Roma legend Bruno Conti has drawn comparisons between current Giallorossi coach Daniele De Rossi and four-time Champions League winner Carlo Ancelotti, admitting ‘they both gave me the same feeling’.
The 1982-83 Serie A winner gave an interview to Corriere della Sera on Thursday, during which he spoke about Roma’s success under De Rossi and the club’s prospects moving forwards.
Conti suggested that De Rossi has always been capable of becoming a top-level coach and claims that anybody who watched him play knew that he was an organiser on the pitch.
“For me, Daniele was always a coach on the pitch because of his tactical intelligence and for the decisions he used to make. When I saw Ancelotti play, I had that same feeling,” Conti said, reported via Calciomercato.com.
“He is also a great man, there’s never a dull moment with him. He took over at a fragile time and he is proving himself as a proper coach, prepared for everything. I am really happy for him.”
After replacing Jose Mourinho as Roma head coach in January, De Rossi immediately delivered three consecutive wins in Serie A against Hellas Verona, Salernitana and Cagliari, before falling to his first defeat against league leaders Inter.
Roma currently sit in fifth in the Serie A table, five points outside the Champions League positions with eight league games of the 2023-24 season remaining.
During his Corriere interview, Conti also spoke about a number of the players he has come across during his time with Roma’s youth sector.
When asked if there are any players who have gone on to exceed his expectations, Conti revealed: “(Matteo) Politano, like me, was considered to be too frail. Nobody believed he could, but when he arrived, he really arrived.
“But, the one who gives me the most pride is De Rossi. We brought him in as a striker and was then moved into midfield and he became a great. That’s why it’s extra special to see him on the Roma bench now.”
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