Samuel Dahl talks Roma debut, challenges in Italy, and more | OneFootball

Roma left back Samuel Dahl admitted it’s been a whirlwind since his summer transfer to the Italian capital.

The 21 year-old finally made his long-awaited debut on Sunday—however, it was from an ordinary one. After coming off the bench for 30 minutes in a loss against Bologna, Roma announced the dismissal of head coach Ivan Jurić which marked their third managerial switch this calendar year.

“After the match, he gathered us in the locker room and said he was no longer our coach,” Dahl shared in a lengthy interview with Aftonbladet.

“I’ve never been in a situation where a coach is let go immediately after a match. We’ll see what happens next—I have no idea.”

When asked about the perception of Italian football’s penchant for drama, Dahl chuckled.

“It seems to happen often. I’ve heard it from many people. Personally, I find it hard to believe it’s just Italy, but a lot of people say, ‘It feels a bit Italian.’ Well, if you say so,” he remarked with a smile.

While Dahl is glad to have made his Serie A debut, his journey at Roma has been anything but smooth. Primarily left as an unused substitute, the youngster has found adjusting to life in Italy—and on the Giallorossi’s bench—a greater challenge than expected.

“It’s been tougher than I thought,” Dahl admitted. “I didn’t join Roma expecting to play right away—I knew that wouldn’t happen.”

“But sitting on the bench week after week, it starts to get under your skin. Some days, I come home more disappointed than others. That’s just how it is. I talk to my loved ones and try to handle it as best I can. Some days, I do better than others.”

He continued, “I’ve come into a tougher environment with better players, which makes things harder for me both physically and mentally.”

“And then there’s the language barrier, I don’t speak Italian and they’re not great at English here. So I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself to learn Italian so I can have conversations like the one we’re having now.”

Adding, “Building relationships with teammates becomes much easier if we can communicate.”

As the left back prepares to return to Roma after international duty, his focus remains on proving his worth under the yet-to-be-announced new coach.

“I’m glad I’ve made my debut and hope it shows something. Whether the new coach saw the match or even knows who I am, we’ll see,” remarked Dahl.

“But it’s going to come down to what I do every day in training and beyond.”