De Rossi vs Spalletti, the student challenges the master: here is Juventus-Genoa

Together they took to the pitch 247 times: Daniele on the green lawn, Luciano on the bench giving orders and suggestions. And on Monday, Easter Monday, they will meet against each other for the first time as coaches. Yes, because before and after all the emotions shared together we also happened to be adversaries, but for the first time. When De Rossi was a great footballer and Spalletti a magnificent coach. Now it will be different. Because the student will go to challenge the master, hoping to lead Genoa ever closer to salvation. Just as the maestro, however, will have to redeem his Juventus’ pre-break misstep against Sassuolo.

The beginnings

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De Rossi and Spalletti, therefore. Story of a deep relationship, made of esteem and friendship. An empathy born on the pitch, at work, and then continued outside the playing fields. An idyll that began in 2005, when Luciano landed in Rome for the first time and also changed roles to De Rossi. No longer a midfielder but rather a playmaker, a midfielder in front of the defence, the tile where he then built his entire career. Even if Luciano later rejected the paternity of the innovation “because with people like Daniele you don’t invent anything: they tell you where they can be used and to what extent. It’s like having a satellite, the GPS: you set the request and it already knows the path and the position you need. He is perfect in front of the defense: ten meters further back he sets, ten meters further forward he defines. And he gives you the solution to hurt even in the offensive phase”.

the transformation

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Spalletti therefore immediately realized that he was faced with a player of superior intelligence and moved him to the center of his 4-2-3-1. Roma’s defensive director, with the keys in hand to the Giallorossi’s maneuver. No longer a running midfielder, rather the mind of the team: dictating the tempo, regulating the pace, managing the release of the ball from opposing pressure. And when it was time to set up De Rossi he slipped between the defenders to set up from behind. A transformation that soon brought him into the sights of the main European top clubs. At the same time, their relationship became increasingly stronger and more intense. So much so that already in 2007 – when Spalletti had to renew – De Rossi intervened on his behalf. “The club decides the project. Immediately below is Spalletti who gives his indications.” After all, in those years De Rossi was a stellar midfielder and Spalletti was a coach who made Roma fly. Together they won three titles (two Italian Cups and one Italian Super Cup), but they also had something to clarify. For example, when Spalletti secretly met Chelsea and De Rossi commented on live TV, after an international victory with France: “I salute the Chelsea coach”. With Spalletti replying: “Incorrect allusion”. A misunderstanding cleared up immediately, with the two ready to restart immediately. So much so that when Spalletti left Roma, in September 2009, De Rossi took a stand: “Spalletti has always taken his responsibilities, without fear. When he arrived, the ship was in worse waters than today. He is the best coach I’ve ever had, the only one I would go to dinner with.”

the return

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Then in Spalletti-bis De Rossi was obviously another type of player: more positional, less dynamic, in some ways already a coach. Spalletti also sometimes used him as a central defender, especially with the three-man defence. A retreat path which however allowed Daniele to see the field with even greater depth. The further behind you are, the more you study moves and opponents. This too was part of his metamorphosis, of his transformation from player to coach. Even though the famous expulsion against Porto then came in that position, in the Champions League preliminary round, which marked Spalletti’s second season. “I put Daniele there to find quality in dribbling, he knows how to do that role – the words of the Giallorossi coach at the time -. But if that was the management of the ball, obviously I was wrong. The expulsion? I found Daniele more mature, calmer. I don’t understand certain things.” The next development was the armband for Florenzi, in the case of Francesco Totti’s absence. But it didn’t last long: here too the two soon clarified, normal court dynamics. So much so that they then left strong together until the end of the season. Despite De Rossi finding himself in a difficult and uncomfortable position, halfway between Totti and Spalletti. It wasn’t easy to maintain the right balance, but there were never sparks between Daniele and Luciano. And in fact after a 4-0 against Fiorentina, in February 2017, De Rossi said: “Spalletti is one of those who makes the difference, woe betide him if he gets away. If he has it, he must hold on to it.”

the third way

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Then Spalletti took other paths, between Inter, Napoli, the national team and now Juventus. Exactly like De Rossi, who after leaving Roma in 2019 took the pleasure of playing on the other side of the world, in Argentina, before returning and studying as a coach. And when De Rossi returned to Roma, Luciano commented as follows: “I’m happy for him. As a player he was extraordinary because he had a great sense of team: he had strong feelings for his teammates, he fought for them. A generous champion, I felt happy every time I coached him. Sometimes he may have lost sight of himself, but never Roma. I know his horses well, I hope he can give further energy to the Serie A engine.” For a while Daniele succeeded, then things went differently. For both, so much so that when Spalletti was released from the role of national coach, De Rossi organized a dinner (with Perrotta, Pizarro, Tonetto and Vito Scala) to cheer him up. After all, the friendship remained, just like the respect. “Spalletti was and is brilliant – DDR later said – He is one of those coaches who always explained to me what he made me do. Maybe it wasn’t always right, but there was always a reason. I “ate up” his technical meetings. I wanted to understand.” And maybe on Monday he will try to eat up his Juventus too, to fly towards salvation. What is certain is that the two will greet each other and hug each other. And they will still love each other. Because friendship calls for esteem. And there’s no escaping from here…