The Genoa coach presented Friday’s match against Lazio in the conference at 8.45pm.
Genoa, after Ferraris’ brilliant 3-2 comeback against Bologna, is preparing to take the field for the 23rd matchday of Serie A against Lazio, at the Olimpico. The Grifone technician De Rossi presents the challenge like this: “I return to a stadium and a city that saw me grow. I live five minutes from there… I’m sorry if there won’t be much of an audience, as I said in the press conference farewell to football I also miss those who booed me“.
De Rossi’s words
Thus the coach on salvation: “We weren’t doomed before, If we think it’s over now we’d be stupid and mediocre. And I’m sure the guys aren’t. As we got to a calmer position, it’s easy to go back down in three-four games. We are convinced that we have done the work we needed, within which there has been a little more free time. I consider it a very positive week.”
On the away match in Rome this past and tomorrow: “In Rome it was the worst performance we had. Tomorrow’s stadium is one of those where the great players play and Lazio has them even if they are not going through the best moment of the season. We must be aware that a team and a coach like this can turn this situation around. Dispute? It would be a shame to play with an empty stadium and I’m sorry that our fans can’t come to the away match. But for Lazio a dispute can be a disadvantage but also an advantage.”
De Rossi comments on the new arrivals like this: “Baldanzi the rehabilitation phase begins again because he had a small injury in Rome and in his last training session in Trigoria a small recurrence. It wasn’t another injury but a small flare-up of his problem. I don’t know exactly how many more days it will take. Also because the doctor gives us a date but he says he feels well and wants to go back. Surely the atmosphere on Sunday at ‘Ferraris’ didn’t help him to have the right caution. He would like to play tomorrow. We will evaluate it week by week. We won’t have to make stupid mistakes out of the desire, for him, to play and, for us, to have him back on the pitch. Bijlow I immediately saw him at the center of the goal and of the team. He took his responsibilities and wasn’t afraid with his feet. I’m happy with the performance and I’m happy with the attitude he has towards this new experience. He is learning Italian and is integrating well. He hasn’t played two games in a row for a long time. We will also have to manage the weekly workloads but I am satisfied. On AmorimDiego is a very modern director from the point of view of player research, data analysis and closeness to the coach. But then sometimes he does these exploits like Sabatini who had a double watch with two time zones. He took it and went to convince the player, club and agent because we saw something interesting in Amorim. He’s a young player, I think it’s an intelligent operation“.
Finally, a comment on the challenge against lifelong rivals Lazio: “I am very focused on the football aspect. I return to a stadium and to the city that has seen me play all my life, I live five minutes from the stadium. There will be a little one from home. This time we will face the team that has been my main rival all my life, but wearing a shirt different from that of Roma, I don’t experience it as a derby but as a very important match for our salvation. I know that maybe with the stadium full I would have had a different welcome, but the way I am, when I talk about emotions, I also talk about the bittersweet ones. I got more excited when I played away from home than at home“.
