Daniele De Rossi insists Roma “cannot be sad with what we are doing” after going out of the Coppa Italia semi-final.
Daniele De Rossi insists Roma “cannot be sad with what we are doing” after going out of the Coppa Italia semi-final.
The Giallorossi are still second in Serie A with only one defeat all term, but went out of the Coppa with a 3-0 defeat to Napoli on Wednesday.
“It was a game of incidents, as if we had scored one of our early chances then it would’ve been completely different,” said the midfielder at an event honouring Roma legend Giacomo Losi.
“This is football, you’ve got to get it in the net. In the second half we went too deep and paid the price for that.
“We are not worried, because when a strong side like Napoli starts to take control it can be difficult to react. After we conceded two goals in quick succession, the match was ruined for us.”
Curiously, both of Roma’s competitive defeats this season have been 3-0 against Juventus in Serie A and Napoli in the Coppa Italia.
“The results are identical, but these were games against two of the strongest teams in Italy. We have only lost two matches away to very strong sides,” insisted De Rossi.
“We cannot be sad with what we are doing. Of course we’re disappointed to have missed out on the first objective for the campaign, but we are up there in Serie A and there’s a long way to go. Only Juve have done better.
“When you lose like this midway through the season, you can’t help but get back up and push on. Let’s not forget after the defeat to Juve we notched up a series of important victories.”
The ultras have taken the message to heart, as today there was a huge banner in front of the training ground: ‘One defeat does not cancel our love. Roma, I love you.’