Roma’s results have been on an upward trajectory under Daniele De Rossi and it has earned him the head coach’s job on a permanent basis.
Three months after welcoming him back on a contract until the end of the season, Roma have put their faith in De Rossi for the long term by naming him as their permanent head coach.
Many factors have been behind the impression De Rossi has made, but it is fair to say several – although not all – of Roma’s squad members have done better under him than they were doing under Jose Mourinho earlier this season.
There could be a few other honourable mentions – namely Gianluca Mancini, Leonardo Spinazzola and Stephan El Shaarawy – but rather than an exhaustive list, here are Giallorossi Yorkshire’s picks of the three players to have shown the biggest signs of improvement under De Rossi.
Lorenzo Pellegrini
One of the remaining players at Roma that De Rossi had played with before leaving the club in 2019, Lorenzo Pellegrini went on to score in each of the first three Serie A games since his old teammate’s appointment.
In fact, since De Rossi inherited the reins, Pellegrini has provided six goals and three assists. In contrast, he only scored three goals and made two assists under Mourinho until mid-January.
Backed by De Rossi’s knowledge of his own leadership skills, Pellegrini has rightly been a focal point. Roma’s captain has thrived, adapting either as an attacking midfielder or a more central player.
Leandro Paredes
Another of De Rossi’s former midfield companions to have noticeably enjoyed an uptick in fortunes recently has been Leandro Paredes.
The first player to wear the number 16 shirt for Roma since De Rossi’s departure, the pressure has been on Paredes even before he was under the head coach’s watchful eyes. But generally, he has raised his game since being reunited with his former defensive-midfield partner.
The small fee Roma paid to bring Paredes back in the summer was worth it in this day and age regardless of the mixed opinions about his early form, but the World Cup winner is starting to solidify his influence in holding midfield further.
Mile Svilar
Probably the biggest decision De Rossi has made has been to promote Mile Svilar to the role of being his number one goalkeeper instead of Rui Patricio, who had been under pressure for months on end.
Few could have predicted how strongly Svilar would step up with the extra responsibility. De Rossi and Roma have never looked back since giving him a more prominent role.
For example, Svilar was pivotal when Roma knocked Feyenoord out of the Europa League via a penalty shootout.
Previously, in Svilar’s cameos when Patricio was Mourinho’s number one, there were few memorable highlights, but he has really taken his chance and may well follow De Rossi’s lead in outlining himself as a longer-term solution in his role.
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