Luciano Spalletti declares “Roma never left my heart” as he officially returns as Coach.
The tactician has officially completed his return to the Olimpico bench, replacing Rudi Garcia who was dismissed yesterday.
“I've never forgotten my time here and Roma have never left my heart,” Spalletti told Roma’s official website.
Luciano Spalletti declares “Roma never left my heart” as he officially returns as Coach.
The tactician has officially completed his return to the Olimpico bench, replacing Rudi Garcia who was dismissed yesterday.
“I've never forgotten my time here and Roma have never left my heart,” Spalletti told Roma’s official website.
“I'm excited because I know what the merits of this city, this club and this team are. It's exciting to work with such worthy people.
“Did I think I’d be back? I've seen things happen in football that I thought would never come to pass. I always had that hope because Rome is a fantastic place to be.
“As I said, I never detached myself from Roma. My family and I only moved away for a year but then my son came back to study – he's a Roma fan and knows everything about the club.
“I know quite a lot. The team is very different and I know a lot of good restructuring work has gone on – generally speaking – which I think in some ways was necessary.
“If I think back to my past time at Roma I'm fond of everything because it was a very intense experience. There were several stages to it and it was an important part of my life, both professionally speaking and on a personal level.
“I'll never forget those Champions League nights with the Olimpico packed out. The song they sing at the stadium is another thing I've never forgotten.
“The message is the same one I gave when I first came here: I'll arrive at the training ground early, I'll leave late and I'll spend every minute there trying to help our team and our club.”
The Lupi were tipped to compete for the Scudetto this season, but have fallen off the title pace in recent weeks.
“We're in the situation we're in and we need to earn back the respect of those who watch us. I hear too much talk from too many people.
“We have to get on with the job seriously and professionally and make sure that – through our work – we create opportunities for the future. It doesn't depend on us alone, though.
“When you're a few points behind, as we are at the moment, it depends on our rivals too. That said, we're duty-bound to always give our all.
“It's hard to change things in football with the flick of a switch. I think it's mainly a mental issue at the moment.
“Hopefully by pushing the right buttons and speaking clearly to the players we can find the right spirit and character again – that comes before any numbers or any formation.
“You can see there are teams playing good football in the league. We have a good side and we have to play good football if we want to be on a par with the others.
“We've made progress on the European stage, where lots of teams start with the ball at the back, stay compact, know how to play the offside trap and press you high up the pitch.
“The squad we have here can do that and they showed they can with Garcia. That's what I'm aiming for: a team that plays good football.”