Former Roma manager Fabio Capello had words of high praise for Daniele De Rossi following the young technician’s positive start to his coaching spell in the capital.
In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Capello – who first launched an 18-year-old De Rossi in October 2001 – said, “At the beginning of the 2000s, after the scudetto, we had two very good young players in Rome: De Rossi and Aquilani. Alberto, both in the Primavera and in training, seemed ahead even though he was a year younger than Daniele.”
“So in the summer, during the Coppa Italia match against Triestina, I fielded Aquilani first. At the end of the first half I tested De Rossi and Daniele entered with a crazy personality, without fear, overturning my beliefs.”
“At the end of the match I said to the management: De Rossi doesn’t need to gain experience on loan, he’s not moving,” he added.
“Daniele as a coach gives me the same sensations as back then: after the brief period at SPAL, where he understood the mistakes he had made, he inherited Mourinho’s Roma without any fear and demonstrating that he knows how to do it. You just need to look at the Giallorossi and the results obtained to realize this.”
“He quickly understood the many problems there were and solved them: from team management to individual motivation. Then he conveyed confidence and convinced the players of his strength. Daniele took advantage of the initial favorable calendar to get into the boys’ heads.”
“On the pitch, as a player, he has always been a coach. A bit like what happens to most midfielders, De Rossi sees the game even on the bench, knows how to change the game, studies his opponents really carefully.”
“De Rossi swept away controversies and tensions. Paredes, El Shaarawy and Pellegrini are reborn. Focusing on Svilar in goal was a strong choice, but it is paying off. And these are just a few examples.”
“Daniele is by no means special, but he’s the Smart One. De Rossi’s main characteristic is intelligence. He was like that as a midfielder and is proving to be “smart” as a coach too. He deserves to be renewed.”
