trains hard, he’s looking much stronger lately, we are satisfied with him.”
“On Saturday, Dybala engaged in 9 duels, he fought like a real leader and this means a lot. Of course, it’s their duty, but when you see these special players get down and dirty and see how important it is to them to win, then we can considers ourselves happy. Then it’s up to me to tell them how to wage war.”
“We are aware of the strength of Milan players. I fear them and I know we will have to play a great match. We must be wise in how we move on the pitch and how we control the tempo of the game. I must get my message across and the players must interpret it on the pitch.”
“These months in Rome have not changed me, they make me very happy every day. They don’t make me change how I see life. I once spoke about the fatalism of the Romanisti, I also did this exercise with myself, I thought that no one wanted me as a coach, but those rejections I got brought me here. We need to realize how lucky we are and show our worth.”
