Francesco Totti had warned his former teammate and Roma coach Daniele De Rossi that he could ‘become the scapegoat’ just a few days before the club officially announced the sacking of the 41-year-old manager.
In an interview with Il Messaggero, Totti had warned De Rossi about the pressure he would be facing this season to finish in the Serie A top four after the lucrative transfer market window conducted by the club over the summer.
“Without [fighting for] the Champions League, De Rossi will go earlier; he won’t get until the end”, Totti said.
The former Giallorossi captain’s words look particularly spot on in hindsight, as he anticipated that his former teammate would be “the one who would pay” in case of negative results.
Totti had warned De Rossi about Roma sacking and ending up like Mourinho
“Daniele is the lightning rod, and he’s the one who would pay, but I repeat that, luckily, he knows everyone and everything,” continued Totti less than a week ago, suggesting that DDR could end up like Mourinho.
“Certainly, even if, right now, he’s the only one who can be the Roma coach,” argued the former Giallorossi captain.
Roma said they sacked De Rossi Wednesday morning “in the team’s interest” and “to get back on the desired path as soon as possible,” a clear reference to the Giallorossi’s poor start to the season, with three draws and one defeat from their first four Serie A matches.