Last call for Euro 2008: November 17^th may be over a month away, but for Roma and Azzurri midfielder Daniele De Rossi the battle’s already begun. De Rossi will be stepping onto the grass of Stadio Artemio Franchi in Siena for the first time as Azzurri captain Wednesday (given the many absences of the usual starters), when Italy battle South Africa in an international friendly. However, all of the midfielder’s thoughts are already directed towards the decisive match against Scotland.

“It would be extremely serious if we didn’t qualify for the next Euro championships.” says De Rossi. ”Playing in Glasgow will be like playing a final, we are Italy and we’ll have to stand firm”. With technical superiority on one side, and home advantage on the other, Rossi explains: “We are the world champions, our opponents can’t be on the same level as ours, we will try to make good use of our qualities. (…) The atmosphere in the stadium will be 100% directed towards the home team, fans who’ll be chanting for the full 90 minutes.”

Rossi continued: “Italy will have to go to Scotland with the mission to impose its gameplay, trying by all means necessary to win the match. Our objective is simple: win, even if that means enduring some pain.” Regarding the recent not-so-spectacular performances of the Azzurri, De Rossi replied: “Italy will never have the sparkling playing style of Barcelona. It just isn’t possible, we are lacking the time to be beautiful and entertaining. But we will always play good matches, like we did against Georgia, although it won’t be easy finding space when a team barricades itself into its own half. But we are not trying to play with style at all costs, but simply trying to find the easiest road to get to the finish.”

The Roma midfielder had a few words on non-Azzurri related matters as well, starting with his team’s next Serie A game. On the fact that Roma-Napoli may have to be played behind closed doors, Rossi commented “Soccer needs people that love their club team in an intelligent way. There are no appeals on that matter, you either possess certain values or you don’t”. On Alberto Gilardino: “He’s a great striker who’s undergoing some difficult times. There’s a lot of pressure playing for AC Milan, but I’m convinced he’ll return to his form and play a vital role for the Azzurri in the future”.

On Antonio Cassano: “I was glad to hear he is praising Roma’s current playing style. For me Antonio’s a great talent, he could have been a regular in the national team for 6-7 years by now, but nothing is lost yet”. On Marcello Lippi: “I had a very good experience with him, he gave me a lot both as a soccer player and as a human being. It will be impossible to forget him. Now Italy has another team manager, and I hope he will do just as well”.

It all begins with Italy-Scotland…

Posted in Azzurri, Euro 2008, Roma |

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