Daniele De Rossi’s derby delight brings ‘cinema’ to Roma’s celebrations

Roma Gianluca Mancini with fans after their win over Lazio.Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/iQcLoBqolRcPSI0sQXg3VA–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU3Ng–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/theguardian_763/0f3582ddd1622145bf91838ab62fb6e7″ data-src= “https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/iQcLoBqolRcPSI0sQXg3VA–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU3Ng–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/theguardian_763/0f3582ddd1622145bf91838ab62fb6e7″/>

Daniele De Rossi insisted that he was not keen on these moments. Interviewed by Dazn ahead of Saturday’s Rome Derby, he gave us an insight into a vulnerability he might not have allowed in his playing days. “No, the little bit of worry you have beforehand, I didn’t really miss that,” he said honestly. “But that’s the beauty of our sport and our city.”

More than 20 years have passed since De Rossi took part in this derby for the first time, coming off the bench in a 2-0 win for Roma. He played 30-plus, and it’s easy to see why there might still be some nerves. De Rossi suffered some of the lowest moments of his career against Lazio, including a red card for a tackle on Stefano Mauri in 2012 and a first-ever major cup final win at the end of the same season.

There were also plenty of highlights, most notably the Roma win during his first derby game wearing the captain’s armband in 2010. De Rossi won more than he lost. And although he may not have lost the stress of the engagement, his wife, Sarah Felberbaum, still managed to disguise him so that he could enter the Curva Sud Stadio Olimpico and take in the spectacle as a fan the year he retired.

“I am lucky to have played in the two most beautiful derbies in the world,” De Rossi continued as he referred to his final chapter in his career with Boca Juniors and his Superclásico with River Plate. “I feel privileged to live this one now from a different perspective.”

As a player, De Rossi could let his emotions get the best of him. Claudio Ranieri took him and Francesco Totti off at half-time in a crucial derby that Roma lost in their pursuit of the Scudetto in April 2010 after deciding that both were in danger of rising to the occasion. The IS Giallorossi came from behind in the second half to win.

De Rossi has shown great respect for Ranieri, a man from whom you leave every conversation feeling enriched”. Another Roma man who grew up supporting the club, the current Cagliari manager offered a model of how to keep one’s cool on such occasions. When Gianluca Mancini put Roma ahead just before half-time on Saturday, De Rossi capped his celebrations with a gentle fist shake.

The story continues

Every derby has its own story. This one felt like the start of a new series within an anthology: same setting, familiar faces, but a fresh guide – with De Rossi and Igor Tudor taking on the manager’s roles. For three years these games were shaped by the personalities of their predecessors: José Mourinho and Maurizio Sarri.

They arrived in the same summer: the Portuguese first and the Italian second, as if Lazio felt they had to respond to their neighbours’ headline appointment with one of their own. The dynamic was captured in the mural seen in the city of Mourinho riding in on a Vespa, only to be overshadowed by another of Sarri blowing smoke in his face.

Roma won the Conference League and reached the Europa League final a year later, but were dominated at home by Lazio, finishing second in Serie A last season. Mourinho’s derby record showed one win, one draw, and four defeats. Coincidentally, he was sent off six days after the Coppa Italia defeat to Lazio in January.

The team De Rossi inherited were ninth in Serie A and had picked up five points from their last six league games. He claimed 23 from the next 10 – losing only to league leaders Inter – and had already risen to fifth ahead of Saturday’s derby. Lazio, meanwhile, have been slipping backwards, with Sarri venting his frustrations with his club’s transfer strategy before resigning last month after five defeats in six games.

He was replaced by Tudor and got off to a great start with a league win over Juventus, although Lazio were beaten by the same opponents in the cup three days later. Derby on Saturday was their third game in a week and perhaps – as the manager would lament later – just too much.

Roma were well worth the half-time lead provided by Mancini’s goal. When Mourinho’s teams could be rigid and overly cautious, De Rossi encouraged players to trust their instincts and break lines. Captain Lorenzo Pellegrini said he feels free in a way he hasn’t in a year and a half under Mourinho, and has lined up effectively with Paulo Dybala and Zeki Çelik on the right. Leandro Paredes, De Rossi’s former teammate at Roma, is another player whose performances have improved significantly since the switch, and he showed welcome comfort here amid the midfield melee.

If Stephan El Shaarawy had found the target after Romelu Lukaku had gone through at the start of the second half Roma could have had a smooth ride to victory. Instead, his shot came back off the post and a hot-tempered game remained on a knife’s edge.

Daichi Kamada put the ball in the net for Lazio but the goal was disallowed due to dissent. Moments later, Matteo Guendouzi collided with Paulo Dybala, who reached into his sock and knocked out a pellet that appeared to be a picture of himself kissing the World Cup. Guendouzi was on the bench for France’s victory in the 2022 final.

Pellegrini was unlucky only to receive a yellow card after he fouled Guendouzi and Felipe Anderson seconds apart at the end of the game. Even De Rossi let his composure slip as he screamed and jumped into his teammate’s arms at full time.

He joined his players in celebrating under the Curva, although he claimed they forced him into it. “When you win the derby you have to make a film,” he said. “I said when I won my first derby as a player I was the happiest man in the world. I think that today my father might be the happiest man in the world. At home, under a blanket, though. He can’t watch the derby at the stadium.”

Some of the celebrations may have crossed a line. Mancini is so happy he threw his shorts into the crowd, suspended after borrowing a flag from the Curva which shows a rat on a background of Lazio colours. De Rossi cannot condone those actions but he will understand better than most how the emotions of this game affected his team in a different way. Hired on a caretaker basis to manage Roma until the end of this season, his relationship with this club is unique – a youth supporter and academy graduate who grew up as “Captain Futuro” (Captain of the Future) and eventually earned the armband—always gave him a distinct appeal.

Salernitana 2-2 Sassuolo, Milan 3-0 Lecce, Roma 1-0 Lazio, Empoli 3-2 Torino, Frosinone 0-0 Bologna, Monza 2-4 Napoli, Cagliari 2-1 Atalanta, Verona 1-2 Genoa, Juventus 1 -0 Fiorentina. Monday: Udinese v Inter.

But De Rossi wants to prove that he is more than those things. “I don’t want to be asleep,” he said Saturday. “I want to be treated like a real manager.” He is making a strong case for the Roma to do so. They still finished the weekend in fifth place – a position thought to qualify for the Champions League, which the club have not achieved since 2019 – and sit just three points behind fourth-placed Bologna.

Returning to the best club competition in Europe has been the main objective of the American Roma owners since day one. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where De Rossi wouldn’t earn a contract extension if he were to go, with more derby days to come.