AS ROMA NEWS – Walter Sabatini returned to talk about Roma in an interview granted to the pages of today’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport in which he reviewed the main stages of his career with an inevitable focus on his adventure in Trigoria. These are his words:
But can Bologna make it back to the Champions League?
“Yes, it is strong and deserves it. Italian is good, he has erased the old vices, he no longer has balance problems. Then there are the players and the structure. They have a solid defense and a midfield that kills you.”
The joy that made him feel most alive?
“The record of ten consecutive wins with Roma exhilarated me. I felt comfortable, a gift to the people. Rudi was there recently, everyone was ‘taking the piss’ out of me. I remember the messages, ‘We got Sergeant Garcia.’ But I was sure he would do well, and I was right.”
That was a very strong Roma.
“Totti was fine and made the difference, then an unrepeatable midfield: Strootman, De Rossi, Nainggolan, Pjanic and Keita. What a player Seydou was: a tribal leader, he looked at you with the look of the leader and no one dared contradict him. And on the field he was bad, he didn’t make mistakes.”
When Nainggolan would arrive at camp over the top?
“I would send for him outside the fence, then shower and coffee. I had an attendant just for that, dedicated to him and Maicon. How many lies Radja told me, to me and to himself. But he is a great guy, even if wimpy. Unparalleled player, his sliding tackles made the school of soccer.”
There was Alisson and Salah: Liverpool story.
“Alisson is still pissed at me, he never understood. In the beginning I protected him, he had to improve in positioning and reading matches. And then the Brazilian goalkeepers here we always burned them all. I preferred Szczesny to him because of that and he did not accept it. On Salah I want to tell you something instead. Sometimes I did not take a player because after having dinner with him I understood that he was a jerk. With Salah it was the opposite. I went to London 3-4 times, met him after 7 p.m. for Ramadan, when he could drink. And I found myself in front of a real man, full of values, ready for sacrifice.”
The player he would have liked to have with him?
“The only real big regret is Rabiot, all the fault of his mother, Veronique. The year before, Psg had given me more than 30 million for Marquinhos, I couldn’t take him away at zero. When she found out, she went crazy. She hated Psg, but maybe she wanted the compensation money as well, in addition to the 3 million commission. I remember Massara translating, but she was ashamed to pour out all the insults I told her.”
Source: Sports Gazette
Article Sabatini: “My Roma was very strong. Keita a tribal leader, no one dared contradict him. How many lies from Nainggolan, and Alisson is still angry with me…” comes from Giallorossi.net, exclusive news, news and soccer market.
