Coach taking Roma to ‘another level’
rome — Captain Daniele de Rossi credited new coach Eusebio Di Francesco with taking Roma to another level after the Serie A outfit topped their Champions League group ahead of Premier League champions Chelsea.
Luciano Spalletti led Roma to a runners-up spot in Serie A last season before moving to Inter Milan but now Di Francesco looks set to get the club back into the quarter-finals of Europe for the first time in a decade.
“Spalletti got us back on track, he did a fantastic job and he’s the coach who taught me more than any other,” De Rossi said.
“Di Francesco has surprised everyone. He’s come in and instantly taken us to another level in Europe.
“He has us adopt the same aggressive style of play no matter who we’re up against.”
Roma qualified for the last 16 by eding out Azeris Qarabag 1-0 to top Group C with Diego Perotti’s second-half header ensuring they finished ahead of Antonio Conte’s Chelsea who were held 1-1 by 2014 and 2016 finalists Atletico Madrid in Stamford Bridge. The Spanish club were eliminated.
“We knew it was going to be tricky but in the end we got the result we all hoped for — and maybe which none of us expected when we saw the draw we’d been given,” De Rossi said.
“It’s a magnificent result for us, for our confidence, for the rest of our season and for Roma’s reputation on the international stage.” —