Daniele De Rossi says there’s a ‘desire for revenge’ ahead of the Rome derby this weekend: “We must remain clear-headed.” The Giallorossi host Lazio on Saturday afternoon, with Roma still well in the hunt for a top four finish. Speaking to the press ahead of the match, De Rossi offered some updates on the fitness of his squad, touching on the recovery of both Paulo Dybala and Tammy Abraham:
“As years go by, I’ve become adept at handling it, which is an advantage of age. Today, I’m calm. The boys are approaching it well, working effectively, and are composed. We aim to strike a balance, to fuel the right amount of intensity without going overboard.”
De Rossi reflected on his experiences, stating, “I’ve had fantastic nights and some not so great. When you spend 20 years with a team, you can’t have only positive memories. I reminisce about the first Derby, with Mancini’s heel goal; I was the happiest man in the world at the end of the game. I was young; these are things you don’t forget.”
“In a Derby, you have to prepare everything, knowing it’s a challenge that carries a different stress compared to a Roma-Sassuolo match. There’s something different, especially for us, as we currently hold a negative record against Lazio. There’s a desire for revenge, but within limits because it’s a football match against a strong team. We must remain clear-headed.”
Discussing attackers and Dybala, De Rossi remarked, “I think the match against Lecce was one of the worst, but we still created glaring goal-scoring opportunities. But I don’t think there are problems with the attackers. They’re all in good shape, except for Azmoun, and I’m very confident. Goals aren’t scored by one department but by the team; we’ll continue attacking with eleven. Abraham called up? We’ll see; from what I see, he’s fine, but I await directives from the doctors.”
