Daniele De Rossi noted how his Roma represent a ‘seasonal crossroads’ for Stefano Pioli and Milan in their Europa League quarter-final second leg.
The Giallorossi edged out a possibly decisive 1-0 win over the Rossoneri in their first leg meeting in San Siro last week, securing the advantage after an early goal from Gianluca Mancini. De Rossi’s side will be confident of their chances in the second leg, especially after their strong win over Brighton.
For Milan, the pressure is incredibly high on Pioli, with seemingly endless media reports suggesting that his future directly depends on the result of this Europa League quarter-final tie, raising the stakes for their trip to the Stadio Olimpico.
De Rossi on Milan’s ‘last resort’
Speaking in a press conference via TMW, De Rossi was first asked if Roma learnt any lessons from Evan Ndicka’s scary on-pitch collapse.
“He’s fine and that’s the most important thing. I think everyone takes whatever lesson they want from it if there is one. We received compliments for something normal. We did what seemed automatic to us.
“If anyone wants to learn a lesson from it, they want to say that we are rotten as a club. Some even say that we wanted to continue.
“Out of respect for everyone, there was no possibility of continuing to play. It’s nice that we rediscovered ourselves as a family in these moments and not just when we win matches.”
The Giallorossi coach then commented on the pressure on his Milan counterpart Pioli.
“When we talk about the situation, we talk about the perception of what we read in the newspapers. I don’t comment, not to show respect but because sometimes things aren’t true. Milan are second and have won everything and the team play well, from that point of view there is no problem.
“They will play a seasonal crossroads because the Europa League is an objective for a team built to be protagonists in the Champions League. They know they have to win because otherwise they will go out, it’s a last resort and they will have to overturn the result.”
De Rossi spoke about when Roma could finish the game against Udinese.
“We know that there are different options, and we understand the difficulties of those who organize and decide when to play.
“I think it’s good that no dates are found, a pride for Italian football, but at the same time they must protect the regularity of the season. It can create a precedent to play once the season is over. I hope for a logical solution.”
He was asked how the Giallorossi prepared for the match considering their first leg victory.
“Your question contains the essence of this job. I think there are characteristics of the opposing team that must be respected. It’s not like we won 7-0 and they never left the penalty area. Maybe we deserved to score a few more goals.
“I don’t think Pioli will upset the whole team, but I think he’ll change a little bit. Liedholm always said that he put the team on the pitch well, then he moved and ruined everything. We’re thinking about some changes, but we’re not there completely distorting ourselves.”
De Rossi touched on how the match represents a crossroads for himself as well.
“All the matches are. Tomorrow is important because I don’t want it to end. Pellegrini said something that made me emotional, it’s a path to being happy and what’s more important than that? More important than our joy, what glory is there?
“If we think about how much I’m at risk, how long it will last, we don’t enjoy what we’re doing. Since I arrived, I’ve had many happy days. I think about that, not about the possibilities of renewal on the basis of tomorrow’s result.”
He discussed the plans to manage the match considering the 1-0 advantage.
“The only thing about managing the result is to be intelligent, not to go too far. If we are at 0-0 in the last minute, we won’t go looking for a goal. We will try to win from the start, be able to score goals, for them it would be a tough blow.
“But if we get inside the area, their goal will come sooner or later. We’ll play a similar match to the first leg, but the difference will be the loose balls as well as our quality in the final metres.”
The Roma coach was asked if European heritage at a club comes into play in games like this.
“I think that’s what we will put on the pitch, as players and those who in recent years have shown that they are better than us. Here as a player, I was eliminated by less famous teams than Roma and I eliminated Real Madrid, Barcelona, Lyon etc.
“They bring with them an economic power. The numbers say they were superior, Pioli’s career shows that he is superior to me, but in the first leg we were still superior. For me it’s 50-50, you don’t put Roma among the renowned teams in Europe, we’ve made four semi-finals in six years.”
De Rossi confirmed his plans to replace Bryan Cristante.
“Bove will play in place of Cristante. Nothing changes, the choice I’ll make doesn’t change based on Bryan’s absence, but a player in whom we place great trust will play and who will come out at the end of the match with his shirt soaked. We want him to play a great match, because he deserves it.”
Finally, De Rossi discussed the emotions of the match.
“It’s part of the game, the part that thanks to God always remains alive within the match and within the analysis of the match. You think a thousand things and a thousand things will influence you.
“Within a match there are a thousand matches, both for tactical movements of the coaches, and for the plays of the players.
“Emotions will have their role, because they are players accustomed to playing in these cups. We would be good at managing our anxiety.”
Bar getting v.lucky vs PSG at home, this Milan team hasn’t turned for a single big game this season. And tomorrow won’t be any different. They crumble in the face of the slightest challenge.