James Pallotta considers the confidence he always had in Roma to return to the top and on how ‘everyone at the club has an opinion’.
The Giallorossi have begun the season well and, despite a 3-2 defeat to the Bianconeri, are still seen as their main rivals in Serie A this term.
James Pallotta considers the confidence he always had in Roma to return to the top and on how ‘everyone at the club has an opinion’.
The Giallorossi have begun the season well and, despite a 3-2 defeat to the Bianconeri, are still seen as their main rivals in Serie A this term.
For their President in marking two years since coming to power, it is a rise at the club he says he was expecting back in 2012.
“Honestly, yes. Although at the time, if I had said it, someone would have thought I was crazy,” Pallotta has told the Gazzetta dello Sport today.
“But two summers ago we did an amazing job, bringing in much talent, though perhaps not with much experience. That was the first step, then came qualification for the Champions League. But I believed it even then.”
Roma have begun brightly in the Champions League this season too.
“I am very confident. The games with CSKA and City made me realise that there are not such profound differences with the other elite clubs.
“If I then think of the game in Manchester, we played without six or seven players, I cannot but feel good.
“The same goes with Juve, a strong team, one of the strongest from a technical standpoint.
“But we played them at the same level, if not perhaps better, even there with so many out injured, people of the value of Strootman, De Rossi, Astori. All decisive players.
“And then I ask myself, how can I not be confident?”
However, the Giallorossi left Turin feeling aggrieved at refereeing decisions, whilst Juve were fined after someone from the stands struck a member of staff on the Roma bench during Sunday's game.
“What happened can happen in many other grounds – in Europe, in Italy, sometimes even in the United States.
“You can easily find five or six bad apples when there are 50,000 or 60,000 people attending a game. But the spectacle of cheering in the stadium was beautiful, both from our fans and theirs.
“No disappointment then? Of course, yes, first of all with the result. In Turin, fortunately there was no World War, but only a lot of refereeing mistakes.
“The defeat does not make us happy but it must be accepted. From the club, staff and fans. Also because the team gave 100 per cent. I am very proud of my boys.
“Even if I am disappointed with something that did happen.
“What? What happened on our bench – I think of the insults to Ljajic and Strootman and the slaps to our guys in the staff. This is not good, it is not sport.
“But what has happened is not to say it is all Juventus, but only that there were five or six bad apples. Those people must be banned from stadiums and never return, there is no alternative.”
Pallotta was asked if he wanted to offer a conciliatory message to contrast Francesco Totti’s post-match words against Juventus.
“At Roma, anyone can say what they think – me, the staff, the manager, the players. Everyone has an opinion, probably in the heat of the moment I would have said the same things.
“I like the idea that my team has personality and fight about everything. In Manchester we conceded a goal and raised ourselves, in Turin the same thing happened.
“Nobody likes losing, not even Francesco. But the next day it was all over. You have to turn the page. What we do we have to prove in the field, not in words.
“But one thing I want to clarify – this message was not directed at Totti.”
The topic of using slow motion television replays to assist referees has come up as a result of the Juventus-Roma game.
“We need to be more like American sports. It is fair to give a couple of opportunities on which to question, to possibly revise the decisions of the officials.
“Compared to American sports, games are often decided by a decision, a whistle, a goal that can change everything.
“Think of the game in Turin, with three errors. In football, these things decide championships or entry into the Champions League.
“Yes, slow motion replays would certainly be the right direction, a step forward towards modernity.”