A Shocking Resignation in Italy: Roma Treats a Legend Poorly
De Rossi was dismissed after just four matches. The American owners want a spectacle, not football.
The film industry uses a term called the "Coliseum Principle " for Hollywood movies. In short, it means that the audience must be constantly entertained. There can be no static moments; the show must go on without pause.
This principle has merged not only in Hollywood but also in football with AS Roma. The club's owners, the Friedkin family from the US, have been applying this famous cinematic principle from day one. Now, we’ve witnessed another twist: the American patricians, seated in the Coliseum of Stadio Olimpico, have given the thumbs-down to the gladiator Daniele De Rossi.
Whether or not De Rossi is a true Roma man doesn’t matter here. He was fired after four matches, which is never a typical move. What’s also abnormal is that after Roma’s match against Genoa, when the Romans lost the win in the 90+7th minute, the Friedkins flew in personally to Italy, spoke to De Rossi, and, according to Goal Italia, expressed their support for him. Yet, less than two days later, De Rossi was sacked. And not in the middle of the day, after everyone in Italy had woken up and had their espresso — but first thing in the morning!
De Rossi made a bright entrance at Roma last season after the stifling reign of José Mourinho. Daniele quickly loosened up the team and lifted the restrictions on playing football that had been in place under José. Lorenzo Pellegrini came alive, Paulo Dybala shone even brighter, and Romelu Lukaku overcame all his mental crises and began contributing. Yes, the end of the season fizzled out. Roma failed to beat Bayer in the Europa League semifinals and didn’t qualify for the Champions League through Serie A. But overall, De Rossi’s work left a primarily positive impression.
Roma faced a crossroads this summer: should they continue with De Rossi? The Friedkins chose to stick with him. On top of that, they spent almost €100 million on players, which hadn’t happened at Roma in a long time. Dovbyk, Soulé, Le Fée – all expensive, all attackers. Dybala didn’t leave, even though his move to Saudi Arabia seemed nearly done. De Rossi received a flashy, individually strong, but utterly unbalanced squad. But balance isn’t the Friedkin family’s concern. They care about the Coliseum — they want the wow factor! The rest isn’t their problem.
De Rossi tried to fit all the expensive newcomers into the lineup. He experimented with combining two left-footed players — Dybala and Soulé. In the match against Genoa, he played Paulo as a central forward alongside Dovbyk. The coach tinkered with different formations: 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3. Roma started with three central defenders for the Genoa game, which seemed like the optimal setup for such a diverse and unbalanced squad.
Moreover, just before the transfer window closed, Mats Hummels, Mario Hermoso, and Manu Koné were brought in. Now, they had reinforcements not only for the attack but also for defense. It seemed De Rossi had found something that could work. And then, he was fired.
Three points from four matches is undoubtedly not what Roma’s bosses expected, especially after their heavy summer spending. The team had a poor start, and De Rossi was, of course, responsible for that. But, firstly, there were objective reasons for such a start, and Daniele probably couldn’t have addressed them quickly. Secondly, Roma could not continue with this coach over the summer. They could’ve appointed someone more high-profile and experienced. Spending €100 million on players wasn’t necessary for De Rossi.
Yet Roma chose De Rossi. Judging by the big transfers, they even supported him. Then, they fired him after four matches. This looks like pure bipolar disorder.
It seems Roma should have parted ways with Daniele in the summer. The club and the coach wouldn’t have wasted time and energy on each other. Most importantly, there wouldn’t be the terrible fallout from their breakup now. De Rossi, in some people's eyes, is now a failure who probably can't manage a club with money and ambition. And Roma looks like an erratic project that’s risky to get involved with.
Who benefits from all this?
Published by Patrick Jane
19.09.2024