Daniele De Rossi warns Roma ‘have everything to lose’ against Milan in the Europa League quarter-final and does not fear a lack of focus after winning the derby over Lazio.
The first leg of the quarter-final kicks off at San Siro on Thursday at 20.00 UK time (19.00 GMT).
With three teams in the final eight, it was perhaps inevitable that two might be drawn together in an all-Italian derby.
“This is the stadium I wanted to revisit. I think one of my first interviews, I said I was sad that we had already played away to Inter and Milan this season, then I got this chance in Europe,” said De Rossi in his press conference.
“This is the stadium that gave me the most emotion, other than my ‘homes’ in Rome and Buenos Aires. San Siro breathes football, whether it’s Inter or Milan, people have seen great nights of football here and we’re happy to be part of that.”
When the clubs last met on January 14, Milan beat Jose Mourinho’s Roma 3-1, one of the catalysts for the Special One being fired.
In all competition so far, De Rossi has overseen 10 victories, three draws and two defeats.
“People always say it is better to play the second leg at home, but seeing as the away goals rule has been scrapped, that difference has really shrunk. Ultimately, you have to play them all and know it is played over two legs.”
De Rossi wants to make clear the differentiation between Serie A and the Europa League, even if the opponent is Milan.
“This is a completely separate competition, so the table is irrelevant. I heard people say Roma have nothing to lose. No, Roma have everything to lose, because this is the chance to reach the semi-final of the Europa League.
“We are not here to make up the numbers. In Serie A you can say, ok, a draw might be a good result here if we want to reach the top spots, but here a draw does not exist. We must try to win, either tomorrow or in the second leg.”
Milan danger down the left
Milan are famously strong on the left flank with Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao, so how will Roma counter that and did it give De Rossi sleepless nights?
“We are well aware of how strong Milan’s players are, especially with the ball at their feet. They can hurt anyone, not just us.”
Dybala tends to cut inside from the left, so will La Joya be asked to do more work defensively too?
“It’s about knowing how to move and get themselves into the positions that they prefer to play in. Anyone lucky enough to work with a player like this must demand sacrifice, determination and to win duels, but must also not push him out of position or ruin his fitness and mental levels so that he wastes energy running around after others. Milan will be afraid of him too.
“When you see players with this quality diving into sliding tackles and battling for the ball, not to mention showing the same determination after the final whistle, that can only make a coach happy.
“Having said that, I am certainly not going to just tell him to battle Theo Hernandez all the way up and down that flank.
“The biggest danger of Milan is their quality and what I admire the most about Stefano Pioli is that I’ve known him for many years, I’ve seen him constantly climb, improve and evolve. His Milan play harmonically, and after a few difficult weeks, they are back in shape, play great football, but we must try to turn the game in a direction they do not like.”
Tammy Abraham made his comeback in the derby, while Chris Smalling also came off the bench.
“Smalling is in good shape, I introduced him because I thought we needed his height and quality in defence. Tomorrow we are without Evan Ndicka due to suspension, while Dean Huijsen is not eligible, so we have reduced options.
“Smalling is training well, much better than before, we are satisfied with his recovery from the second injury.”
De Rossi tries to think positive
Has being at Roma changed De Rossi?
“No, they just make me very happy. I often talk about Roma’s tendency to be fatalistic, negative and expect the worst. I used to do the same with myself, all the doors slammed in my face over the last seven or eight months, yet they led me here.
“So you must recognise that good luck is a crucial part of life, we should also be ready to take the opportunities when they come here.
“In my career, and my private life, I have tended to feel sorry for myself and think things are going badly, but ultimately they always turned out just great.”
The Giallorossi are still celebrating after beating arch-rivals Lazio 1-0 in Serie A at the weekend with a Gianluca Mancini header, though the defender was later fined for waving an insulting flag. Does De Rossi fear they will be distracted?
“I started out rather aggressive with them to keep their feet on the ground. I am well aware that the fans celebrate as if we won 10 games, so the derby can make us think we’re better than we are.
“However, there was no need, as the squad showed joy, enthusiasm, smiles, but then running hard on the pitch. When I talked about tactics, they were fully focused. I have the utmost faith in them. I have no problem seeing them smile.
“If you cannot find motivation four days after the derby when playing a Europa League quarter-final at San Siro, then you have a serious problem. As for Mancini, he is fine, we all accepted the decision of the sporting justice system.”