De Rossi on potential Zalewski return, Dovbyk faith and ‘tidy’ Genoa | OneFootball

Daniele De Rossi has not ruled out a return to the first team squad for Nicola Zalewski in the future, following his transfer talks with Galatasaray over the last week, while also giving an assessment of Artem Dovbyks and Sunday’s opponents Genoa during his pre-match press conference on Saturday morning.

The Giallorossi sat down for his customary chat with the press on Saturday morning, reported via TMW.

De Rossi on Zalewski situation and Genoa preparation

De Rossi began his press conference by answering questions on Zalewski’s current situation. The club have informed the coach to remove him from the first-team set-up for now.

“I don’t think his exclusion is definitive, I think it’s linked to his expiring contract,” De Rossi explained.

“The club made the decision and communicated that to me. If they find an agreement, he could come back in. I have always taken care of my responsibilities, this time it’s for the club and his agent.”

De Rossi explained how he is preparing his players for Sunday’s match against Genoa.

“We are trying to prepare for the game based on how Genoa have played whenever they have faced a great team in the past, based on Gilardino’s ideas and what they have shown over the last few years.

“They are a very tidy team and we also saw how they played at home against Inter, noting how they managed to give them some difficulty. Genoa are strong opponents, despite having lost some important figures. We will go there and play our own game.”

De Rossi on Roma recruits: Hummels, Hermoso, Dovbyk and Koné

Mats Hummels and Mario Hermoso both arrived as free agents at the end of the transfer window. De Rossi is excited to work with both, but is prepared to give them a bit of time to settle in.

“They definitely give us more options. They also bring experience. Playing matches in the Champions League and at other levels definitely helps. Obviously they need a bit of time to get up to 100%, but we’ll evaluate this from game to game based on our needs. They’re ready to play, we’ll see if it’s from the first minute or during the game.

The coach also has plenty of faith in Artem Dovbyk, who is yet to find his first Giallorossi goal following his big-money move from Girona in the summer.

“He is ready to play and he will play. He is a very important player for us. He is one of our strikers and we have put a lot of trust in him. Dovbyk will just have to get going, and once he does, I don’t think he will stop.

“We tried hard to do something that we didn’t manage to pull off in the first match. I don’t think we’ll change anything about our system for Dovbyk. I think there are some players who have just arrived, who need time to gel and get to know each other better.

Manu Koné has also been a welcomed addition: “We chose Koné for his characteristics and for his role in the team, given that he has also played as a right and left midfielder. He is someone who can play in midfield, and his characteristics were what we were looking for.

“We respect the guys who have been here for many years, like Cristante, Pellegrini, Paredes, who get criticised after a few sub-par performances, yet they have played so many high-level matches.”

De Rossi on Roma improvements

De Rossi went on to explain what he and his players have worked on over the recent international break.

“They need to know where their teammates want the ball and these things take a bit of time. A few games to settle in. We’ve worked on the defensive side of things, trying to be a bit more compact. Trying to defend in a different way and to be ready when you lose possession in the build-up.

“Sometimes when you don’t score much, it can be because you’ve hit the post four or five times in the first two games. Often it’s a question of centimetres, but there will also be cases when those centimetres turn in our favour.”