Daniele De Rossi has spoken with great admiration about Luciano Spalletti, reflecting on their time together at Roma and the influence the Juventus manager had on his own approach to coaching.
In an interview with DAZN (as quoted by IlBianconero), the current Genoa head coach discussed several managers he has worked with or particularly respects, singling out Spalletti for his intelligence and attention to detail.
“Spalletti was and is a genius”
“Spalletti was and is a genius,” De Rossi said. “He was one of those coaches who always explained to me why he made me do certain things. Maybe it wasn’t always right, but there was always a reason behind it. The same goes for Antonio Conte. Nothing was left to chance — everything was about helping you play better.
“As Claudio Ranieri used to say: ‘It’s better to have an average idea shared by all eleven players than a brilliant idea understood only by four.’ I used to devour Spalletti’s meetings because I’ve always been curious. I liked to understand things — the same goes for other sports too.”
“I never stop watching Spalletti”
De Rossi also mentioned several modern coaches who inspire him today. “I went to watch Enzo Maresca at Chelsea — I think he’s someone with something truly original. I’ve been studying Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth too, partly because of my friendship with Tiago Pinto, but also because I’m fascinated by learning about things I know less about.
“But I never stop watching Spalletti, Gasperini, Conte. Then there’s Vincenzo Italiano, who’s been doing a great job for years, and Cesc Fàbregas, who is no longer a surprise but a wonderful discovery. He always comes up with something different from match to match — he pushes you to think. Cristian Chivu has continued Simone Inzaghi’s work very well but has added his own ideas too.”
Respect for Allegri
Finally, De Rossi expressed respect for another well-known figure in Italian football. “Then there’s admiration and respect for Massimiliano Allegri, who plays a slightly different kind of football. But you have to ask yourself — how is he always up there?”
