Roma choose Daniele De Rossi as head coach after sacking Jose Mourinho

By Sports Desk January 16, 2024

Roma have announced former captain Daniele De Rossi as their new head coach after sacking Jose Mourinho earlier on Tuesday.

De Rossi, 40, who spent 18 years as a player at Roma, has agreed a short-term deal until June 2024, his hometown club said on their official website.

Roma owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin said: “We were aware of Daniele’s unbreakable bond with the club but his enthusiasm for accepting the position for the next few months convinced us even more of his ability to be a guide for the players and a proud representative of the club’s values. Welcome home, Daniele.”

Roma ended Mourinho’s two-and-a-half-year spell in the role on Tuesday morning following one win in their last five Serie A matches. They are ninth in the table.

The former Chelsea and Manchester United boss led Roma to the Europa League final last season after winning the Europa Conference League the campaign before.

De Rossi said: “I would like to thank the Friedkin family for entrusting me with the responsibility of Roma’s head coach role.

“The excitement of being able to sit on our bench is indescribable. Everyone knows what Roma means to me.”

Former midfielder De Rossi, who helped Italy win the 2006 World Cup as a player, won the Coppa Italia with Roma in 2007 and 2008 and scored 63 goals in 616 appearances in all competitions for the Giallorossi.

He was a member of Italy’s coaching staff when they won Euro 2020 and his first job as manager ended in the sack in February 2023 after four months at SPAL.

On Mourinho’s departure, the Friedkins added: “We would like to thank Jose on behalf of all of us at AS Roma for his passion and efforts since his arrival at the club.

“We will always have great memories of his tenure at Roma, but we believe that an immediate change is in the best interests of the club.”

Mourinho replaced Paulo Fonseca as Roma’s head coach in May 2021 and guided them to a sixth-placed finish and the Conference League title in his first season.

Roma finished in sixth place in Serie A again last term and reached the Europa League final in Budapest, where they lost 4-1 on penalties to Sevilla after a 1-1 draw.

Mourinho won three Premier League titles, the FA Cup and three League Cups during two spells in charge of Chelsea after winning the Champions League with Porto.

The 60-year-old also won the Champions League as manager of Inter Milan, claimed the LaLiga title with Real Madrid, triumphed in the Europa League with Manchester United and took over at Roma after his departure from Tottenham.

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    Roma fought back to draw 2-2 with last season's Serie A champions Napoli in a pulsating fixture on Sunday.

    Tammy Abraham's late header secured a point for De Rossi's team, who took the lead through Paulo Dybala's penalty before going behind to goals from Matias Olivera and Victor Osimhen.

    With Serie A set to have five teams in the Champions League next season, Roma occupy fifth spot with four matches remaining, but sixth-placed Atalanta are just two points behind with a game in hand.

    There is also the small matter of a Europa League semi-final against Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen on the cards over the coming weeks, and De Rossi set the stall out.

    "We drew, it is not a result to throw away, but it is not the result or the performance that we wanted," Roma coach Daniele De Rossi told Sky Sports Italia.

    "At times you can steal the ball off Napoli, but we then gave it back again too many times. Napoli had a lot of chances in the first half, we did better in the second, but we have to do better.

    "Look, we are tired, but we cannot start thinking that we’re tired and that means we can be embarrassed in the final few weeks of the season."

    Roma host Leverkusen on Thursday before taking on Juventus on May 5, with a crunch clash against Atalanta – who are also into the Europa League semi-finals – set to follow after the away leg against Xabi Alonso's team.

    Key to a successful end to the campaign for Roma will be keeping Dybala fit. The Argentine has been involved in the joint-most goals (12) in Serie A since the turn of the year, scoring nine and setting up three, level with Juve's Dusan Vlahovic.

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    The visitors took the lead from the penalty spot a minute before the hour mark, with Paulo Dybala converting after Juan Jesus fouled Sardar Amzoun.

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    The hosts could not hold on, though, and were pegged back with two minutes to go. Substitute Abraham's header from a corner was eventually awarded following a VAR review after he had initially been ruled offside.

    Data debrief

    Napoli remain eighth in the Serie A table on 50 points, the exact amount they had registered after their opening 19 games of last season.

    Though his penalty was not enough to earn Roma victory, Dybala continued his impressive start to 2024, during which he has been involved in the joint-most goals in Serie A with 12 (nine goals, three assists).

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    It was almost a dream opening minute for Forest as Ola Aina’s floated cross to the back post was met by an unmarked Neco Williams, but he failed to connect properly with a close-range shot.

    Forest were made to pay when City opened the scoring in the 32nd minute. De Bruyne’s excellent delivery found Gvardiol, who powered a header home at the front post.

    Wood should have restored parity shortly after, as he found himself in acres of space when Gonzalo Montiel cut it back on the volley, but the ball got caught up in the striker’s feet with the goal at his mercy.

    Forest went agonisingly close again on the stroke of half-time, with Ederson – who was subsequently taken off at the break – fortunate not to concede after he failed to deal with Callum Hudson-Odoi’s corner, but Murillo could not apply the finish a few yards out.

    Wood saw another huge chance pass by early in the second half, but his close-range effort was blocked after some excellent work from Anthony Elanga down the left.

    De Bruyne showed his creative spark once again as he slotted a throughball behind the Forest defence in the 63rd minute, but Julian Alvarez’s effort from the edge of the area flew into the stands behind the goal.

    Matz Sels was called into action moments later, palming behind De Bruyne’s thunderous long-range strike, which was heading for the top-left corner.

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