Roma: How Daniele de Rossi 'revived' Serie A club after Jose Mourinho departure
Last updated on .From the section European Football
"I dreamed of a start like this," said a beaming Daniele de Rossi after Roma beat Monza 4-1 on Saturday, his sixth win in seven league matches.
When De Rossi arrived to replace Jose Mourinho, Roma were ninth in Serie A, with little hope of qualifying for the Champions League next season. In the weeks since Mourinho's departure, De Rossi has seemingly turned the club's fortunes around, stunning critics and inviting a mountain of praise.
He has even been likened to Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp.
"Daniele is becoming Jurgen to me. A hallucination? No, an overlap full of meaning," wrote Gazzetta dello Sport columnist Giancarlo Dotto.
Roma's squad has delighted in a new-found tactical freedom. Dotto, like most in Italy, has been struck by the visceral joy De Rossi exudes on the sidelines: raw, explosive energy that has swept away the cobwebs of the depressing Mourinho footballing aesthetic. Roma are a club revived.
Hyperbolic perhaps? De Rossi has been in charge for nine games across all competitions - is this too small a sample size to merit such euphoria?
Time will tell whether the transformation is sustainable. But in those nine games, Roma have progressed to the next round of the Europa League by beating Feyenoord in an emotive penalty shootout and collected six wins out of seven in Serie A, losing only to an impressively strong Inter.
It's also true that it has been an easy schedule for Roma, with them mostly facing teams in the bottom half. However, against those same teams, Mourinho only managed 11 points.
But the points are only half the story. Mourinho was not necessarily let go of because Roma were not winning enough, but because the club had turned into a depressed version of itself. The dressing room no longer looked joyous and united, with several players underperforming, while the endless battles with officials and the usual us-against-them rhetoric reportedly aggravated the ownership.
Mourinho, it must be noted, did create something special at Roma, reaching two consecutive European finals and winning the Europa Conference League. He consistently sold out the stadium and united a city that still mourns his departure.
Roma welcome Brighton to the Stadio Olimpico in the Europa League on Thursday, a fresh and significant test of the team's new mettle.
De Rossi 'the only viable option' to replace Mourinho
Roma is unlike any club in Italy and for a coach it is often described as the most difficult job in the country owing to the relentless noise surrounding them. Romans feel emotions with profound intensity and are wholly dedicated to their football club and their ideals.
Those who embark upon this journey with the club find themselves enveloped by the energy of the city and mesmerised by the extreme love the fans have for the Giallorossi colours.
While Fabio Capello was famous for shutting out that noise to win the title, Mourinho embraced the noise, fell in love with it, lit it on fire and watched it burn, forging a bond with the people that carried his side to European success, creating memories they could never forget.
"The only one to defend us, the last one to surrender. Thank you Jose" read one of the many banners that appeared in the aftermath of his sacking. The defender of their ideals, the creator of too many memories, Mourinho is a hard act to follow and the ownership realised the conundrum.
The only viable option was an even bigger Roma fan, a man renowned for his love for the club - legendary former captain De Rossi.
While he hardly impressed in his short time at Serie B club SPAL and his CV as a coach is a little bare, he truly understands the club and the romantic madness surrounding it better than most.
Dybala and Pellegrini leading 'real transformation'
By focusing only on De Rossi's legendary past with the club, many failed to realise how a future under his tutelage could look.
An attack-minded coach who believes in communication first, he finished with the highest grade when completing the Uefa A licence course alongside Alessandro del Piero in 2021, taking the first step to fulfilling the dream of leading Roma.
When studying for his Uefa Pro course, De Rossi was even lectured by the man he is set to face on Thursday, Brighton's Roberto de Zerbi, a coach he calls a "genius".
"I respect De Zerbi, he was like an open book to me," said De Rossi. "He helped me, made his books and data available to me and advised me. Our daughters are friends."
Taking over a team that prioritised solidity over enticing attacks, De Rossi has sought to make the most out of the impressive attacking line-up. Romelu Lukaku is still seen as one of the finest strikers in the league, Paulo Dybala is one of the most gifted footballers playing in Europe, and Lorenzo Pellegrini is the club captain who boasts an abundance of creative talent.
Since De Rossi has taken over, the full squad has been utilised with 25 players appearing. Dybala has become even more impressive under his new coach, scoring seven goals, producing one assist and delivering three man-of-the-match performances.
Registering his first hat-trick for Roma in a win against Torino, Dybala celebrated by jumping into the arms of De Rossi as the crowd went into raptures over the strength of this exciting side.
Pellegrini, meanwhile, went from scoring three goals and managing one assist under Mourinho this season to collecting five goals and three assists in the last nine games under De Rossi.
The transformation is real and for the first time in a while, Rome is rejoicing in the creative talents of Dybala and Pellegrini converging to great success.
'Sit back and enjoy the Roma show'
Success is defined by results, but the football has also proved tantalising. The opening goal against Monza saw all 10 outfield players touch the ball during the build-up. A team effort, a Lukaku assist and a fabulous Pellegrini goal.
"I always expected him to become a great coach," said Pellegrini. "It's one thing to think it and another to put it into practice, and he is surprising me with the way he focuses on every detail in training. We work hard, we work smart and the results are coming."
Unshackled and set free, these are exciting times for the Giallorossi, who have found their way up to fifth place in the league, which should be enough for them to qualify for next season's Champions League.
It won't be easy to maintain this momentum. There are still tough fixtures to contend with, including the Rome derby and matches against Bologna and Juventus, both above them in the table. Then, and only then, can we accurately judge the strength of this revived side.
How they navigate the final months of the season may determine whether De Rossi receives a coaching contract extension. He initially only signed up for six months.
Until then, let's sit back and enjoy the Roma show.
