Former Roma and Cagliari midfielder Radja Nainggolan weighed in on tonight’s meeting between his two former clubs at the Stadio Olimpico.
The Belgian praised many of the Giallorossi’s young talents, including new signing Tommaso Baldanzi, before revisiting his acrimonious split with the capital club in 2018.
“Roma has quality players, but we need to wait to learn more about De Rossi’s Roma because he hasn’t faced a tough opponent yet,” Nainggolan told Centro Suono Sport.
“There’s youngsters like Bove, who runs a lot because he’s still youthful, but he’s shown a lot of promise and almost always playing and included in the team. Then there’s Dybala—a guy that can make a difference. I just think he has to play more freely without over-thinking.”
“Renato Sanches? I honestly thought he’d be Roma’s best signing, but he’s been injured non-stop this season. If he wasn’t always hurt he’d be a top-level player—but I’ve encountered several guys like this, it’s not something that’s easily solvable.”
As for tonight’s league clash between his two former clubs, Nainggolan backed the Giallorossi due to Cagliari’s season-long struggles in their form.
“Cagliari is in trouble, they’ll win one match then lose the next, they lack continuity,” he said of Claudio Ranieri’s side.
“However, I hope they’re able to avoid relegation because the club gave me so much. Roma are favorites tonight and they’ve got a lot of enthusiasm with De Rossi on the bench. He knows how to convey the right mentality.”
Finally, he addressed his contentious 2018 exit from the Italian capital, which ended his four-and-a-half years tenure with Roma.
“Unfortunately, a nasty thing was done behind my back,” Nainggolan explained.
“I no longer wanted to see his (ex-sporting director Ramon Monchi) face every day, so one of us had to leave. But had I known he would’ve been gone just six months later…”
Adding, “Sadly, though, this is how it happened.”
