De Rossi on Lukaku, Brighton and joy of not sleeping at Roma

Daniele De Rossi explains why Romelu Lukaku will not face Brighton and Hove Albion in the Europa League and reveals where he differs from other coaches. ‘They just don’t tell you!’

It kicks off at the Amex Stadium on Thursday at 20.00 GMT.

The Giallorossi have a huge 4-0 first leg lead to rely on, but also make the trip without injured Lukaku, while Paulo Dybala is only expected to be on the bench, as Sardar Azmoun and Tommaso Baldanzi are tipped to start.

“Even if it is not one of the most famous stadiums in England, it is a little gem and we ought to learn from them in this sense. It would be good for our football to have stadiums like this,” De Rossi told Sky Sport Italia.

“I like the atmosphere, the sense that the fans are really close to the pitch, the great coaches and players. It’s fascinating to watch from outside.”

Lukaku scored in the first leg, but has not made the journey to Brighton, preferring to remain at Trigoria to train and recapture his fitness.

“He didn’t come with us, he has this hip problem that systematically flares up every few months. The treatment usually takes only a few days, but I have no certainty in these matters. The one area I didn’t really experience as a player was injury, so I don’t really understand much other than what the medical staff tell me!”

Even without the Lukaku issue, De Rossi is still expected to make changes to the starting XI.

“It’s not about rotation, it’s about wanting fresh legs on the pitch who can play a similar game to the one in the first leg. I have a great deal of faith in them, it’s not about having reserves, they all need to be at 200 per cent.”

De Rossi has been a breath of fresh air following the Jose Mourinho era, someone who shrugs off controversy and refuses to get drawn into off the field issues.

In the Sky Sport Italia studio, Billy Costacurta asked if he had been sleeping well.

“I must have a make-up artist with me, because I definitely have bags under my eyes! I also had really bad toothache for a few days, so am not sleeping well anyway. I am tired, I work hard, but I am much happier now than when I was a couple of months ago when I was waiting for an opportunity, not even one as prestigious as Roma.

“There is the risk of thinking about too many options, or too few. When you play this many games in a row, you will glance towards the next fixture and that’s not a wise thing, but it’s kind of inevitable. I don’t believe I think more about the games than anyone else.

“Maybe the difference is that I go into press conferences and interviews and admit that I got something wrong, that I regret a mistake. The other coaches probably think that too, they just don’t tell you!”