De Rossi: Roma players can’t be ‘drunk with happiness’ but Lukaku and Abraham can play together

Daniele De Rossi insists Roma players can’t be ‘drunk with happiness’ after beating Feyenoord in the Europa League knockout playoff and feels Romelu Lukaku and Tammy Abraham can play together when the Englishman returns to action.

Roma meet Torino at the Stadio Olimpico on Monday, so De Rossi previewed the game at a pre-match press conference on Sunday morning.

The Giallorossi beat Feyenoord in penalties in the Europa League knockout playoff on Thursday night, but De Rossi doesn’t want his players to be overwhelmed with joy in their next Serie A match.

“The team feels well. We are all really happy. We are happy in the dressing room, as always happens when you win a tense game,” he said as quoted by TMW.

“There will be consequences physically, but we’ll try to manage the guys well. We’ll see how everyone feels during today’s training.

“These are difficult games to be played but not so difficult to be framed because Torino have a clear identity. I consider Ivan Juric a great coach. He was among the first ones I studied. Perhaps Torino are the worst team to face after a game that lasted 120 minutes, but we’ll be ready. Defensively, Torino’s performances are nearly worthy of a Champions League placement, so it will be a nice match.

“If we have the wrong approach, it means we’ve done everything wrong,” insisted De Rossi.

“My decisions had an impact on the team at Frosinone, but I want to see motivated players entering the pitch tomorrow. Every game is vital now. If we had won the cup and this was the last game of the campaign, I could understand the contentment, but not today. It’s okay to enjoy victories like the other night, but the team can’t be drunk with happiness; otherwise, I have done it all wrong.

“It’s one of those days when I want to understand how the guys feel. I don’t like to make ten changes.”

Chris Smalling returned to action in a 3-0 win over Frosinone last week and has a chance to start against Torino on Monday, De Rossi confirmed.

“He is okay, we know he can’t play for 90 minutes, but perhaps he will surprise us. We must understand if he can start or if he will be introduced from the bench. We’ll decide in the coming hours.”

Another English Roma player, Abraham, has been out of action for several months after suffering a knee injury in the final Serie A match of 2022-23, but he’s expected to return to action before the end of the current campaign.

“When I saw Lukaku close to Abraham, I immediately thought that I wanted them to play together, but we have to see how long Tammy will remain out of action as he’s been out for several months,” said De Rossi.

“It’s an idea I may like, but it’s not a certainty for the future. Now we have Azmoun as a reserve. Otherwise, I would have tried to keep Il Gallo Belotti.”

Lukaku has netted twice in seven appearances under De Rossi and missed a penalty against Feyenoord earlier this week, but DDR is more than happy with the Belgian forward.

“We didn’t even analyse the missed penalty, these things can happen,” insisted the Giallorossi tactician.

“I only know that he sprinted past an opponent and the goalkeeper made a miracle to deny at minute 120. There are moments when he will touch the ball and make us triumph, so he is serene and calm. Strikers can become sad if they don’t score for a couple of matches, but he found the net against Feyenoord in the first leg and I couldn’t be happier with him.”

De Rossi also spoke about the Europa League Round of 16 draw revealing that his and Roberto De Zerbi’s daughters often meet to watch Roma games in London, where they live.